Need More Pep in Your Step?

More Pounce to the Ounce.

When I was young, I enjoyed A.A. Milne’s “Winnie the Pooh.” Piglet’s sweet thoughtful nature made him my favorite character but there was something about Tigger’s exuberance and tenacity which is also endearing. Although Tigger was considered by most of the other inhabitants of 100-Acre Wood a bit too energetic and impulsive, you always knew, unlike Eeyore,  nothing could ever keep a  Tigger down.

When presented with overwhelming  odds; or a fastidious, ultra-conservative Rabbit; Tigger never lost his innate desire to just BOUNCE.

As responsible adults, we deal with a certain amount of routine stress (there’s a reason it’s called “The Daily Grind”) which can leave us feeling a bit less than “Tiggerish.” I’m not talking about an unexpected crisis (job loss, illness, etc) which of course would leave you exhausted and fearful . What I’m talking about  is when  everything seems to be just fine but yet you still have a feeling that you’re sleepwalking through your life.

Many of us have unfulfilled interests, desires and yes…passions we’ve neglected because we’ve been so busy paying our mortgages and raising our families. You are to be commended for being responsible and doing such a good job! But some of us have been so busy giving to others (spouse, children, employer, community) that we find we’ve lost that spark (what the French call joie de vivre) which makes us feel happy and energetic.

So how do you put more pep in your step?

Here are a few simple tips from Donald Latumahina guaranteed to put some bounce in pounce in no time!

Get out of the bed right away
You can be excited about your day right from the beginning. Getting out of the bed right away is like saying to yourself that you “can’t wait” to start the day. It sends a message to your subconscious mind to be excited about the day.

Exercise
Exercising in the morning before doing your other activities will make you physically fit to face the day. It will boost your energy level and make it much easier to maintain enthusiasm in anything you do.

Smile
There mere act of smiling will make you feel better about your day. Believe me, it is more difficult to think about how bad your day is when you are smiling.

Find simple wonders
It’s hard to be excited if you are drowned in a routine, doing the same thing again and again. But life doesn’t have to be so routine. Be observant and look at your surroundings. Find simple beauties in the breeze of the air, how the bird sing, or how people do things. Break the routine by looking for simple wonders here and there. There are a lot of them waiting to be found.

Watch your body language
Believe it or not, body language influences how you think and feel. If your body language expresses boredom, then your mind and feeling will soon follow. So stand straight, and walk full of energy. Express confidence through your body language.

Avoid being around negative people
Whenever possible, avoid being around negative people during the day. They will just drain your positive energy. Have you ever experienced having a good feeling, but after being with someone for some time you end up feeling bad? That’s how negative people could drain your positive energy.
So, be around positive people instead. By being around them, you will end up feel more energized.

Do something meaningful to you
It will be much easier to be excited about your day if you do what matters to you. If you do something meaningful, you will have a bunch of reasons to go through the day full of energy. But if it’s not, it will be harder to get yourself excited.

Learn to enjoy what you are doing
Sometimes you can’t do things you are passionate about. But you can still be excited about your day by learning to enjoy what you are doing. Even if you don’t like something, you can still learn to enjoy it. Read the tips on how to enjoy what you are doing no matter what.

Say something positive
When you say how bad your day is, you will just reinforce the negative feeling you have. Be careful with what you say; watch your words. Even if your day is not so good, talk about it in a positive way. For example, instead of saying “This is a bad day; I made a lot of mistakes” you can say “Well, today I learn a lot of useful lessons”.

Greet people first
Think about what an excited person will do when they meet someone. Will she just keep silent or wait for the other person to greet her first? I don’t think so. Most likely, an excited person will greet other people first. They just have too much energy. So do likewise and see how your excitement increases.