3 Tips to Awaken Your Day

​Every year of your life is important. Every single year of your life, new people and situations and opportunities will enter just as often as people and situations and opportunities will exit. It’s a balance, and every element matters.
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Think about January of this year. You probably set yourself resolutions, made your phone wallpaper a motivational quote, applied for a job you didn’t think you’d get anyways, bought a bunch of diet cookbooks, and maybe cleaned your room. You were probably pumped out of your mind about life, and you were ready to get happy again.
 
Think about the people influencing your life in January.
Think about all the adventures you were ready to take on as school started up again.
Think about how strong you felt. How excited you were to begin.
 
How are you today? Are you okay? Are you happy?
 
Have you stuck to those resolutions? Can you confidently say you are stronger today than you were yesterday… and the day before that… and the day before that? Can you confidently say you are more in love with your life today than ever before?
 
If the answer to any of these questions is anything less than a capital YES... friend, I've been there too. And though I realize we're all beautifully unique with beautifully independent interests, the following three tips helped me regain joy during lows, and I'd love to share them with you too. Just in case. *wink*


1 | Start a collection of your favorite pictures. Go to your phone or computer, and start an album labeled “Life’s Best.” Open the oldest photo you have, and just start clicking through your life. For every picture that makes you smile – whether it’s of friends, family, yourself, your travels, or just a saved Snapchat – add that picture to the album. By the time you’ve scrolled through every picture you own, go back to that Life’s Best album, and scroll through it again. If you’re not smiling by the time you’re done, well, you must just never take any pictures.


2 | Start a savings account solely for explorations and experiences you’ve always wanted to do. Every time you earn money, transfer a certain percentage into that savings account. It can be as little as $1 or as much as a few hundred, but put at least something into that account. If you’re not spending too much on a daily basis, that sum of money will start to add up. Next thing you know, you’ve raised just enough to buy that concert ticket, magazine subscription, Topgolf pass, hot air balloon ride, spa day, or airplane ticket. When the time comes, buy it without regret, and live each day in eager anticipation for your well-deserved treat. ​


3 | Wake up one hour earlier tomorrow. The worst days are usually the ones that start out in stress – when you miss your alarm or decide not to work out or skip breakfast. For one day, set an alarm one hour earlier than when you’d usually wake up. When your alarm goes off, relax. Don’t scroll through your phone or force yourself to work out if you don’t want to. Use this hour to do whatever you want. Buy your favorite style coffee, sit on your porch and watch the sun rise, go on a walk around your neighborhood, read the news, listen to your favorite music, organize your backpack, write a letter to someone, read your textbook before class, catch up on a show you’ve neglected, or just do nothing. But no matter what, be selfish with this hour. Do what you want to do, not what you feel like you’re supposed to do. The rest of your obligations will fall into place as the day progresses. And maybe – just maybe – you’ll look forward to tomorrow morning when you get be yourself all over again.   

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Life can sink you low sometimes. It’ll throw challenges at you without warning, it’ll introduce stressors you never knew existed, it’ll force you to re-evaluate yourself and your values and your passions.
 
If you can learn to face these adversities in the right way, tomorrow you’ll bounce back stronger than ever before.
 
Don’t give up on this time you have to be alive. Appreciate the people who love you, appreciate the place you are living, appreciate the little victories and the little moments. Because at the end of the day, you can decide to be okay.

love, chlo.