“left hand with bracelets” by Ksenia Makagonova on Unsplash

From the moment I started school I’d always wanted to travel, so after I graduated I went flying overseas for a few months and had an amazing time. I ended up coming home and then a year later went off again, this time for over 12 months.

I was happy and excited for the first couple of months, but slowly the initial effect started to wear off. It felt strange that travelling was starting to seem normal, but it was just because of how accustomed to it I had become. I got a job overseas too and it felt just like home except, of course, I was in a completely different country. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy the experience - I actually had an amazing time and was very happy, but the ‘magic’ that I had envisioned wore off quickly, and by the end it just felt like… life.

I suppose I had bought the idea that travelling was going to magically make me feel something transcendent; constantly inspired, enthusiastic and happy. But soon I realised that feeling that way was entirely my responsibility, and while things ‘outside’ could be useful tools, I couldn’t rely on them too heavily. The funniest thing was that when I came back home, I saw just how beautiful everything I’d already had was. I only had to leave for a whole year to see it this way.

What I’m trying to say is that, no matter what kind of life you have, it’s bound to feel ordinary after a while. As humans we adapt to environments quickly and are always needing new challenges, fresh experiences and changes to our outlook on life.

Taking Responsibility

In prehistoric times we were always occupied by hunting for survival. Every day was a mighty challenge to provide for ourselves and live on. In today’s day and age, however, everything is handed to us on a silver platter. This palace of comforts can be a real prison if we let it, because it can prevent us from truly doing what we love and challenging ourselves everyday. In order to stay in a good space we need a bit of discipline.

When I realised that travelling had become a seemingly ordinary affair it changed my perspective a lot. I couldn’t rely on it’s initial wonder anymore to provide me with a sense of fulfilment, and happiness once again become my responsibility.

Before I’d left home I used to write a lot, as well as meditate. When I went travelling though, I’d let these practices slacken because travelling gave me the same feeling these outlets provided me with. When this wore off I knew I needed to start writing again, as well as keeping up my daily meditation. What I found was that these practices renewed my spirit, in a sense. I think the lesson for me to learn here was that I had to always be watching myself to see what I was missing, and not rely too harshly on one experience or thing to make me feel good, otherwise I’d slip right back into the old humdrum experience of life. I still use this lesson all the time; whenever I feel a little ‘off’ I can examine the feeling; what have I been missing that challenges me, inspires me, and makes me feel alive?

The answer is always very simple. It’s the little changes in perspective and adjustment of habits every day that support me in the long run. Maybe I haven’t written in a while or maybe I’ve been trying to write too much. Perhaps I haven’t meditated for a few days, been on my phone too long, or I’ve been taking life too seriously and just need to relax. When I notice these things I can put in a little effort to alter them.

The more we analyse and catch ourselves when we slip out of place the easier it becomes to gently nudge ourselves back. It’s a slow and loving process, and puts the responsibility of our happiness in our own hands, where it should be. This, in my eyes, is discipline. Not something harsh with a strict regime, but a constant loving nudge towards a better you.

This discipline can happen in many areas and in many different ways.

It is because of our thoughts that we feel things similar to ‘here we go again’ or, ‘just another day’, and life can start to lose a bit of it’s lustre. But by watching these attitudes and changing our perspective we can see the world through a fresh lens. Meditation is a great tool to help us explore the wonder that is ourselves, and it especially helps when it comes to noticing thoughts or attitudes that bring us down. The more we practice, the easier it becomes to pull ourselves out of these thoughts, which is another gentle discipline.

There are many other small ways we can keep our outlook on life fresh.

Reading is a great tool that helps me rekindle a sense of wonder and inspiration; also one of the reasons why I love to write. I love to hear varied thoughts about the world and learn new things. I love making and listening to new music too, and I’m sure everyone has their own small practices that inspires them. All we have to do is just remind ourselves to keep them up.

Little things like these can be done every day to tweak our perspective, challenge us, create good habits and continually make us grow. They don’t have to be monumental goals like travelling the world or making millions of dollars a year, but can happen right here and right now. The world is definitely not a dull place; we all know this. But when our experience of life becomes too repetitive it can certainly start to seem that way. That’s when we can bring in something new, and with a bit of healthy discipline, use our energy to refresh ourselves. How can I freshen things up? how can I see my life differently? Maybe it’s time to learn something new, start new habits or maybe let go of old ones. It’s very simple, but has a massive impact on how we live.

When we start to become responsible for ourselves and our own happiness and wellbeing, that is discipline. Sometimes it may require a bit of willpower and hard work, but the result is that we are more in control and can stop relying so much on outside circumstances. We can continue enjoy these external things fully, but underneath know that whatever happens, we’re always in control.