Life can be pretty amazing and it can also be a bit repetitive and boring at times. So how do we keep it interesting and joyful, without being on vacation?

I’m writing this on a Monday after a very fun and productive three days off. I love the people I get to work with and my job and schedule are great, yet sometimes I still feel a little bit “meh” about it all.

After a short review of the past few days, I realized that I had not meditated in 4 days for a variety of reasons and I also had not gone to my 2 classes at the gym on Saturday morning.

I did get to play a lot of pickleball and meet new wonderful people over the weekend and also spent time with family on Saturday, both of which were lovely.

What I realized though is that meditation and cardio strength exercise are both essential components to my personal joy and meaning in life.

Here’s why:

• Meditation practice teaches us to be present and accept whatever is happening.

  That’s not an easy thing to do for most of us. We’re always reliving the past or looking forward to some future event that’s more fun or interesting than our current situation.

  It takes practice, perseverance and patience to not only fully embrace whatever you are doing in the present moment, but also to find joy in those moments.

  It’s actually a wonderful experience when you have been practicing. So why don’t we? That’s a post for another day!

• Intense exercise helps us to release “feel good” hormones such as dopamine and serotonin.

  These are essentially free drugs made by our own bodies that make us feel happy and help to reduce any stress that may be occurring in our lives.

  Working out with friends can also add another level of pleasure because of the social connections we need as human beings.

  Establishing a regular workout routine that helps to release these hormones is essential to maintaining feelings of well-being, despite whatever else is going on around you.

So how do we become consistent with our exercise and meditation practice so we feel good every day?

• Start at a time you are most likely to be successful.

  I know from experience that if I don’t meditate first thing in the morning, it is highly unlikely that it will happen at any other point in my day.

  That means I must get up earlier than I want to if I would like to have a meaningful and joyful day, regardless of what the day entails.

  If morning is our successful time, we need to go to bed earlier and get up earlier.

• Create social accountability and just show up.

  Whether it’s your workout or your meditation practice, having class, a training session, or simply a friend to join you exponentially increases your success rate.

  Showing up is the hardest part. Once we get started, it’s easy.

We always feel better when we do something healthy for our body or mind and interacting with other people with similar interests rejuvenates our spirits.

Action Steps:

Think about your current level of meaning and joy in your daily life.

• If you feel pretty good about it, that’s awesome. Keep doing what you’re doing!

• If you feel like there’s more “meh” days than you’d like, allow yourself to create more time for your own physical and spiritual routine and notice how you feel on a daily basis. It’s pretty amazing when you’re consistent.

If you’d like some help thinking about how you can start your own practice, you can connect with me here.