Over the last few months I have been dedicated full-time to various professional projects and now I have a window of  time and opportunity between projects.  I feel like I have been in a rut, dare I say without a schedule and free time I am even a little bored. I need to recharge my mind, body and soul. Spice up my life with a little fun and excitement. 

As creatures of habit, our routines are comfortable and comforting. We humans tend to resist too much excitement even while we long to live a more exciting life. Living an exciting life appears great in theory, but it is a bit daunting when we are faced with the possibility of actually doing something to “Make It So”.

One of life’s basic premises is that you can’t keep working forever and not reward yourself once in a while. At some point you become complacent and lose the creative spirit, or the will to break out of your routine. It is important to keep your life in balance. You need to pay attention to all areas of your life not just work. You can do all the training, working, partying, reading, traveling you want but if you are neglecting a main area in your life it will cost you. 

You do not have to do or be something dramatic to have a more interesting and exciting life.  Small and simple changes, shifts in thinking, and self-improvement stretches can shake up your world enough to make it more fun, fascinating and adventurous — on your own terms.

You can get out of the rut of your everyday routine and put some sparkle into your lifestyle with just a little creative thinking and planning.  Here are some suggestions for how to add a bit of spice to your life without much money or effort.

Make room.  It is hard to add excitement to your life if your life is overflowing with mindless tasks and chores.  Sometimes we fill our lives with these things in order to avoid stretching ourselves toward happiness. Is that you? Can you simplify, delegate, or eliminate any of these boring and mindless tasks to make room for excitement?

Move your furniture. Rearrange or redecorate a room by moving furniture around and switching things up enough can make your room or home feel new and different.  The movement of the furniture move changes the energy flow in your home.  This works well for me and is one of my favorites.  

Turn off.  Step away from the TV, the computer and/or the phone.  Turning off your electronics allows your mind to search for other forms of entertainment and enables you to enjoy the social detachment and a little self time.  Or take a walk with a friend. Go to the bookstore and browse. Visit a local gallery or museum. 

Test drive a sports car. Ok, so you may not be able to buy one, but that does not mean you can’t try it out. Go take a spin behind the wheel of your favorite car.  Riding in your “ideal” car or spending time in your ideal situation came be a catalyst for much more.

Go to a comedy club or mystery dinner theater. Have an exciting evening of laughs or thrills to shake up your normal routine weekend.

Cook Something Totally Different.  It might be a strange investment, but hear me out. Go out, and buy a random $30 cookbook. It could be Thai, Mexican, or whatever. But what it is going to do is send you on a new path. Once you have picked a recipe to focus on, you will be meandering down new aisles, learning about new products and compositions, and using your kitchen in a new way. It will distract your mind and allow you to focus on an interesting and delicious new project. Your cooking skills will improve and you can reap the benefits afterwards by dining with your friends, and posting pictures on Facebook.

Take A New Route To Work.  This one may be obvious but the surprising results can be positively interpreted.. Maybe it’s a longer way to work. Along the way, stop at a new place for coffee. Look around for cool new shops you did not know existed. Wake up at a different time and focus on re-adjusting your standard routine. You might even make new friends you didn’t know existed – all because you took a different road to work!

Travel. The world we live in is infinitely beautiful. There is so much to see and so much to explore. But people just lock themselves up in their own house. They make excuses that travel is for the wealthy. That they don’t have time and that they have responsibilities they can’t neglect.

Overdose on fresh air.  Ride a bike, feed the ducks, throw a Frisbee, walk your dog, play a game or rent some inline skates. In my case, I go to the park to meditate by the lake.

So many people postpone happiness and stay in their comfort zone. Stop procrastinating life for work/future happiness/whatever.  If you are thinking about something you want, go get it. It is as simple as that. If you want more meaning in your life you will have to be courageous enough to take action. Do not wait to try something, to initiate, to take action. Stop playing it safe or looking for someone else to take the lead. Be a creative creator of your life. You can make it as exciting and thrilling as you wish.

Enjoy!!!