”Dear Venice, you tasted like home, the moment I laid my eyes on you.”

Crowded streets, narrow streets. Empty streets early morning. Thunderstorm and heavy rain. Gondolas floating by. Happy faces. I laugh, you laugh. No time to sleep. A piece of art during all of your hours.

Venice, August 2022

To seek out adventure, however, doesn’t always equal travelling abroad to a far away country, jumping out of a plane or swimming with sharks. What if you could make every day a little bit more adventurous just by challenging your mindset, and changing up some of those mundane routines of your?

Below you’ll find a few mindsets/habits that hopefully can assist you in making your every day life a bit more exciting and joyful. Especially suitable during times when we don’t have the time to take weeks off to go and explore a new country, or the bank account is preventing us from enjoying extravagant ventures.

Explore your neighbourhood.

Usually it’s the places we are the most exposed to that we take for granted or fail to actually appreciate. Have you, in the past few days, taken the time to literally stop and look around? Next time you take a walk in your neighbourhood – leave your phone at home and gaze at the buildings, the surroundings, the people walking by (without scaring them away). You might discover a new coffee place, an antique shop you haven’t yet visited or simply the beautiful architecture.

Take a course. Challenge yourself – Try something new.

Is there a craft or a subject you would like to learn or know more about? Exploring your hidden talents might take you places you’ve never been before. A short while ago I decided to try out an art form that I’ve never been particularly good at – drawing. And I must say – my drawings are quite bad. Anyways, it forces me to step out of my comfort zone and to exercise a part of the brain I haven’t visited in 20 years. One positive aspect with this practice is that it takes my mind off thinking and analyzing. It happens to be very relaxing, and helps me rewind and let go of the day.

Read.

To enjoy a great story is a little bit like travelling, taking on a different role or persona and exploring another person’s world. I’m one of those who easily get caught up in the storyline, and after one hour of reading I forget all about my own life (a recipe for a good book that can capture the reader in that way). Choose a book that excites you, or maybe scares you even a little bit (in a good way). Or why not read a biography of a historical profile which you admire?

I recently finnished the Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I’ve read it before, but it was such a long time ago so I decided to revisit the story. This time I chose the audio book, and what a beautiful idea that was since he who read the book had the most lovely British accent – perfect before bedtime.

Talk to a stranger.

Next time you find yourself in a coffee shop, on the bus or on the train why not start chatting with the person next to you – if he/she doesn’t mind of course. Talking to a stranger is a perfect way to make the day more exciting or rewarding. Or why not simply smile more often when you encounter another human being on the street. It might turn someone’s day around. In fact, you never know how much a smile can change someone’s life.

With this being said, do you have some personal favorites when it comes to making your day more joyful? Please, share your thoughts in the comment section!

l.m.v