It can be so easy to fall into a rut and begin to take the little blessings of life for granted. How easily we can forget tomorrow isn’t promised to us and neglect to appreciate the life we are living. Here are six ideas to inspire you to love the life you live. Since the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, it’s all about taking time to water our own grass!  😉

Do something different

I love this family’s example of shaking things up and not taking themselves too seriously 🙂 They decided to put a new spin on an old standard: they took the tradition of sending Christmas cards and RAN with it! Instead of sending cards, they have started their own family tradition of sending a Christmas video to family and friends. They consider this video their second annual Christmas newsletter and I’m sure they had a blast making memories and enjoying life in the making of it! True confession: I loved doing this kind of thing growing up and never really grew out of it, so I’m a bit biased…

Respond in an unexpected way

This world may be simmering in strife, trial, and tribulation. But that doesn’t mean we need to give in to the temptation to take to heart the discouragement we feel when our kids let us down, our spouse disappoints us, the car dies, or there is too much month and not enough money. Instead, why not respond with an unexpected abundance of grace? Both for anyone else involved and even ourselves! Just as our God shows us more grace than we could ever deserve, so too can we choose to show more grace than we may at first feel an offending person or situation deserves. The people and situations in our lives were never promised to fully satisfy; what IS promised are trials and tribulations…. so if we know they will come, why not respond with grace and compassion to the daily foibles and failures we encounter?

Get out and give

Kindness does change the world, one act of giving at a time! You may not think you see it playing out in front of you much in your corner of the world, but it does happen, and it does make a difference!  Why not be a part of it? Not only do our everyday acts of selflessness shape the lives of others, often in a ripple effect, but we also shape our own attitudes and perceptions in ways directly proportional to how we give of ourselves and our resources.

William James said, “Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”

Need an extra dose of inspiration to turn your heart toward giving?

Keep a gratitude journal

I had wanted to try this for as long as I can remember and I finally went for it here on the blog in the month of November. I saw the difference it made in my attitude and I hope to keep it up in the future.

In all honesty, it wasn’t easy about half the time.  I sometimes had weeks where a lot went wrong and I found it good practice to not let that overwhelm the myriad of blessings in my life that I can always be grateful for – as the saying goes, Gratitude turns what we have into enough!

Don’t take life too seriously

Now I know you may have been raised by people who did.  You may feel surrounded by people every day who seem to take life ultra seriously. You may even find yourself feeling super serious under the weight of your daily responsibilities & obligations, and that is understandable!

As we all know, life can be hard! But why allow what was never meant to be a burden to steal your joy and crush the spirit of lighthearted fun that lives somewhere inside all of us?

Need some inspiration to lighten up a little and enjoy life more?

Follow Sybil Brun @ shelivesfree.com’s board LIFE’S TOO SHORT TO TAKE TOO SERIOUSLY on Pinterest.

Don’t forget to wake up and be awesome!

Each new day is a fresh start full of fresh grace. Messed up yesterday? Your kid messed up even bigger? Today is an opportunity to begin again! Past mistakes do not define our present selves, failures and disappointments need not be as isolating as we sometimes allow them to become – the truth is your neighbors’ kids probably messed up yesterday too.  Their spouses also let them down. You are not alone – so take heart and take HOPE. Lamentations 3:22-23, ESV says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

The wise author Ronald Dahl said, “Watch with glittering eyes” and I’d like to think He was saying expect the good, there will sometimes be bad too, but when the good comes, be ready with eyes to see it.  Don’t get so caught up in the bad that you miss the good when it comes. So here’s to today!

Life is beautiful but it is but a short vapor, so let’s make it count. *Fist Bump*

Follow Sybil Brun @ shelivesfree.com’s board LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL on Pinterest.

So talk to me…  In what ways do you struggle to show compassion to yourself and others?   What examples of grace, beauty, and meaning do you see in your life?  What other ideas would you add to this list?