The Great Wake Up: Seize the day

When we believe life is tough and we have to work hard to be happy; that we can only relax when we retire and have paid off the mortgage, we get stuck and thrust ourselves into survival mode – and living on autopilot kicks in. As a consequence, we can lose our vitality and creativity.

When we remember that we have all we need right now to lead an extraordinary life, we can laugh and smile, play and relax – and escape autopilot’s clutches.

This month, we are going to do exactly that: find a place that’s perfect for launching a paper plane.

It may be high; it may be expansive; it may be alongside a child who loves a little freedom. Make a plane that is worthy of proper flight (see paperaeroplanes.com for ideas). 

Take a deep breath and put any thoughts that you want to let go of into it. As you release your breath and the paper plane, feel those thoughts leaving with them and indulge in the pure joy of the plane’s flight. Watch as the plane travels and embrace the sense of freedom.

Doing something frivolous like this allows us to let go of autopilot and remember that every single day is an opportunity to see the lighter, brighter side of life. 

Wake up now! 

Author, speaker and Upping your Elvis founder Chris Baréz-Brown has teamed up with Psychologies on a 12-month experiment to help us break our routines.

We will introduce the experiments one by one each week and, at the end of the month, review the results. Follow our Great Wake Up bloggers and read more here.

Photograph: iStock