16 Ways to Find Magic In Simple Living
We often think that life needs to be complicated in order to be fun and worthwhile, but in reality, this isn’t the case. It’s often the stress that actually makes life more dreadful and takes away a lot of the magic that we’re used to feeling in our childhood.
Taking on more and more each day might sound enticing and thrilling at first, but if you’re not passionate about the work that you spend so much time doing, then eventually you will feel stressed and burned out.
It’s actually often a simple life that is the most special and meaningful, where you have the freedom to explore and do as you please, with less responsibilities and worries weighing you down.
Luckily, there are a lot of ways you can simplify your life to make the parts that matter more special and more magical, and there are many practices you can incorporate to bring that feeling of magic back into your life that you feel you may have lost.
1. Read Fiction
One of my favorite pastimes that I believe can add such a great touch of magic to your day is reading, specifically fiction. When you read fiction, you get transported into another world and get to see life from a completely different perspective and different point of view.
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.”―George R.R. Martin
Studies show that reading fiction has a number of amazing benefits, including improving memory, creativity, problem-solving skills, and is also proven to make people happier.
The book that you choose to read makes a big difference in how you feel and how much magic it may add to your life, which is why I believe it’s important to explore your options and not settle for books that don’t interest you.
If you’re not that into it, you’re most likely not going to pick it up and read it enough.
2. Gratitude
Finding and expressing gratitude is a very simple habit to add to your day, yet it’s incredibly powerful and life-changing. I believe the entire quality of your life is dependent upon your mindset. The more positively you perceive your life and the world around you, the happier you will become.
This doesn’t mean ignoring every red flag in a relationship or turning a blind eye to the problems around you, though. What it does mean is being optimistic and focusing on the solution instead of the problem, and if there is no solution, then allowing yourself to ease your mind and let the problem go.
It’s a realistic mindset that allows you to enjoy the things that actually matter in your life and to see the beauty that’s already in front of you, instead of the notion that’s pushed in our society of constantly chasing and needing more to be happy.
When I started practicing gratitude every day (by writing down three things I was grateful for every night), I started seeing a big difference in the way that I viewed my life, and genuinely became so much happier, simply because of the positive mindset that I had cultivated, rather than focusing on the negativity.
Life isn’t all rainbows and butterflies, and it will never be perfect, but if we see the beauty in our life, it’ll change our whole experience and make us infinitely happier as a result.
Not every day is always good, but there is always something good in every day.
3. Engage in Your Hobbies
Sometimes, all we need to feel happier and create a bit of magic in our life is getting lost in an activity that we feel passionate about. Think about all the fun activities and hobbies you used to have as a kid, all the interests that you wanted to learn more about and get more into.
I feel that as we become older, we often start to lose focus on those passions in my life, and instead shift our priorities towards having a career, buying a house, etc. But doing this can mean losing a lot of the magic that you once felt and result in a life where you feel as though something is missing.
I felt this way for a few years when I became depressed and went through a difficult period in my life. I lost a lot of the magic in life because I got too busy doing other busy work; tasks and activities that didn’t ultimately make me happy.
When I began to reincorporate the activities that I loved to do in my life and truly make them a priority again, I noticed a huge difference in the way that I felt, and that feeling of joy and magic started to return.
Never underestimate the power of getting into a good flow state doing something you love. If it’s been a while, plan a day where you set aside some time to dive back into that hobby or activity you’ve been wanting to do for a while, and see how it changes the way you feel.
4. Live in the Present
This one is similar to the point above. While getting into a good flow state is a great way to live in the present moment, there are other ways you can appreciate the moment in front of you and stay present.
Anytime you feel distracted, take a few seconds to pull yourself from that distraction, and just observe the way you feel in that moment. Pay attention to your current emotions in your body, as well as your five senses.
Allow yourself to simply observe your surroundings without thoughts pervading your mind. Just pay attention to what you see and try to take notice of what’s around you.
This is also a great technique to help you calm down if you’re feeling stressed, or pull yourself from a rut if you’re not feeling motivated enough to get up and be productive.
Living in the present allows you to really notice more of the world around you, which you often may miss when you’re living inside your head and disconnected from the world.
When you’re really present and feeling connected, you will feel at peace, and may even get a bit of that sense of magic that you felt that you lost.
5. Avoid Multitasking
This point goes hand in hand with the previous one on the list. The more you allow yourself to get distracted and try to focus on too many things at once, the more you’re going to stress yourself out and be much less efficient in the long run.
It’s much better to slow down and take each task one at a time. Really allow yourself to get immersed in what you’re currently doing, instead of shifting back and forth between multiple tasks.
