Happy Monday and New Year! I'm back Y'all!
Have you every heard a song or watched a show that just reminded you of an earlier time in your life and it gave you all the smiles? Okay, I'm just going to get right on into it because I'm in a positive head space right now. For the last couple of weeks, I've been experiencing nostalgia like crazy. And all I've really been doing is watching movies and listening to music I loved as a child. It made me feel good and sad at the same time, but I think nostalgia is structured like that.
On the positive side, you remember all the great stuff you didn't realize you were experiencing. Some songs I listened to over the last couple of weeks brought me back to high school and my undergrad years, and I didn't know it then, but those were the times when I was having the most fun. (sn: that's why I will ride or die, figuratively, for old school music/TV. These new songs that kids bop to today, Trap music, etc, do NOTHING for me.) I had no real worries, I did whatever I wanted, had the closest clique in life, everything was amazing. But on the sad side of it, the older you get, you begin to feel like you'll never have those days again. Like, I'm an adult now and now I have to work all the time and pay bills, and be grown up. In that mindset, it's depressing. But it doesn't have to be.
Part of my New Year's mantra, Rise, is living my best life in 2016. What does that even mean, your best life? To me that means doing what makes you happy, 24/7. It's not as easy as it sounds, but what's a little extra effort for a lifetime of best moments? I don't want to spend any more time being unhappy, or frustrated and taking it out on the people around me. That's not the life of a Kingdom Child (that's me). I understand that I have responsibilities, but I'm not going to let them run or "ruin" my life. The point I'm trying to make with all this nostalgic talk is...I don't want to look back 5, 10 years and remember all the best moments in my life. I want to wake up every morning remembering the best moments of my life that happened yesterday, and top it today. Everyday doesn't have to be extravagant, but it had to be what I want it to be. Fulfilling. Adventurous. Hilarious. Awakening. Spiritual. Fundamental. Joyous.
So how do you do that? How can you make time to make every day your best day, when there's so much weighing on you?
Well, like I said before, it's going to take a little effort, at first. Figure out what brings you joy. Figure out what a great day will be like for you, and work towards it. For me, I love what I do, but I don't love the hours or the politics. So I'm looking for something new that will meet me at the point of MY needs. There's a perfect job out there for everyone, but we're covered in fear and fatigue on a daily basis, it seems impossible. But the way My God is set up...
You may or may not know this yet, but you gon' learn today. I love lists. I have reading lists, to-do-lists, shopping lists, research lists, I make lists of everything I sign up for online. I keeps records, okay? When I'm feeling like I want more, which is often, what do I do? I make a list of what that means. I want more where? At work? okay. How? New job. Cool. What do I have to do to get there. OR I want to read more. I want to write more. What am I going to read? Where am I going to write? What do I need? My mind is a running list of goals and TOOLS I need to reach those goals, it's all apart of my Master List, which I'll get into this week. So when I say, it's possible to live your best life from here on out, I mean it! You just have to know what that looks like to you. And write it down. If you don't write it down then it's less likely to happen. Seriously, there's no proof. That's why there are contracts for everything: houses, marriage, jobs, etc. Write down the things that bring you joy, those things, big or little, that make you feel like you can accomplish anything.
The best moments of your life aren't behind you. They're right around the corner. We just have to first see it, then grab it. Those nostalgic feelings are wonderful because when we experienced them, they were new to us. They were different and brought us joy. That's why they we the best times of our lives. They were special. Make the choice to make every day just that. New. Special. Different.