When I was an undergrad, I took a few different sociology courses with an amazing professor whom I appreciated a lot. One of the activities that we were asked to do in a course was to take a different route to drive home every day for a week and simply notice what you observe from your experience. Rather than just going home the same old way that I had known, this allowed me the opportunity to try something different, such as experiencing new roads and areas that I might not have before. I appreciated this activity a lot because it was a simple way to begin developing awareness of our habitual patterns, and it provided us an opportunity to become more present in the way we live. While this simple exercise focused on driving as a means to bring more awareness to the patterns in our lives, we can apply this approach to any area of our lives where we desire more freshness and vitality.
One of our YouMe Cards, "Shake It Up," creates a fun way to change up your daily routines and bring more interest and happiness into your life. I have discovered that when I try something new or learn something new, it often becomes far more interesting and engaging to me because it offers a fresh experience and usually requires me to be more present, rather than operating on autopilot mode. I frequently notice this when practicing music or teaching my piano students. It's easy to fall into the same routine of practicing the same music over and over without fully engaging with it. There comes a point where practicing a piece extensively can become boring or uninteresting. Alternatively, once you have mastered a piece, continuously playing it without learning anything new can also grow monotonous.
It can be easy for humans to fall into habitual patterns without even being aware of them. Just like the sociology exercise, the more we begin to notice our patterns and bring presence and awareness to our thought and action habits, the more we can initiate positive changes in our lives and experience increased happiness and joy.
So, consider today as an opportunity to introduce something different into your daily routine. Ask yourself these questions:
What are some areas of my life right now that I would like to shake up a bit and bring something new to?
How do I think I would feel if I added some variety or freshness to these areas?
What surprises or delights might be in store for me?
Choose one area of your life that you would like to change up your daily routine for. It could be your morning or bedtime routine, driving, food, exercising, and so on. Come up with one thing you can do today to shake it up and integrate something new or different into the routine. Have fun with this! Let your imagination be open, expansive, and playful. Try this new change for one week and see how you feel afterward. Let us know about your experience in the comments below.
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