āWhat hunger is about food, zest is about life.ā
– Bertrand Russell
Did you know that having a zest for life can add to your happiness, positivity, & contentment in life? It does & here’s the science behind it. When you approach life with a sense of excitement & energy every day, it conditions your brain to create neural networks that make this positive outlook a part of your personality.
It creates a heightened awareness of the possibilities in every day. We become more mindful of the little joys, tiny gains, & the hopefulness of solution in every situation. Zest has an element of peace of mind which is essential for a healthy mind, body, & soul.
LIST OF CONTENTS
- What does zest for life mean
- 5 ways to boost zest for life
- How does it benefit me
- Inspirational quotes to make you fall back in love with your life
- The takeaway
What is a zest for life:
When we live life wholeheartedly, with a sense of anticipation & excitement, approaching new things with a sense of wonder, it lights up our soul. That’s a zest for life. It empowers you to live a more fulfilling & happy life by keeping you away from the victim mindset guiding you towards meaningful action even in the face of adversities.
In simple words, it’s the difference between actually living & just existing. A zest for life flicks us out of the half-awake attitude towards everything & puts the relish back in whatever we do. The invigorating enthusiasm that gives us the confidence to face difficulties & stay amped up to take on the day is called zest.
Related:
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5 Simple ways to reignite a zest for life:
It’s so easy to get swamped with the ‘to do’s and ‘must do’s in our life, the duties, responsibilities, & rush to prove our worth that our sense of wonder & excitement gets numbed into inaction.
I agree, most of these are non-negotiable. But that doesn’t mean we have to let life pass by waiting for the time when we are free to actually live.
Come out of your I-will-do-it-when-
- I am financially stable.
- Achieved something meaningful professionally.
- Done with the duties as a parent, son/daughter, caregiver.
- I’ve more time, more energy….
There are just so many ways to press against the limits we set on ourselves for living life as it’s meant to be…as we wish we could.
When you make a zest for life part of your personality it sets you free to be awed by the beauty around you & amped up about the possibilities that each new day brings with it.
When you can see a solution to your issues & are convinced of the ‘why’ behind your duties & responsibilities, life becomes much more exciting & enjoyable. It adds an element of mindful awareness to your daily experiences.
Here are some of the ways that will help reignite your zest for life.
1. Get a new perspective:
Challenge your presumptions and explore your neighborhood. Visit something that you pass every day on the way to work or while making your grocery runs. Or simply follow that route not to reach your usual destination but to notice what’s on either side of you.
Put aside your smartphone, get away from the din of social media, chuck the car and just take a stroll. You’ll be amazed at how much we miss when we see but not look. There are so many stories, so much beauty & magic around us that it can add layers of texture to the mundane in our life.
The excitement of having discovered something new, finding a fresh new perspective of looking at things usually taken for granted makes us aware of the wonder of living and the importance of our actions in the scheme of things.
Related:
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2. Expand what you know:
Don’t stay limited to reading or learning more about things that interest you. Push yourself to say search on the web about new advances in space research or the world of animals if you are usually interested in sports, business, fashion, gardening, or anything.
Did you know there’s one type of octopus that has adapted to commuting on land? Scary but interesting!
The idea is to remove the side blinders & get a wider detailed picture of the world we live in. It brings back the zest to do something different, to learn more, and to ignite an old passion left-back in childhood.
When you open your mind to the unlimited wonder of the world, it sets off a shift in attitude towards your own daily life & situation. The daily problems nagging us somehow become less catastrophic. You get to step away from them far enough to be able to see solutions that you couldn’t see from close up.
Related:
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3. Reignite an old passion:
If you don’t have a hobby right now, pick something that tickles a different part of your interest than what you usually do. Because no matter how passionate you are about what you do, it can & does become dreary sometimes. A change of pace, change of actions, change of approach can keep your zest for life alive.
It gives the brain a break to stop actively thinking about what you usually do, process all the information, & give your subconscious mind a chance to come up with creative new ideas. Albert Einstein was an accomplished violinist and said, “I live my daydreams in music.”
Monotony & zest for life doesn’t go along. Hobbies are like an open window through which you can step into a world breaking the monotony of daily life. There’s no hurry, nothing to prove & so no failures. They let you connect with something that speaks to your heart.
4. Learn something new:
Join that salsa or krav maga class that you always wanted to. Or learn photography or calligraphyā¦or whatever āgraphyā catches your fancy. Do it for yourself.
The little wins here would keep your enthusiasm alive in other aspects of your life too. It would renew your sense of joy & add versatility to your routine.
