When you free your mind, you have more time to spend mindfully with family and friends, more freedom to be fully control of your life. And when you’re fully in control, you feel good about your life. But how do you go from the daily grind to freeing your mind (especially in the midst of the holiday season and planning for the new year)?
Here are some tips:
1. Try adventure
“If you think adventure is dangerous, you should try routine. It is lethal.” – Paulo Coelho
Nothing makes me more happy than leaving the country for an adventure. Taking in the smells, sights, and sounds of a new experience, and coming back refreshed. I recently traveled to Costa Rica, which was a big milestone for me. You see, I brought my MacBook, and did work while I was away. My business is location dependent which means I can technically live (and work) from anywhere in the world. But I haven’t taken advantage of this beyond business trips throughout the U.S.
Going on this adventure vacation, mixing business with pleasure, is my lifestyle choice. It’s not one or the other – it’s a completely blended life. Focusing on business and pleasure in the same trip makes sense for me, because I don’t see my work as a chore. I love what I do, and I love my clients. The only downside is that I had to reschedule one business call due to an unexpected traveling conflict. But otherwise, I was able to fully lead a blended life.
If you have the freedom to travel, why not go on an adventure to free your mind? You’ll come back refreshed and feeling alive. If you can’t travel for your work, try to plan an amazing getaway for your pleasure in 2014.
here’s a photo I took
2. Embrace creative confidence
Creative confidence leads to freedom. I learned this the hard way, after struggling with not thinking I was a good writer for years of my life.
You may struggle with this concept too. Try to embrace the many traits of creative people. That’s when you can feel more free, and more at ease.
Embracing creative confidence lets you evolve. And when you evolve, you can more easily free your mind. You’re not attached to the past, or too focused on the future. You’re merely embracing who you are today. And that’s more than ok.
3. Gain levity
In Dan Pink‘s book, he describes levity as that “unseen force that lifts you skyward.”
I experienced levity while surfing in Costa Rica this week. It’s that feeling that you’re on the brink of something amazing, and you feel a force pulling you up, up, up. You’re floating on air (or water, in this case). And you’re not sure when you’re coming down.
You know you will fall, eventually (gravity will do that). But you’re enjoying the momentary beauty of your high. Levity is the luxurious lack of a leash. It’s that place where you’re free to roam and writhe with wanderlust. You see the world, from high above, and there’s tons of wiggle room to wonder. And you know that gravity will be there to help keep you grounded. When properly combined, these two opposing forces leave you buoyant.
Levity (coupled with gravity) helps you free your mind.
Do you ever feel levity, through your work or through your art?
4. Curate good content
When you curate your way to quality content, you can change your thinking. You create meaning out of what you find. And you start to see things different. When you start to see things differently, you curate the process of change.
The funny thing with the digital economy, is that when you curate content regularly, you become more free. When you release your ideas to the world, you humanize your marketing. And when your marketing is human, you don’t need to hard sell your product or service. And that’s always a good thing.
5. Create quality content
You probably want to bring in more sales in 2014. Get a social media strategy together. Maybe even learn how to use Twitter (if you’re feeling ambitious). Why not think about creating quality content as the way to bring in more revenue?
When you create quality content, you weave stories throughout your customer’s experience. And as freeing as storytelling is, it’s not just for kids.
Bonus #6: Practice gratitude.
Gratitude did not always come easy to me. But today I have a daily gratitude practice, and I’m not sure what took me so long to appreciate the good things in my life. Maybe it’s because it’s been quite a struggle getting to where I am today. And I view it all as a work in progress. But I couldn’t be more thankful for a business that gives me freedom, and for friends and family that bring me joy.
I’m thankful to my amazing clients, my growing team who lives around the world, and for a community of friends. I value your support immensely. And I’m beyond grateful for each and every one of you.
How do you free your mind? Do you practice gratitude? Please comment below.
Note: this is the last blog post of 2013. See you in 2014!!