10 Ideas to Get Excited for Every Day

I was having a conversation with one of my new colleagues at work recently and we were talking about how life just seems to go so fast.

I think I mentioned in another post that this is something that I’ve noticed over the past few years that things just seem to be going past in the blink of an eye.

She was telling me that she tries to plan or get excited for something every day so that she isn’t only looking forward to the weekend, holidays or other plans she may have and by having something to look forward to every day it helps life to just slow down a little and she is more able to live in the present, something she says she is working on.

This really resonated with me because it is so true! I’ve found that this year has gone so fast, it’s already July! I’m always looking forward to Friday or the weekend, plans with friends, birthdays, time off work (my most recent because I’ve booked a couple of weeks but not going anywhere).

I want to try what she said. I was unsure of where to start but it made me think that it doesn’t have to be anything big, after all that saying “it’s the little things in life” must have some weight behind it.

So I’ve written 10 things, big and small, that we can get excited for or plan in every day life. Time set aside that doesn’t revolve around work, worries, stress etc. Time for you.

1. Time off Work/School
   I’m starting off with a fairly big one because it’s something that I think, no matter how much you may like your job or school, everyone needs a break. So, if you’re at school savour the time you can spend without stressing about projects or homework and if you work then remember to book some time off.
   This year was strange for me because it’s very rare for me to have time off work and not leave the country. I went to LA earlier in the year but felt I needed a couple of weeks in the summer, but starting a new role I didn’t want it to be too soon into that. It got to the point I just had to do it, I was constantly going back and forth as to whether I should or not. Just because you may not go abroad or away within your own country for a week or two doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take time just to chill. My time is August, the rest of the family are in Cyprus (hence why I was going back and forth) but I am really looking forward to it!
2. Fun with Family
   Whether you’re a child, teenager, adult etc. you should always make time to spend with your family. It doesn’t necessarily have to be every single day but every once in a while go out to dinner, go to the beach, a day out, lunch or if you have younger children have some sort of family fun day. Maybe even just stay in with a movie, takeaway some board games. The possibilities are endless and you won’t regret it. 
3. Fun with Friends
   You love spending time with friends and they love spending time with you. It’s true what they say, “friends are the family you choose” and so don’t forget about them. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in work, school, studying and when you get home you just want to chill out – I get it! Plus with schedules constantly clashing sometimes it can be difficult to find a date that everyone can do but it will happen. Just keep clawing away and you’ll get there. You can do anything – a day out, bowling, cinema, pub, cocktails, meal or if you’re feeling low maintenance then a movie day/night, just chilling out, make a video and put it on YouTube, picnic at the park or on the beach, go see a concert, comedian, games day/night, cook them dinner – once again the possibilities are endless. At some point in my life I have done each and every one of these things with friends – as I’m sure the majority of you will have done most – and doesn’t it bring back some great memories? Why not make more?
   
4. Chill Out / Be Mindless
   To some this may seem obvious and to others it may seem “why is that something to get excited about?”. As I’ve said we spend so much time stressing about one thing or another we sometimes don’t just chill. I do, quite frequently. I did yesterday. I don’t particularly regret it because, like most people, I work full time and have been to the gym a fair bit this week, done tennis, I’m planning on doing a lot of writing tomorrow, I’m always thinking – my brain does not shut up most of the time – and so if you get a day where you can literally just open your laptop, turn on the TV, veg out or read or anything you like to do mindlessly. If it’s something that doesn’t require work then do it and don’t feel bad about it.
   I know most people will be about work, work, work all the time, and they say if you’re not working then someone else most certainly is and while that’s true everyone is different and should go at their own pace. Sure you’ll get there quicker but take time to enjoy the ride or else you’ll miss it entirely.
   
5. Have a Bath
   This is going to sound like a weird one but I cannot tell you how many times I’ve said to myself “Right, on this day I’m going to get some products from lush or the supermarket, get a few magazines and have a nice bath” after long days they are the best and after hard weeks they’re even better and I genuinely look forward to them! I say to myself “Two more days and I can have my bath” “One more day and I can have my bath” – it’s a treat.
   I’ll admit I can’t have a bath without having a shower afterwards, but that’s just me. The bath itself is just so relaxing. To get lost for a few hours (I always top-up the hot water, then cold, then hot – I’m a mess – but don’t do it if you’re on a meter!) to just read about mindless or interesting things, catching up with what’s happening in some parts of the world or take in a book you’ve been wanting to read/finish and totally de-stress your muscles. 
   
