You know who they are. They walk around life like they own it- happy, content, doing exactly what they want, when they want. What is this magical superpower possessed by these amazing, unicorn women who seem to have it all?!
It’s actually not that complicated. You too can live the rockstar life. It boils down to 3 little habits.
1. Banish the ‘Joy Suckers’ from Your Life
You know who they are. Those friends that want to get together just to talk shit. No matter how good you feel, they can plop down next to you and start their toxic dumping. It can be about themselves, a mutual friend, their work… they’re not particular. People like this can be long-time friends or even family members, making it hard to cut ties in any real way. And you don’t have to cut them completely. But if you want to live life freely, and be open to all the joy and peace available to you, they have to be limited, friend.
You can be around them but make it less often or for shorter spurts of time so you can still have time to wash all the negativity away. Life is precious to all of us and time is all we have. So if you want to be a rock star at life, protect yourself from joy suckers by limiting your time with them as much as possible.
2. Make Mental Health a Daily Priority
If you had a dollar for every time you heard this, you’d have many, many dollars, right? But the fact of the matter is, if you don’t hit the reset button on a daily basis, preferably more than once a day, you won’t be able to radiate any sense of calm or positivity for yourself or others.
Mental health starts with taking the time to do something for your body, like walking, stretching, working out every day-not just weekdays-but also making time for clear thinking, meditating, and breathing.
Yes, I said breathing. You’d be surprised how often you’re taking small shallow breaths which contribute to your body producing cortisol because it thinks you’re afraid or worried. Isn’t that crazy? Simply by taking 2 minutes a few times a day for focused breathing can change your stress response, and therefore your day.
Go to a park and just unplug. Think about your life, what’s amazing about it, what you could do more of to make it better, and get very centered around your personal core values. Taking time to prioritize your body and mind daily will help keep things from spiraling out of control.
3. Evaluate Often
We can easily begin to live our lives on autopilot. As humans, we like our routines, but sometimes we need to check ourselves and the things we’re doing to evaluate their value. We change, so should our daily life patterns. Maybe we can shake up our morning grind routine to add in a pleasant treat, like drinking coffee outside a coffee shop instead of driving through and barely enjoying it in our haste to start our day. Maybe going straight home after work isn’t serving your quest for a happy and balanced life. Could you meet up with a friend or family member to catch up every now and then?
It’s important not only to evaluate what we do in our daily routines but also to reaffirm that the long-term goals we set for ourselves still apply. Things could have changed and the priorities you had for yourself might now be shifted. Maybe saving money is still a priority, but not at the expense of denying yourself an occasional weekend outing. Balance in everything, they say.
We can all be rock stars at life. The key is to fiercely protect your precious time, take care of your body and mind, and realistically evaluate what your personal values are often so you stay true to yourself.
Mary Liga is a writer, Certified Life Coach for women in midlife, NLP Practitioner, mom to 4 millennial daughters, and host of the Badass Midlife Podcast. Connect with Mary at maryliga.com.