Of course, if you’re a parent, or working a certain type of job where multitasking is required, this may not always be possible with certain tasks. However, with tasks that require lots of focused thinking and full attention, it’s especially important to be able to dedicate your full attention to avoid using up more mental energy than necessary and draining yourself completely.
Doing one task at a time will help you simplify your life and ease your mind more, which will allow you to feel more peace magic in your day.
6. Plan More Fun Activities
While learning new topics and focusing on your hobbies are great, you should also consider planning other activities into your day just for fun and to give you more to get excited about.
This can include things like going to the beach, ice skating, rollerblading, hanging out with friends at a coffee shop, going to a theater, watching a movie, going camping, etc.
Adding fun activities like these into your week will ultimately give you more to look forward to and make your life much more exciting and thrilling.
They can give you new perspectives, add more motivation into your life to be productive, fill you up with energy, and create a more magical life.
If you’ve been spending a lot of time at home, and are starting to feel unmotivated and stagnant, you may just need to get out a bit and go for a walk or experience a change in scenery, whether that’s alone or with other people.
7. Get Rid of Clutter and Distractions
It’s harder to feel happy when your home and space is filled with clutter, hindering your ability to get work done and do the activities that you want to do. If anything in your home is taking up too much space and making your life harder, it may be time to just get rid of it.
The stuff in your home should serve the purpose of making your life easier and more fulfilling. If they’re not practical or don’t serve a purpose, there’s no point in keeping them around.
Unwanted clutter often becomes a distraction and deters you from doing the things that you want to do, by creating an atmosphere that feels disorganized, thus making you feel disorganized and stressed too.
Related post: 15 Amazing Ways to Declutter Your Brain
For me, I find it’s so important to have a clean, tidy space, in which I can find the things that I need when I need them, and avoid frustration and losing the things in my house that are important.
When everything in the home is in order, life becomes simpler, less stressful, and often more magical too.
8. Cut Down on Unnecessary Sources of Stress
Make a list of everything in your life that you notice creates unnecessary stress in your day. Do your best to cut these things out, and notice the difference that it makes in how you feel.
This might be certain expectations that you have for yourself, where you feel that you NEED to accomplish or get specific things done, reach certain goals, etc.
The reality is, the expectations that we set for ourselves often don’t really add any true value to our lives and just become unnecessary stress that holds us back. I think it’s so important to evaluate the thoughts and beliefs that run through our minds and decide whether or not they’re truly serving us.
If not, it’s time to let them go and change your expectations for yourself. Don’t hold yourself to conditions or standards that are out of your control, or that don’t actually add value to your life and take away from what truly matters.
The big, important things in life are actually often a lot more simple than we may realize, and the endless stress does nothing but ruin our happiness and diminish the magic that we could be experiencing each day.
Related post: How to Be Happier
9. Journal and Dream About What You Want
Every creation in life started as a desire, as a dream that someone once had, before it became a reality. Allow your mind to wander and dream about the life that you really want for yourself. It might be easier to do this in a journal, or just take some time to sit down in a quiet spot and think about the things that excite you and make you happy.
Knowing these things is important, because it can help you know where you want to head in life and what the right path looks like for you.
While you don’t want to spend all your time fantasizing and living in your mind, it’s important to stop and evaluate where it is you’re currently going and where it is you’d like to be going.
When you allow yourself to dream about the future, you often realize new things about yourself, and can better create visions and goals to get excited about.
Knowing what you want and going in that direction will surely add a spark of magic to your life.
Related post: 6 Tips to Find the Right Path in Life
10. Spend More Time in Nature
One of the most magical things in life is the outdoors; the beautiful natural world around us. If you live in the city, you may have to wander out a bit to find it, but when you do, spend some time dwelling there, and notice the change in pace, the different atmosphere.
I think people should make it a priority to spend time in nature every day, if possible. It’s such a pleasure and I find it relaxing and therapeutic. I normally go on a walk every day in the summer, to soak up the sunshine and breathe in the fresh air around me.
I find it’s one of the best ways to calm down and bring yourself back into the present moment, if you’re worried or anxious about something. I’m almost always less nervous if I’m outside than if I’m cooped up indoors.
Spending time outside in nature is one of the best ways to add more magic into your life.
11. Explore New Places and Activities
One way life becomes dull and boring is if it’s filled with the same mundane activities and routines every single day. While I believe that structure and routine is an important part of life, I also think it’s essential to add some variety to your day and explore new places and activities.
Find a new hobby or interest to dive into, or explore new places in the area around you. There’s always more to discover, more to see, more to learn.
