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Five Steps To Stay Bright
1. Book Another Holiday!
Much of our malaise can be lifted by having another holiday to look forward to. Get out your diary, check your budget and get those sunny breaks in your diary. Include Christmas in that planning and regular weekend breaks in between to offset what D.H. Lawrence called, "the inertia of day-to-dayness."
With Eurostar, for example, you can get into France in a few hours. And, if you haven’t got into skiing, get into it. It’s no longer just for aristos and a week’s break needn’t cost the month’s mortgage. You’ll bask in the most awesome light and sunshine, whether you’re on the nursery slopes or off-piste.
2. What Do You Dread?
Well, just stop doing it. Only joking! But, seriously, make a list of what you loathe and drains your energy. What do you no longer want to put up with? Eliminate what you can and curtail or delegate everything else.
Changing your ways may be down to a stretch of imagination on your part, so book an hour with your smartest friend, or a coach, to help you find ways to reduce what you dread. And there are always ways.
3. De-Clutter
There’s nothing like a good clear-out to freshen up your outlook. And you’ll want to get rid of any mistakes from the summer sales and holiday mementoes. Use William Morris’s rule to only have objects in your home that are either useful or beautiful.
4. Exercise
Working out will uplift your mood, as well as everywhere else. You need to move out the stress hormones and pump up the happy ones to keep yourself feeling perky and optimistic.
Don’t take my word for it. Just try it. Cardio exercise is best for this and working up a sweat will rid your skin of impurities, so you’ll look more attractive as well, which is never a bad thing. There’s nothing like a lactic acid-fuelled burst of exercise to shift your mood. So, get down to the gym, or out running with a friend, strap on an ipod shuffle and feel good!
5. Do Something Exciting
Summer holidays are wonderful but they’re not the time to knuckle down and focus on a fresh challenge. September is the month to get serious with an Exciting Challenge.
What single achievement would enhance the quality of your life the most? Is it for example, getting into shape, it is becoming fluent in a foreign language (handy in those sunny climes), is it training to be a sensational cook, is it finally writing that novel?
Decide what it is and do something about it right now, today, to get started. As Goethe would say at this point, "Whatever you believe or dream you can do, begin it now. Boldness has genius, magic and power." Good Luck!