6. Clean Sheets
   Another weird one but about a week ago I overheard a colleague say how excited she was to go home because before she left she had re-done her bedding with crisp clean sheets – and the thing is she was genuinely excited. Again, some people are probably very confused but think about it, when have you ever been sad or annoyed by clean sheets? They are pretty amazing and so simple!
   
7. Pamper Day/Night
   So, for this one you can either book one somewhere professional and spend a day there or you don’t even have to leave the house. If you’re going for a day indoors I’m going to link in a video which I recently saw on YouTube by Niomi Smart because it gave me a lot of inspiration to do something similar one day. You could also paint your nails, do a face mask or something like that. You can cook – a pamper day is basically a day to really take care of yourself which is something we all forget to do because it’s so easy to focus on something else other than ourselves and our health.
   This is something you can easily do with friends if you wish.
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qwcc5NFjDJM
8. List, Plan, Action
   Personally I love planning. Whether it be a Bridal Bash (which I did for a friend last year), hosting people in my home, concerts, parties, BBQ’s, picnics, christmas party for friends/a friend, surprise birthday outings, weekends away, holidays, my writing, Christmas & Birthday gifts etc.
   The list goes on, my friends. I just love it! I love thinking about the people I’m organising for and what they might like, envisioning what I would like to happen and then to see it through, and I love their reactions too – it’s always well worth the time, effort and funds.
   Going back to the Bridal Bash, it’s probably the biggest thing I’ve organised so far, sure I’ve done surprises on outings for birthdays but this was something I had total control over. I planned the theme, decorations, music, games, food, drinks, location, guests. I made a DVD filled with music, pictures of all of us throughout the year, instructions for the main games and little mini-games in-between. I’m tempted to do a blog post around that, but the point is that every day I would get so excited to come home and work on it.
   At the moment I think about coming home and planning ideas for things I want to cook, how I want to spend my time off, healthy living ideas, homeware, games, BBQ, baking, writing – if I’m not chilling that’s what I’m doing and I genuinely get excited about it because it’s something I love doing.
   
9. Exercise, Workout, Gym (or walking your dog)
   Now, on some level I’m thinking “nope” but then on another level I totally understand.
   You can either get some DVDs, download from iTunes or look up on YouTube and workout at home, go to a local gym, walk your dog – this is great if you’re looking for ‘me’ time. You can do all of these with friends but also very common solo. Doing this kind of thing is great on your own because it gives you your own time to just space out and concentrate on you for 45 minutes to an hour. You can take a class at your gym or elsewhere – again either alone or with a friend. You can play tennis (… you will probably need another person for this), swimming, running, kickboxing, football, dance – the point is something you just love to do and it’s yours. Exercise releases a chemical called endorphins which triggers a positive feeling in your body. I must admit I’m not the biggest lover of it however, I find that when I do go out and do something (re. above) I do feel better in myself and I’m just generally chattier than when I spend the whole day in bed or just come home and do nothing.
10. Your Passion
    There is no restriction on doing something you’re passionate about, be it cooking/baking/video games/YouTube/acting/writing/reading/exercise/event planning/sports/health/learning/languages/history/culture/movies – if you love it then do it! The only person stopping you is you. Is there a better way to get excited for a day than to think “When I’m home” or “today” or “tomorrow” (and mean it!) I’m going to do ‘X’ because I love it and there is no other reason.

Now a lot of these may be quite similar, or you may sense a theme, but hopefully it gets my point across that you don’t need anything specific to get excited for each day. These are only 10 examples and please let me know anything you get excited about in the comments because I would love to hear them and to try new things.

I hope it shows that you don’t need to be social if you don’t feel like it, or you can be extremely social. You also don’t need a lot of money or lot of time. The only things you need are you and your imagination, from there anything is possible.

I’m hoping to test this theory of my colleagues, maybe for a week or a month I’ll put something on my twitter that I’m excited for later that day and see what happens. Hopefully it will stop my weeks from merging into one and  passing in the blink of an eye.

Until next time!