I'm an ambitious person.
I want to evolve, be a better self, improve, achieve my goals, big goals, big big goals.
For quite a long time, I thought I had to think big.
If I didn't do so, I would stay small, insignificant, with that feeling of emptiness that those of us who, like you and me, want to do something meaningful in life are so afraid of.
Are You Ashamed to Be Ambitious? Learn Why You Shouldn’t
- Don't you want to feel proud about the things you do?
- Don't you want to feel the sensation of success and victory frequently?
- Don't you want to find meaning in your life?
Of course you do. It's legitimate to think this way.
Don't be ashamed of it. Most people want this, although very few say it out loud.
- You want to thrive.
- You want to give a better life to your children.
- You want to leave a better world whenever you die (yes, someday you'll die).
This type of thinking will conclude that you can only think big if you want to achieve those big goals.
I thought that way for quite a long time in my life. I concluded I was wrong.
You think you're a complex species, that's why you believe it is by complexity how you'll accomplish complex things. Big things. Those that will drive you to fulfillment.
You're wrong. Complexity will bring anxiety, stress, anger, arguments. In two words: poor performance.
Poor performance won't allow you to achieve your goals. It'll bring frustration, depression, negativity.
So, what can you do to escape from the rabbit hole?
What Do You Have to Do to Produce Great Things in Your Life?
Yes, I know your life is complex. You have to:
- Wake up early.
- Take children to school.
- Listen to a boss you usually disagree with.
- Have lunch in a minute.
- Answer hundreds of emails.
The list goes on.
Yes, it's a complex life. That's why you have to engage simplicity.
Simplicity will give you the sensation of control you're looking for.
Simplicity equals:
- Relaxation.
- Calmness.
- Security.
- Comfort.
Just the opposite of complexity.
"The human tendency to regard little things as important has produced very many great things."
— Georg Christoph Lichtenberg
How Can You Feel Much Better in Just One Second?
Where do you find simplicity?
Simple: in mundane things. Those that are so common that you don't even pay attention to them.
You have lots of mundane things you do on a daily basis.
You ignore them because you go on autopilot. While you're doing them, you're thinking you have to wake up early, take children to school, listen to a boss you usually disagree with… You know the story.
The moment you hit the brakes, the world stops, and you can start paying attention to (mundane) things.
Forget about the past or the future. Just present time.
Don't you feel much better now?
If you take the best of your mundane things, you will engage in a much more productive life. I tested it. It works.
You think mundane things won't take you anywhere. It's just the opposite. It's by paying attention to mundane things how you will perform at your best.
Paying attention to mundane things is how you'll get the right mood to perform at your best. You will have that sensation of fulfillment you're looking for.
Whenever you start feeling that:
- You will be able to focus on the things you're doing.
- You will save energy.
- You will start producing at your best.
Try These 10 Mundane Things, Enjoy Their Pleasure, and Begin Your Way to Fulfillment
Your life is full of "mandatory mundane things" you have to do daily.
That's great because being mandatory is the key to success. By being mandatory, you have no choice: you have to do them.
You're already doing them, but you're not taking all the benefits you could because you're not paying attention to them.
Now, it's the moment to practice it. You will start introducing a huge amount of good moments into your life. Take my word for it.
I will share with you 10 mundane experiences of my life. You can try any of them. The point is to understand the concept to implement this technique into your own world.
”You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist."
― Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche
As you will see, one of the most critical points is focusing on the present when practicing these little experiences. Pay attention to the moment, to the experience, and don't think about anything else.
Let's go for those little pleasures!
Mundane thing #1. Drinking water
We need to drink water to survive.
Why not make the best out of some "drinking" moments?
The first thing I do whenever I wake up is to drink a glass of water.
I drink it slowly, listening to the silence of the morning. I don't know how long it takes. Three minutes? Maybe four? I don't care at all! It's my moment! My pleasure!
The point is I hydrate myself, but I appreciate the pleasure of the sensation intensely after not drinking all night.
My body physiologically needs that beverage, and I enjoy it every second.
I'm 100% conscious of that moment because I focus my attention on it. I think of absolutely nothing but the sensation of swallowing the drink. That little pleasure.
