Add Some Spice

By Jeanine Izzo

Going through the same routine day after day for months or years on end can be akin to cycling through the same five meal options without alteration.  It most likely provokes boredom and exhaustion.  When we hit this rut, we can become too tired to come up with ways to liven things up.  This is where some spice can make the difference…even when the ingredients, or the main elements, of our lives stay the same.

Beginning with small amounts of something new can awaken the palette and lead to more ideas, energy and excitement.  In a sense…a greater zest for life.  Below are some ideas to get you started…

1. Literally add some spice to your food or beverage.  Cinnamon in your coffee, red pepper flakes on your pasta, wasabi in your soy sauce
2. Buy a new staple wardrobe piece in a surprising, yet still versatile, color or pattern
3. Go out to a new restaurant, or…
4. Try a new dish at one of your favorite places
5. Venture into the city or the suburbs to visit friends that are simply ‘too far’ away under the ‘no spice’ lifestyle
6. Call that good friend that you have been thinking about, yet have been too embarrassed to phone because you let so much time pass without contact
7. Revisit the place where you and your significant other had your first date
8. Help someone at the store that is struggling with their bags or the door.  Normally, you’re too busy…but not this time
9. Plan a family (or solo) outing and stick to it regardless of other responsibilities (museum, park, bowling, climbing wall, zoo)
10. Begin building a professional relationship with someone new at work by asking them out for lunch
11. Submit a proposal for a workplace improvement that you can implement
12. Request to be on a new project
13. Make your career ambitions known to at least one person that may be able to help you excel
14. Hand write a thank you card(s) to your team members, boss or anyone else who had an impact on you
15. Attend a cultural event (music, dance, theater, opera), or
16. Enjoy a concert, sporting event, comedy performance
17. Suggest a babysitting swap with one of your couple friends so that you and your significant other can go out for the night with less expense…and without the kids
18. Spend time volunteering for those less fortunate than you
19. Leave a small surprise for someone close to you to find
20. Get outside…despite, or because of, the weather
21. Pitch an entirely new position for yourself
22. Get a fresh start with a new hair style
23. Treat yourself to a massage
24. Be active in ways that don’t entail going to the gym (roller/ice skating, hiking)
25. Help someone else gain an edge at work
26. Reach out to a stranger with a smile and some kind words
27. Freshen up a room in your house with a new color
28. Frame those special photographs and hang them so that you see them regularly
29. Make something from scratch using your creative skills
30. Take a workshop/class on a topic that sounds interesting

Forward Moving Tips:

Use this list, or create your own, to spark new ideas and action.  It may be helpful to print it out and keep a copy in a place where you can refer to it frequently.

In order to get out of the rut and enjoy more and more spice over time, you have to push through the initial objections and monotony.  Doing this for yourself and others is likely to give you a boost that will compound and lead to more personal and professional fulfillment.

For assistance with moving forward with more focus, confidence and success along your journey,  Contact Viage Partners today.

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