We spend so much time & effort trying to get to the good life, we rarely consider taking some time off to enjoy the good we've already achieved, right under our feet. And that can start to make us feel... anything but happy or Good. Is it time to step away from the self-help & self-development, and maybe take some time to linger over the good things in your life? Read on to find out more about the art of enjoying your life...
Hello My Friends,
This week I've been up to something kind of scary. I've been opting out of all of my online memberships and programs.
Do you know I've been doing online self development programs since I was 23 years old?
And while the programs were always amazing, lately... I've been feeling restless.
And wondering, Is it time to let go all the striving & programs that only ever having me reaching for the future?
Month after month, with no breaks in programs, with no down time. No stopping point. And while at one time those programs really held the promise of shifting my thoughts, opening my worldview, and falling deeply in love with my life...
Somehow, I'm embarrassed to admit, I'd turned them all into endless striving and a way to avoid my real life, not fall more in love with it.
Time spent on the computer, on zoom, and not in the company of real people, and certainly not in real conversations that could be had lingering over a glass of wine, and spent actually connecting.
And instead of real vacations, I'd been taking pseudo-vacations, in the form of online retreats and zoom seminars. No time to walk along the vineyards, to speak rusty Italian to a restaurant owner in a foreign land, no time to try flirting in French...
No time to read a beautiful piece of fiction just for the sheer joy of it.
No time for the sweetness of life... And no time to sink into the beauty of life that exists only in the here and now.
So I've done a hard thing, and gone cold turkey this week. I thought I might just go through withdrawals this week, but I've have never felt more relaxed or well-rested.
My schedule is open and my time has become more sane and leisurely as it's started to decompress. The day seems to roll out luxuriously before me.
And I've started filling that time, not with striving, not with endless pressure to hurry up and get to the future - to have more, be more, own more - but with the simple pleasures of enjoying life.
And I want that for you too! So let's explore some ways to get there... That are also pleasurable!
1 Inspiration
Then pull out a journal and spend some time with the questions below:
"What does enjoyment look like in my life?"
&
"How can I slow down enough to do it this week?"
2 Quotes
"The harder you chase something, the faster you go & the less you’re able to let life meet life. Creativity exists in the present moment. You can’t find it anywhere else."
― Natalie Goldberg
“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly, and without fear, for newer and richer experience.”
― Eleanor Roosevelt
3 Ways to Play
Film Therapy
Need a little help slowing down and finding the magic?
Let this film about meandering and finding happiness in the moment,
aptly called "Paris Can Wait,"
help you find it.
Don't Eat, Dine
Make a meal that brings people together.
Set a beautiful table. Flowers can't hurt & candlelight is a must. Pop the cork. Add music. Then Eat, drink, linger...
Here is one of my favorite & easiest recipes, Rosé Prawns with Pasta!
Recipe Note: I use shrimp, not shrimp heads in the recipe & it's perfect. You can get Red Pesto on Amazon.
Weekend Style
We tend to think a lot about our style during the daytime, but what about when we we're staying home?
Lounge wear deserves a little panache all of it's own!
Refresh your nighttime wardrobe with something special.
Need more help enjoying your life?
Much love, & See you next week!
Desirée Sommer