Mundane thing #2. Walking my dog
After having my glass of water, I enjoy walking my dog.
The street is empty. I can feel the freshness of the morning. I enjoy it. I listen to the birds. I take the best of this small pleasure.
My muscles wake up. They appreciate it. They're ready to give their best!
Mundane thing #3. Watching YouTube videos
Who can live today without watching YouTube videos?
Have a short break of 5-10 minutes when you consider watching a YouTube video. Yes, it's not hell. You're allowed to watch YouTube videos in your life. Believe me.
Additional hack: if you combine entertainment with some of your goals, that would be a double pleasure. Here's how I get it.
In my case, I'm trying to be a better writer (a big goal, my friend). There's a guy I enjoy watching his videos. He's Ayodeji Awosika. I really enjoy watching this guy. I laugh at his videos, and I learn about writing at the same time.
I enjoy. I learn. I kill two birds with one stone.
Mundane thing #4. Watching Netflix
Are you able to not watch any Netflix series?
Do it, you can take great outcomes from it. I'm pretty sure you, like me, watch Netflix every day.
The point is this: when you're watching Netflix, just do it!
Don't think about anything else. Forget you have to wake up early tomorrow. Forget about the children and all the stuff.
Focus on the activity you're performing. Enjoy it. It's your little pleasure.
Mundane thing #5. Reading an article
If you're an avid reader like me, I'm pretty sure you have moments during your day in which you read anything that it's in your hands.
Enjoy that moment, just reading for the sake of it. Forget about time. Forget about everything. Let your mind flow through the paragraphs.
Mundane thing #6. Enjoying hygiene
I'm sure you visit the bathroom several times throughout the day.
Feel the water in your shower. Enjoy that nice hot bath that relaxes you. Experience the freshness of your teeth when you have brushed them.
Small pleasures. Big outcomes.
Mundane thing #7. Learning French
I'm learning French or, better said, trying to do so (another big goal, my friend). It's just an hour each week, but that hour is like playtime for children.
I forget about everything. I laugh with my teacher. I enjoy my mistakes.
- I am proud of my progress.
- I am conscious of the new things I am learning.
- I feel how, little by little, I am becoming a better version of myself.
Mundane thing #8. The beginning of a project
At your job, I'm pretty sure you start something at any time of the day: a new project, a new meeting, a new email.
No matter what it is, focus your attention on it. Visualize the outcomes you expect. See and feel the results you're pursuing.
If you frame things like that in your brain, your results will become much better. You will enjoy the moment. You will understand why you're doing what you're doing.
Mundane thing #9. Having dinner with friends
Last Saturday I enjoyed having dinner with friends.
We laughed, we shared a delicious meal, we grew together explaining things about our different professions.
I didn't think about anything but the conversation and the feelings I was experiencing at that moment.
When I finished dinner, I was thrilled. No psychologist's session can give you more benefits than this.
Mundane thing #10. Going to bed
I'm pretty sure sooner or later, daily, you go to bed.
Enjoy that moment.
Feel the soft sheets, the cozy comforter, the pleasure of having to do absolutely nothing until the next day. Forget about everything.
It's your time. It's your small (I think it's big) pleasure.
Say it out loud: what a wonderful life I have!
Takeaways
Bring simplicity into your life.
It's how you'll get the best out of it and the best out of yourself.
Use your mundane obligations to make them the vital fuel of your life.
That fuel will position you in the perfect state for peak performance. Without suffering. Without feeling you're making huge efforts to survive.
Life is not about survival. Life is about living.
When you get into that flow, life is:
- Easy.
- Just common sense.
- Simply to let yourself go, naturally, letting things run smoothly, by their own weight.
If you start taking the best out of each of your mundane moments within your life, your existence will be full of positive impacts.
I listed ten, but there are hundreds if you want, just in one day.
Your body and mind will be full of positive chemicals, such as dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins. They're all natural mood-boosters. They will drive you to your highest level of productivity.
You will start seeing and feeling you produce more, you treat people better, you treat yourself better. You're in a good mood.
You start seeing things from the positive side. It appears there are not negative perspectives at all.
It seems magic, but it's just nature. It's knowing yourself better each day. It's enjoying what life is all about.