Become an Explorer in Your Own Life

3 Ways to Find Your Happiness

What is a Wanderess? Bound by no boundaries, contained by no countries, tamed by no time, she is the force of nature’s course. ― Roman Payne, The Wanderess

Recently I have been reading the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. In it, he shares his process for developing good routines in your life.

Inspired by his section about the environment, I decided to move my workspace today. I believe that in life if we become explorers, we will find our happiness. On my 100-day journey exploring abundance, I am learning there are many ways to spend my days.

I have always loved science and experiments. The more we try out things, the more information we have to figure out what works best.

I am a bit of a rebel, however. Ever since I got my coveted chemistry set as a kid, I have wanted to do things differently.

The kit came with a set of activities and experiments. I tried some of them, but I also decided to mix materials to see what would happen.

Luckily, nothing exploded!

Even though I am no longer tinkering with chemistry sets, I love to try new things in my life to see what happens.

Having read countless books about habits, routines, and self-help, I have tried my fair share of ideas to make my life better. I find it fascinating that some concepts have stuck, while others have not.

I feel that I love to flow through life, change, and try out new things.

I will often read about very linear habits or routines, try them, and then be disappointed that they do not work for me. I believe this is because I love to keep experimenting.

If this is you, you have come to the right place.

There is no shame in trying new things. Some habits and routines will stay with you; others may fade away. The important thing is that you keep going.

Today I will share three ways you can explore more in your life to find your happiness. The beautiful part of this process lies in the fact that you can always try something new.

Explore your environment

Taking a look at your workspace and your living spaces with fresh eyes is paramount. When we pay close attention to how we feel in our environment, we become aware of how it affects our daily lives.

For example, today, I decided to move my workspace. For almost a year, I had sat to write at our dining room table. Today I realized that was no longer necessary.

My son chose to do his online classes in a different room, so now the office is free to use. My husband can now safely work from his office with fewer co-workers.

The act of moving my laptop to the desk with a proper office chair and fewer distractions has already made a difference in my workflow today.

I invite you to notice how you feel in each room of your home or your workspace. Are you productive in the space in which you work? Are there too many distractions or clutter there?

Do you feel comfortable in your living spaces, or do objects around you call you to keep working past your quitting time?

I found that when I worked at the dining room table, I was distracted by my phone, things going on outside, and objects in the kitchen. It interrupted my workflow, and I was not as productive.

Whenever there are objects in your environment that signal work to you, but you are not in a workspace, it is time to move them elsewhere. That is why I finally moved my laptop to the office. Seeing it on the table every day made me feel like I needed to keep working all of the time.

Look for clues

In your life, you can look for physical clues and emotional clues. Material indicators are objects in your living or workspace. They tell you the purpose of that area.

Objects tell us a lot about a space. They show us what the purpose of that area is.

For example, if you see notebooks in your bedroom, you feel drawn to study them; they signal work.

Pay close attention to the things in your field of vision while you are working or relaxing. While in work mode, seeing objects having to do with household chores may cause you to lose focus.

During a time of relaxation, observing work objects may make you switch back into work mode.

Notice your emotions as well. How do you feel in each space?

Does your work area make you feel energized and creative? If not, try removing anything that does not evoke those feelings.

Does your relaxation area make you feel at ease? If you feel uncomfortable, get a sense of what is causing it. Is there a stack of academic books by your lounge chair? Does it cause you to stress? If so, move those to your workspace and see how you feel.

Try it on for size

The best part about life is nothing is static.

You can choose to change things at any moment if they are not working for you. Getting curious about your environment and emotions is a process that helps you discern what is working best for you.

You can change your routine or change your furniture placement. Try it for a while and see how you feel.

Right now, I am trying out a new routine. I used to exercise on the elliptical before getting ready for the day.

Now, I do a twenty-minute yoga routine. The stretches, breathing, and light exercise energize me for the rest of the day. I love this experiment!

In my life, I have tried many different routines like going to the gym early in the morning, walking outside, lifting weights, meditation, affirmations, and more.

All of those are worthwhile activities. They all brought me different waves of happiness and joy.

However, I choose not to be ashamed that I did not stick with them forever. I will always be an explorer and a scientist. That means that instead of seeking just one thing that works, there may be an abundance of activities that light me up.

I invite you to explore, look for clues and try things on for size in your life. You will be glad that you did!

Stay tuned: my next journey will include an exploration of habits and routines.

My prayer for you today is to look at your environment and emotions. How do you feel there? Do you have a productive workspace? I wish you a peaceful home and a beautiful workspace where you can be creative and grow as a person.

Day #92: How can you explore your workspace, relaxing spaces, and emotions to bring more happiness to your life?

I am tagging some amazing fellow writers on this journey. They joined me on my 100-day spiritual journey, and it is an honor to have them here on this journey.

I ask that you read their beautiful work here on Medium. Thank you for your generosity!

Bob Jasper, Charlotte Zobeir Ali, Amy Marley, Jenine Bsharah Baines, Vishnu*s Virtues, Annick Batamuliza, Lanu Pitan, Neha Sandhir S, Rasheed Hooda, Gurpreet Dhariwal, Aurora Eliam, CMP, Terry Mansfield, Tree Langdon, Henery X, Nihan Kucukural, Sherry S, Annelise Lords, Cocoa Griot, Dr. John Rose, Desiree Driesenaar, Noma Dek, Tony Young, Jr., Joe Luca, Melissa Bee, and many more! Thank you!

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