I’m not here to preach any type of lifestyle to you nor do I live any kind of different lifestyle that helps me “open my world” to more new possibilities than anyone else, but I try to be as kind, open-minded, and social as I can be because at the end of the day I want to know great people and experience great things. I want to feel as though I’ve made some kind of impression on these people as they have on me, and I want to tell great stories over coffee any random Sunday morning.
I think that no matter the person, we all have it within us to be kind, open-minded and social. It may be a challenge for many but you have to try because I am here to preach one thing and that is that you’re only living one life as a breathing, living, human (contingent on your afterlife views,) why not live it?
Meet as many people as possible, talk to everyone, give the homeless man the pennies in your wallet that you don’t need. Volunteer. Try new things at least once, things out of your comfort zone. Call the old lady upstairs, visit your grandma, go to brunch, dance.
Dancing is so important. If you knew the kind of off-beat dancing that goes on out there you wouldn’t think twice about just letting it all.hang.out. Laugh hard, and as often as possible. These are all normal, daily activities that anyone can do every now and then, start small and watch the chain reaction. It’s fun! It’s life.
At a young age I watched my mom deteriorate, a complete vegetable due to Guillain-Barre syndrome, a form of MS. In and out of rehab I’d go, watching no progression. She didn’t give up though, she worked hard. She had to learn how to crawl, then walk, then run, all over again at 27 years old.
You call it what you want, we call it a miracle, and a prime example of someone that’s eager to live a full life. I’ve always been so proud of her, and I think she’s one of the main reasons I strive to live my life and experience as much as possible. You just never know.
I understand that not everyone has that kind of inspiration, or someone to be that proud of, but if you can find it in yourself, to want more for your life, you’ll understand that you should have hit the ground running …yesterday.
I found some ways to “Open Your World to New Possibilities” on tinybuddah.com, below are some of those I found most important and easy for my more shy readers to start with, enjoy.
Talk to someone while waiting in line and ask what they do. You don’t need to wait for a specified event to network.
Make an effort to connect with people you pass—smile and make eye contact for a little longer than usual. Being even slightly more open can open up your world.
Learn a new skill. Start taking piano lessons or karate classes.
Say yes to something you always talk yourself out of–sing karaoke or take a kickboxing class–even you’re afraid of you’ll feel embarrassed.
Offer to help someone else. Sometimes it’s the best way to help yourself, and not just for the warm fuzzy feeling it provides. You never know what you’ll learn through the process.
Compliment a stranger on something you notice. Everyone likes to be appreciated, and it’s a great way to start a conversation.
Start learning a new language. The more people you can communicate with, the more valuable you become, particularly for work that involves traveling abroad. Only 6% of the world’s population speaks English.
Learn to cook one tweet at a time. @cookbook tweets entire recipes and instructions in 140 characters each. (this I NEED to do thanks @tinybuddah!)
Read the rest of tiny buddha’s suggestions here.
Slippers & Vino 