Not long ago, Wanda Malhotra of Authority Magazine contacted me and asked me to share my five favorite lifestyle hacks for well-being. This was a fascinating inquiry, as it prompted me to reflect deeply on the practices and mindsets indispensable to my sense of happiness and liberation.
After some gentle contemplation, I compiled the following five lifestyle hacks that I hold dear:
- Engage a Spirit of Playfulness and Curiosity
Play is one of the best ways for me to become fully present. When I engage in play, I let go of any underlying agendas and approach life with a lighthearted, curious mindset rather than a strategic, serious one. This openness allows the world to unfold before me in a vital, fresh way. In our society, we often prioritize becoming an “expert” and accumulating knowledge over the capacity to play. However, this focus can prevent us from experiencing life anew. By cultivating a spirit of playfulness and curiosity, I can respond to life’s challenges more innocently, from a place of presence, rather than reacting based on conditioned understanding.
- Identify Your Highest (Spiritual) Aspiration
I’ve had many aspirations throughout my life, from career goals to broader life aims. While this is natural as we evolve, I’ve found it valuable to regularly check in with myself and ask, “What is my highest aspiration?” Reaching deeper, I’ve identified my overarching aspiration as the embodiment of unconditional love to the extent possible. This guiding principle shapes my decisions, steering me towards a life aligned with my deepest values, even as other aspirations come and go.
- Ask Better Questions, Not Just Find Better Answers
I’m deeply passionate about the power of self-discovery. When embarking on this journey, I’ve found that our questions are far more important than the answers we uncover. On my path, I’ve had to strip away assumptions and conditioning by posing the right questions to myself. This approach has helped me get out of my head and into the present moment, asking, “What is here right now, beyond my thoughts?” or challenging firm beliefs by inquiring, “Is that so?” The result has been a stretching of my self-imposed limitations, which has increased my vitality and even enriched my relationships. As Rilke eloquently stated, “Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.”
- Cultivate Awareness of Tiny Moments of Delight
Like many, I’m a fan of the gratitude journal and the practice of paying attention to all we have to be thankful for. However, I take this one step further by encouraging a focus on tiny moments of delight. We’re often so accustomed to dwelling on what’s wrong that we overlook the small, present-moment joys that arise throughout the day. When we experience a fleeting moment of delight – the way the light filters through the trees, the sound of a bird call, the tittering of toddler laughter – we are fully present, not self-absorbed or worrying. Though these moments may last only seconds, they can transform our experience.
- Embrace Lifelong Unlearning
While lifelong learning is widely recognized, lifelong unlearning is equally crucial. Unlearning involves letting go of beliefs and ideas that no longer serve us and making room for new ways of being and thinking. The problem with being a lifelong learner is that it can become about accumulating more and more knowledge when we genuinely want to fall in love with the learning process itself. To truly grow, we must be willing to release entrenched ideas and perspectives, becoming lifelong “unlearners” and learners.
By embracing these five lifestyle hacks, I’ve embarked on a journey of holistic well-being, nurturing my mind, body, and spirit.
