How To Lead An Exciting Life Without Quitting Your Job Or Using Your Passport
By Meg O’Sullivan
Life can seem pretty damn monotonous sometimes. If you are working the 9 till 5, following the same routine everyday it’s not uncommon for your existence to seem, well,… like an endless drudgery. Annual holidays abroad may help you to escape this sense of captivity. But such freedom usually proves to be fleeting, as the return to routine invites a new bout of monotony.
Image by Sonja Langford via Unsplash.com
We live life making plans, following routines and setting schedules. As a consequence our days can begin to meld into one. Life can get to feeling a little dull. However, often our society calls for such routines and plans. And although we all like to think we’d love to scrap our schedule and live life in the flow, as human beings we crave certainty. So quitting your money-makin’ day job and proclaiming a life of freedom and adventure isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be.
So the question on every 9 till 5er’s lips…
How do I avoid monotony without forsaking my schedule or having to fish out my passport?
Well, let’s find out shall we?
Life through the eyes of a traveller
You know when you’re exploring a new place, everything is fresh. Your senses are constantly being stimulated. You are captivated by anything that differs even the slightest from what you’re accustomed to. You are completely present.
photo credit: Khánh Hmoong via photopin cc
Why do we restrict this sense of excitement to travel? Yes, the differences between our usual day to day might not be as stark as, say, those between Australia and Africa. But, they still exist. The Universe is constantly in flux. So no matter what your surroundings are, they are NEVER the same. Every single moment is uniquely different to the next.
Same Shit. Different Day.
Routines, schedules and plans give us the illusion that we are living a life of monotony. They have us believe that we are doing the “same shit” day in day out. With this perspective, it’s easy to simply go through the motions and overlook the details. It’s easy to disreagard the value that is inherent to each second of life.
You work in an office 9 till 5, answering phones and filing papers, doing the “same shit” everyday. Right?
No. Although it may seem like each person at the end of the line has melded into one, they are all incredibly different. Even if you speak with the same person at various times throughout the day, their mood and energy is forever changing. No phone call is ever alike!
And your daily filing chores? Well, they may seem like a boring old drag, but there is a whole lot you are overlooking. Just like your surroundings, your body is constantly evolving. Energetically you are never the same. So stop looking at your routine duties as simply a means to an end. Instead use them to explore that beautiful body of yours.
With this shift of perspective your day will transform from 8 hours of the “same old shit” to an adventure exploding with excitement.
Three steps to avoiding monotony
So we’ve established that your surroundings are ever-changing and it’s in fact your perspective that is keeping you in the grips of monotony. Just like a country, and it’s scenery, encourages tourists to adventure, each moment is riddled with difference and is open for your to explore. Here are the three key things you need to focus on in order to extinguish the drudgery and invite excitement into your everyday routine.
1. Open your eyes. Explore each moment with extreme excitement and curiosity, just like a traveller. If you expect to see difference, you will see difference. Maybe only subtle ones at first. But when you continue to practice viewing your surroundings with fresh eyes, your sensitivity to each moment’s innate uniqueness will grow. Soon you’ll struggle to remember how it was ever possible to blur the days, let alone the weeks, into one.
2. Step into your body. The body is the most powerful portal to the present. It is our very own, specialised vehicle to explore the world. This vehicle is forever changing. Therefore the way in which we experience our surroundings, no matter if they appear to be stagnant, is always different. So step into your body, feel the energy coursing through it. And use it for what it was designed for…exploration.
3. Stay present. It is our routines, schedules and plans that give us the illusion of monotony. It is our expectations, based on our past experiences, that taint our present moment and mask it with the appearance of the ones that came before it. This is all the work of your head. But when we step out of this space and simply choose to reside in the Now, we can truly see the moment for what it is. Unique. Powerful. Different.
So there is no need to quit your job and jet off to the Bahamas to temporarily escape the monotony of life. Search for the freshness of each moment and enter each working day with the eye’s of a traveller. Soon you will discover that you possess the ability to adventure in every single second. Your life will transform into an explosion of excitement. No passport needed.
So here’s to ending the drudgery and embracing the adventure!
About the author
Meg O’Sullivan
Blogger // Adventuring Home
www.adventuringhome.com
Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Pinterest
Bec Van Leeuwen is a truth-seeker, devoted wife and mother, a globe-trotter, a nature lover and a human potential activist. Her mission is to support and inspire awakening women who are on a quest to create real and lasting change in their lives, their communities and the world.