Okay, so who wouldn’t want to make today epic? That sounds like a pretty hefty promise, doesn’t it? But what if I told you that you could make not only today an awesome day, but each and every day of your life better?
The crazy-awesome part is, these 5 steps are all really easy, (some require less than a minute to complete!) and the benefits are instantaneous! Like, right here and now, yo!
And because I want you to be successful, I included this awesome printable checklist that you can download free here. If you’re a check-off-the-boxes kind of person (like me!) then this free download is for you. Using it for the first week or two can help you stay on track until the 5 steps become second nature.
It is seriously sooooo easy to make these 5 steps a part of your every day life, that I know you will be hooked. I went ahead and listed them in the order that I recommend doing them, but please don’t let this keep you from rearranging them to fit your schedule!
I challenge you to complete these 5 steps every day for a week, and just see if you can go back to your boring, pre-epic life when you are done. I think not.
Here we go, are you ready to come with me and make today epic?!
Step 1: Be Thankful
So the first step to uncovering your most epic day yet, is to take time to realize and appreciate everything you already have. And if you think you have nothing to be thankful for, think again. It’s okay to start with the basic things. Are you thankful for family? A roof over your head? Is there food in your pantry?
Maybe it’s a beautiful sunny day (or rainy, if that’s your thing), or your favorite song came on the radio, or you had a really good cup of coffee. You can start with super small things, and I bet you’ll be amazed by all the wonderful things in your life that it is so easy to forget about.
I recommend completing this step before you even get out of bed in the morning. Aim to list at least three things, but feel free to list all the ideas that pop into your head. Then do me a favor, okay? Read over this list before you go to sleep at night. No matter what happened between sun up and sun down, this moment of mindfulness will improve your mood, and help you shift your priorities.
Step 2: Do Something Productive
Guys, this is kind of a freebie. I know each and every one of you does something productive every day, even if its just getting a load of laundry done, or taking out the trash.
In today’s society, being busy is held in high esteem, so it’s easy to feel like we’re never doing enough. By taking a moment to acknowledge that you’ve done something worthwhile, it can help alleviate the stress of keeping up with your never-ending workload.
I want you to do something productive as soon as you get up in the morning. Kudos if it’s something you would normally procrastinate on doing. Just get it done, and watch your mood improve.
In the printable checklist, there is space to write out what you did. By starting off on the right foot in the morning, you will set yourself up for productivity and success for the rest of the day!
Step 3: Make Someone Smile
As it turns out, one of the biggest ways to make your own day epic is to focus on someone else’s. I’m sure you can think of a time when someone did something small for you and it turned your whole day around. It is now your mission to do this for someone else!
This can be as simple or as elaborate as you would like! Some days, you might only be able to give someone a sincere complement, or an encouraging word. This is great, do it! Other days, you might be presented with an opportunity to do something more: help someone carry something, pay for a stranger’s coffee, send a hand-written note, donate to a charity–the possibilities are endless. Just focus on putting a smile on someone else’s face, and watch your own smile grow.
Step 4: Get Moving
Fact: exercise boosts your mood. I know that for me, no matter how stressed or sad I am, exercise is always the best medicine! While you certainly don’t need to be training for a marathon to make today epic, you do need to move!
Walk your dog, plop your kid in the stroller and go for a jog, or hit up the gym for a high-intensity aerobics class. Do Pilates or yoga in the comfort of your living room. Just do something.
It doesn’t have to be much, and you don’t need to break a sweat. But if you find a way to get your heart pumping on a regular basis, you will notice a change in your overall mood. Talk about epic!
Step 5: Do Something Fun
Now, I’m guessing that if you save Step 5 for last, you might just find that in your quest for epic-ness, you’ve already done something fun today! That’s awesome! I just want to make sure that you give yourself permission, each and every single day, to have some fun.
The more intentional you are in having fun, the more you can appreciate it when it happens. Like most of the 5 steps, “fun” is very open ended. Having fun can be anything from meeting a friend for ice cream, reading a good book, planning a vacation, playing in the sprinkler with your kids–it can be as big or as small as your day allows.
So now that we’ve gone through the 5 steps, I’m sure some of you are thinking that it sounds like fun and you can’t wait to get started in your quest to make today epic. Others of you may be more skeptical. Can such small changes really affect the entire way you feel about life?
This is where I challenge you to try it! Just commit to doing all 5 steps for one week and see how you feel at the end of it. I promise it won’t hurt anything, and you might just be surprised by how much your entire outlook has changed!
The theme here is small, intentional, mindful choices that help you get the most out of life, and most importantly, make today epic.
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