Learn something new to keep your brain young longer, to add mystery to your character (“what else can she do?”), to add layers to your life experience, & thus to keep nurturing a zest for life.
Related:
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5. Travel to reignite your zest for life:
Mini vacations break the monotony of life. They are one of the most effective perspective shifters around. Have you ever noticed how places from your childhood seem to have shrunk when you revisit them as grown-ups? Or, realize how your neighborhood must look like to outsiders when you return after being away for a while?
Travel expands & refreshes our mind, knowledge, & attitude. It opens us up to new experiences, different approaches to life, & the beautiful diversity that makes up this world. It put our usual expectations on hold letting us discover who we really are & what truly ignites the spark within us.
Related:
Change your mindset: How to positively redefine your life
How does zest for life benefit me:
- It makes you more resilient, helping you bounce back faster.
- A zest for life will change the way you process failure or roadblocks. It’s a mental shift that opens up new horizons of success & life satisfaction.
- Change is tough, but zest helps you adapt more effectively.
- It’s one of the non-negotiable ingredients for happiness in life.
- A zestful attitude towards your work helps you stay productive longer.
- Happier personal relationships.
- With a peaceful mind, zest makes you better aware of the wonder & magic life has to offer.
- It helps you fall back in love with your life.
Related:
How to live a happy life: 6 ways to rebel against a meh life
Zest for life quotes: Inspiration to fall deeply in love with your life
1. “I choose to make the rest of my life the best of my life.” – Louise Hay
2. “Don’t count the days, make the days count.” – Muhammad Ali
3. “I’m gonna live till I die.” – Frank Sinatra
“Today is life – the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today. Get interested in something. Shake yourself awake. Develop a hobby. Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. Live today with gusto.”
– Dale Carnegie
5. “If things come easy, there is no premium on effort. There should be joy in the chase, zest in the pursuit.” – Branch Rickey
6. “There’s nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly.” – Buckminster Fuller
7. “When you are enthusiastic about what you do, you feel positive energy.” – Paulo Coelho
8. “To truly have a zest for life, you must squeeze all the juice out of it…especially the lemons. Believe it or not, they make life even more delicious. The lessons you get out of them make you strong, resilient, and amazing.” – Jenny G Perry
Do the things that speak to your heart because they are what make us feel fresh, alive, awake, & excited. Don’t let the monotony of duties, responsibilities & to-dos dull your spirit, the spark within you. Get amazed by the wealth of experiences & possibilities surrounding you.
Take out time to notice the beauty in your life, the stories around you, and the mysteries of the world we live in. This kind of mindful awareness that comes from a zest for life nourishes our mind, body, and soul too. It’ll make you fall back in love with your life.
How do you keep duties & responsibilities from becoming monotonous & keep your zest for life alive? Let us know in the comments below to help those looking for inspiration.
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I agree. I need some extra zest in my life.
These are great tips for everyday life. I can’t say no to a little zest in my life either.
really nice tips! This year we’ve have resolve to go on weekend gateaways more often, now that our youngest daughter is 2 it becomes more enjoyable for the whole family and not so exhausting, so why not!
When kids get to a reasonably manageable age, short trips can really be enjoyable and in fact relaxing…I think this is one new year resolution that will surely get accomplished š
Love your tips! I agree with exploring your neighborhood to add zest to your life. I like to go out in my city and neighboring cities to explore. It always makes me feel so happy!
Thanks š
I believe in keeping life interesting – and learning something new every year. I also try to read a book a month. Childhood hobbies š
These are great tips, especially exploring your neighborhood on foot.
These are some good tips you give. I’m definitely not Sheldon, or atleast I hope I’m not.
I agree on the first two, Explore and Travel’. I am a travel blogger and there is absolutely no better way to add zest to your life than seeing and learning about other countries and cultures! Great post!
Thanks Candy š ….it’s true that travel is one of the best ways to broaden the mind and add sparkle to our life
I love your advice on this article. Its so easy to get stuck at home switching from one screen to another…. from a phone to the computer to your tv and the weekend passes by. Then we dont even realize , and our kids are doing the same. Love the idea about nurturing the hobbies
Thanks Claudia š …limiting screen time surely affords us a lot of time to explore first-hand the world around us and spend more quality time with our family
Thanks for sharing such a relevant topic. The tips highlighted here are really useful for those who wants to make a little change in their routine line. Very good blog.
Thanks Jithin š
I LOVE this! And it comes right when I felt stuck in a rut of my own. Thank for the ideas!
š Glad that it could help