make life thrilling everyday 
For all of us, there are moments when life becomes ho-hum, a little boring, moments when life seems to be happening in black and white, rather than in color.There's a false idea, prevalent in our culture, that external changes are the only remedy for this: Go on an exotic vacation. Sky-dive in Fiji. Have a whirlwind romance.This is a dangerous myth that takes us away from one of the most important truths of life: all the excitement and joy and thrill we need is right here, right now, in the life in front of us. We do have to claim the adventure in our lives, however. Here are the best ways I know to make life thrilling, starting now: - Be yourself. Do the things that you really love and do them regularly. Do the work you feel called to do –whether through your job or outside of it. Wherever you are, bring into the room whatever qualities, energy, ideas, and perspectives you think need to be there. When we start being ourselves more courageously and more consistently, life gets exciting.
- Honesty. We dull the colors of our lives by withholding truths that need to be told – told to others or acknowledged to ourselves. Challenge yourself to tell at least one difficult truth every day, and see if your life does not get more exciting really fast.What areas of your life are calling out for a difficult truth to be told– a truth that is scary to say because it will shake up the status quo, because other people might not like it (or like you once you say it), or because things in your life that are now stagnant but safe will start to move? Be diplomatic, be kind, but go there.
- Curiosity. We each have a built-in mechanism that makes life incredibly, endlessly, uber-fascinating: curiosity.If curiosity isn't your thing, know that I was in your camp just a couple years ago. I never paid much attention to the idea. If you said "curiosity," I would have simply been reminded of Curious George and the expression "curiosity kills the cat." That was it. Part of my training as a coach was to cultivate my curiosity, because a good coach is wildly curious about their clients. This helps us be non-judgmental but highly engaged thinking partners with our clients.I started walking through life with attention to the thought: "What am I curious about here?" The more attention I paid to the mere idea of curiosity, the more a curiosity that I never knew I possessed grew in me. I suddenly had so many questions about things: "When was this house built? Who owns it? What's their story?Life came to life. I started interacting with the things and people I encountered in a richer way. Plus, added bonus: social experiences that previously felt awkward became engaging and easy. My curiosity allowed me to sustain (and actually enjoy) any conversation.Curiosity brings awakening. Try it.
- Acknowledging Others.Just as curiosity opens our eyes, acknowledging others opens a flow through our hearts. Try a daily practice of giving at least five authentic compliments or acknowledgments.As you look for your five daily opportunities, you'll increase your awareness of the amazing things about the people in your midst. Deciding what exactly you want to say is a delicious experience, and then there is the moving experience of the sharing itself.There's nothing like the feeling of having sent off an email with a heartfelt acknowledgment, not knowing when the recipient will read it, but knowing it will add something to their day. I love sharing acknowledgments at work, because it creates a real moment of connection, in the middle of what is often a mass of draining tasks.This practice also showed me the boundaries of my comfort zone. I felt okay saying to a stranger, "I love your shoes!" but scared to say, "You have such a sense of elegance and calm about you, it's inspiring." I could tell the mom at the grocery store her baby was adorable, but did I have the courage to tell her I was touched by the creative way she was entertaining her three cranky children? Those compliments were less conventional. They were more intimate. Sometimes I got the words out, sometimes I didn't, but I got to stretch myself.I couldn't believe how often people were overcome had tears welling up as they received an acknowledgment. Those were full-color life moments.
- Immersions.Last but not least, immersions. "Immersions" are what I call those activities that put you in a flow state, when you lose track of time and your normal sense of consciousness is suspended. In place of that normal sense of identity, you feel merged with the activity you are doing, or merged with life itself.For some people it is cooking, for others running, for others its making music. My immersions are writing, speaking to or facilitating groups, and seeing great art. Most people have three or four core immersion activities.I believe that our immersion activities are written deeply somewhere within us, that our mysterious connection to those activities is connected to who we are and what we are meant to do in our lives. It is critical to our well-being to practice our immersions.In the context of this article, what's important about immersions is that doing them is thrilling. Immersions make us feel fully alive, because we are fully alive – present, awake, active – when we are doing them.
So… So if you are looking for more excitement in your life, before you book the trip or change jobs or relationships or go for some retail therapy, turn in these directions: Be you. Tell a difficult truth, at least once a day. Be curious, and start acting on your curiosity. Acknowledge others every day. Practice your immersions.Life comes alive when we start taking risks, being real, and stepping out of the safety of our comfort zones. And then it gets really, really, really exciting. And that, I think, is how life is meant to be. I'd love to hear from others how you've awakened to what's thrilling about the life in front of you, or how you restore vitality to your life when it seems lost. --Written by Tara Sophia Mohr
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