I’ve lived in the same town for the last 19 years of my life, but I still stumble upon new interesting coffees shops and small treasured spots that I’ve never been before, whenever I decide to wander a bit outside the areas I’m familiar with.
Sometimes you just need to get out and explore. You never know what cool locations you might discover, or what hobbies you might embark upon that you find a passion for.
12. Connect With Others
A big part of living a good, fulfilling life is connecting and spending time with others. Make it a priority to get out and socialize with people, even if it’s strangers in a coffee shop or coworkers that you chat with at work.
You never know what kind of conversations you’ll have or connections you’ll make unless you let yourself get out there, or how much fun you’ll have spending time with friends or family.
Sometimes you need a bit of a push or a nudge, but so much magic and wonder can come out of interacting with other people. The new experiences you’ll have every time will help to make your life more exciting.
13. Be Yourself
One of the most important things in life that allow you to truly feel good is always being yourself in any situation. This can be hard to do in certain environments, such as a workplace or around certain people, which is why it’s important to do work that feels genuinely fulfilling and to be around people whom you can be your authentic self around.
It’s hard to be truly happy when you feel the need to put up a front around others and hide your true self around them. Life becomes much more exhausting and less enjoyable when you’re not free to be your realest self.
It’s not worth staying in an environment where you need to fake who you are, so make it a priority to find a better workplace or community where your true identity can shine and flourish, where you don’t need to dim your light around anyone.
14. Distance Yourself From Negative People
This point also goes along with the one above, where the right people won’t force you to change who you are. If you feel the need to be someone you’re not around certain people, it’s a big sign they might not be right for you in your life and it may be time to cut them off or distance yourself a bit.
While it’s not possible to get away from everyone that’s toxic or makes you unhappy, especially if it’s a boss or a family member that you live with, it’s a good idea to mentally distance yourself as much as possible and try to avoid letting them have any control over you and your emotions.
Remind yourself that no one has power over you unless you hand it to them, so if you feel yourself starting to get drained and unhappy, take your power back and hold it within you. Direct your attention and energy elsewhere, and don’t waste any time or effort trying to please them or make them happy.
The right people in your life won’t be bothered by who you are, and will instead accept and embrace your true nature.
15. Spirituality
Spirituality looks different for everyone, and so I’m not going to tell you what’s right for you or what religion you should be following. I do, however, believe it’s important for people to know what they believe and to have a set of beliefs that they feel connected to and that they hold themselves to and live by.
Studies show that those with strong spiritual or religious beliefs are happier than those who don’t have any beliefs at all.
Having a good spiritual practice is amazing for helping with anxiety, grounding yourself if you’re feeling stressed out or worried about the future, and it instills hope and a feeling of peace that often can’t be found elsewhere.
Personally, I’m a very spiritual person, and I make it a point to meditate every morning and pray in my prayer journal each day. I also like to read a variety of different types of books on spirituality, including the Bible as well as other spiritual texts, to learn about different perspectives and beliefs.
This is my practice, but do what works for you, whether that’s journaling, praying, meditating, other forms of worship, etc. You may be surprised at how much more hope and happiness you experience, or how it may light up your life in ways you wouldn’t expect.
I find spirituality to be a very big, important part of my life, and it fills me with a feeling of wonder and magic that I wouldn’t have otherwise.
16. Challenge Yourself Every Day
It’s hard to stay present in life if most of your day is spent doing activities that aren’t very stimulating. One of the most magical things you can do is get out of your comfort zone and really challenge yourself to do something difficult.
Challenges create a different kind of excitement and thrill, and can also lead to amazing growth in your character, resilience, and overall life.
I believe it’s important to challenge yourself every day and get out of your comfort zone as much as possible, whether that includes leaving your home to talk to people, accomplishing more around the house, working on hobbies and tasks that are difficult and make you uncomfortable, or trying something new.
Read also: The Importance of Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone
Pushing yourself to face discomfort and do hard things is one of the best ways to create a more fulfilling life and ultimately become happier. Always living in the zone of doing what feels good in the moment and giving into temptations will leave you feeling unmotivated, unsatisfied and unhappy overall.
I believe people need a certain level of challenge and difficulty in their life to truly feel satisfied, because if you’re living life on easy mode, and not pushing yourself to succeed, you’ll grow sick and tired, and become weak and bored with your life.
Get used to doing things even when you don’t feel like it, even when they don’t feel good in the moment, and are difficult, and notice the difference in how you feel at the end of the day, week, or month, when you’ve accomplished more than before. When you’ve finally gotten that thing done that you’ve been planning to do forever.
It brings a different type of joy and satisfaction, and I believe that discipline and level of challenge is crucial to living a happy and magical life.
The concept is simple, but the end result is powerful and life-changing.