1. push yourself to get up before the rest of the world - start with 7am, then 6am, then 5:30am. go to the nearest hill with a big coat and a scarf and watch the sun rise.
2. push yourself to fall asleep earlier - start with 11pm, then 10pm, then 9pm. wake up in the morning feeling re-energized and comfortable.
3. erase processed food from your diet. start with no lollies, chips, biscuits, then erase pasta, rice, cereal, then bread. use the rule that if a child couldn’t identify what was in it, you don’t eat it.
4. get into the habit of cooking yourself a beautiful breakfast. fry tomatoes and mushrooms in real butter and garlic, fry an egg, slice up a fresh avocado and squirt way too much lemon on it. sit and eat it and do nothing else.
5. stretch. start by reaching for the sky as hard as you can, then trying to touch your toes. roll your head. stretch your fingers. stretch everything.
6. buy a 1L water bottle. start with pushing yourself to drink the whole thing in a day, then try drinking it twice.
7. buy a beautiful diary and a beautiful black pen. write down everything you do, including dinner dates, appointments, assignments, coffees, what you need to do that day. no detail is too small.
8. strip your bed of your sheets and empty your underwear draw into the washing machine. put a massive scoop of scented fabric softener in there and wash. make your bed in full.
9. organise your room. fold all your clothes (and bag what you don’t want), clean your mirror, your laptop, vacuum the floor. light a beautiful candle.
10. have a luxurious shower with your favourite music playing. wash your hair, scrub your body, brush your teeth. lather your whole body in moisturiser, get familiar with the part between your toes, your inner thighs, the back of your neck.
11. push yourself to go for a walk. take your headphones, go to the beach and walk. smile at strangers walking the other way and be surprised how many smile back. bring your dog and observe the dog’s behaviour. realise you can learn from your dog.
12. message old friends with personal jokes. reminisce. suggest a catch up soon, even if you don’t follow through. push yourself to follow through.
14. think long and hard about what interests you. crime? sex? boarding school? long-forgotten romance etiquette? find a book about it and read it. there is a book about literally everything.
15. become the person you would ideally fall in love with. let cars merge into your lane when driving. pay double for parking tickets and leave a second one in the machine. stick your tongue out at babies. compliment people on their cute clothes. challenge yourself to not ridicule anyone for a whole day. then two. then a week. walk with a straight posture. look people in the eye. ask people about their story. talk to acquaintances so they become friends.
16. lie in the sunshine. daydream about the life you would lead if failure wasn’t a thing. open your eyes. take small steps to make it happen for you.
I highlighted in bold the ones I particularly agreed with and made sure I put them into practice. On working days, it feels really amazing to wake up just before sunrise to prepare breakfast. It has become my favourite time of the day.
Life has been really kind to me and even though there are still aspects of my life that I am not 100% satisfied with, I constantly remind myself to be grateful. To be grateful that I am surrounded by the people I love every single day, to come home to Papa's cooking every day after work, to have a roof above my head, access to clean water and electricity, to live in a safe neighbourhood, to earn my own living, to have a group of supportive friends I can easily reach via WhatsApp... none of these I would ever dare to take for granted.
Recently, I even find myself to actually feel grateful for my job even though I do not jump out of bed each morning in anticipation of going to work. My goals are much clearer to me now and I believe I have found ways to translate them into reality, one step at a time.
I remember questioning if I would ever dare to leave a stable job to pursue my dreams. I remember thinking that I would not blame myself if I ultimately choose to stick around. I am so thankful to be constantly reminded by signs, telling me to stay true to what I believe in and not be lured by what the materialistic society defines as 'stable or successful'. The latest reminder came in the form of this message I am truly inspired by.
Right now, I give myself permission to be happy even though I am not yet working in my dream job and I ask myself to give my best effort in my current job- not just out of respect for myself but ultimately because today is tomorrow's foundation and if I am not happy right now, how can I expect myself to be happy in the future?
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