In case you haven’t noticed, life isn’t always all rainbows and butterflies.
If you aren’t careful, it can easily get a bit too tedious and predictable.
Once you become too dependent on a routine, and leave minimal room for spontaneity, for instance, things can get old fast… and much of the time you don’t even realize things are off before it’s too late.
Eventually, you end up in a rut, one that is a struggle to escape.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
You can make your life as exciting and eventful as you want it to be if you consistently have the right approach and perspective.
I’m here to help.
In this article, I’ll take you through the behaviors and habits you need to scrap, if you want life to feel exciting again.
Once you make the transition, a whole new reality will open up to you. Let’s dive in!
1) Staying in your comfort zone
Let’s kick things off with a fairly obvious one: staying in your comfort zone.
As anyone who has achieved anything of value in life will tell you, to truly go places in life, an element of risk will always be involved.
If you aren’t taking risks, you aren’t doing it right.
While it’s good and comforting to have a base you can turn to, constantly sticking to what’s familiar will invariably prevent growth and new experiences and opportunities.
You don’t have to turn into Evil Knievel overnight, but stepping into the unknown and trying new things every so often will do you good.
I’ll say it again: if you want to flourish, you have to take some risks.
Living cautiously and excessively safe will not be doing you any favors in the long run.
You only live once, so make your days genuinely count.
Start embracing discomfort and unpredictability, rather than fearing it.
You’ll notice a difference in no time.
2) Overconsumption of social media
“Your life will get more exciting by mindlessly scrolling all day,” said no one ever.
Because of its ubiquity, nobody is safe from the overconsumption of social media.
So stay wary.
Allow yourself to catch up with the happenings on the interwebs but self-impose time limitations.
In other words, don’t let social media overrun your day-to-day life.
Excess scrolling can be mind-numbing and legitimately addicting, I’m sure we can all attest to this.
Besides, seeing other people’s highlights of them living their best lives almost always leads to comparison and feelings of inadequacy and dissatisfaction with your own life.
Reduce screen time and focus on improving the quality of your real-world experiences.
3) Relying on routine
Having a routine is great.
Having a routine is important.
Having a routine is stabilizing.
But like anything, too much of a good thing can start having detrimental effects on your life.
When you oppressively stick to a routine, you risk things getting stale fast.
A routine should serve as a loose itinerary of your days, not a strict set of rules.
Think about it: if you’re on vacation and stick to an itinerary too militantly, this will take the fun out of things, effectively defeating the purpose of taking a trip.
So be a bit more flexible, and stop overplanning.
Allow room for spontaneity and new activities, and if it means scrapping a certain daily ritual, so be it.
You can make up for it tomorrow. You got this.
4) Neglecting physical activity
In case you haven’t gotten the memo, the benefits of exercise are quite boundless.
A lack of movement not only impacts your physical health, but it has a profound impact on your mood and energy level.
You’d be surprised how a bit of physical activity can change your motivation and temperament.
Personally, whenever I feel like I’m in a rut mentally, I make it a point to get outside, be it a long brisk walk in the neighborhood or shooting some hoops at the park.
When I get home, the difference in my disposition and mental clarity is incredibly palpable.
So if you haven’t already, get moving and start releasing those endorphins.
An active lifestyle can reintroduce vitality and excitement in your daily life. Real talk.
5) Ignoring your curiosity
Once you feel like you know all there is to know and lose your curiosity about life, you’re doing yourself a major disservice.
The world is a vast and exciting place, with fresh information at every corner.
It’s in your interest to stay curious.
Make the effort to change things up.
Apathy toward learning and pursuing new activities kills excitement.
If it isn’t in your nature, try to actively nurture your curiosity.
Dive into new subjects, meet people from different walks of life, explore exotic and strange places.
Have intellectual humility.
6) Isolating yourself socially
You’ve heard it before: No person is an island.
Staying isolated and alone for prolonged periods simply isn’t healthy.
Having a sense of community is a hallmark of any society with happy and excited citizens.
If you’re alone and solitary often, the tendency is to get excessively introspective, perhaps even becoming irrationally fearful or anxious about the outside world.
Strive for balance.
There is no replacing human connection.
Going through the ups and downs of life alone is an incredibly daunting task.
So get out there and talk to people.
Reengage with your social circle or seek out new, like-minded friendships and experiences.
7) Holding grudges
Carrying emotional baggage, whether consciously or not, is a huge weight on your shoulders… one that prevents you from living in the moment, and being fully present.
Holding grudges is demotivating, it silently consumes your energy, energy that should be used for more fruitful pursuits.
Once you make it a point to let go of resentment, you’re naturally making more room for joy and lightness in your life.
So stop allowing negativity and cynical outlooks to cloud your sense of adventure and excitement.
Once you make the shift to a more positive and emotionally intelligent mindset, great things will happen.
