Romanticizing life is a phrase that has come about in the past few years.Iit has changed my perspective on everything! Living in a digital world, it is easy to be jealous. Every single day, you can see the places other people are traveling to, the amazing apartments people live in, the seemingly perfect relationships. If you aren’t careful, you can end up comparing every part of your life to these perfect strangers and start not feeling satisfied with your life. The key to loving your own life, and staying present in the current moment, is romanticizing it!
What Is Romanticizing Life?
When you google the phrase, “romanticizing life”, you’ll get a definition that looks something like this,
“to make it seem more appealing, attractive, or interesting than it actually is, often by presenting a positive or idealized spin on it, sometimes referred to as wearing rose-colored glasses.”
I like this definition. But to me, romanticizing life is more about taking specific action to make each day the best it can possibly be. With all the rushing and deadlines of life, it can be hard to slow down. To eally think about what we want to get out of each day. As someone who loves to plan, and also loves living life to its fullest, this is something I strive to do. We only live once and have such limited time to do everything we want to do? What can you do tomorrow that brings you closer to your dream life, towards happiness? How can you make the most of tomorrow?
How I Romanticize Life
I am big into goal setting. Every year I set big goals to achieve and break them down into smaller goals by quarter. So when it comes to planning my day off, that doesn’t have a single event on the calendar, or when thinking what to do between work and dinner, I refer back to those goals.
Personally, I want to be more active, make money working for myself, and be more creative. Each day, I try to plan at least one activity I can do that will make me feel more productive in each of those categories. No matter how big or small, or how much time they take, I can go to bed knowing that I furthered myself one step closer to my dreams!
While each day can bring us closer to the “dream life” you also need to remember that the journey needs to be just as fun as the end result! If you do not enjoy everyday (or most days), will you even enjoy yourself when you achieve what you want? If you don’t live in the present, in gratitude, there’s no point romanticizing life because you will ALWAYS keep focusing on the next best thing. Enjoy the journey so you can enjoy and be proud of the end!
How YOU Can Romanticize Life
If you aren’t sure where to start, no worries, I have tons of ideas and categories that can get you inspired to start romanticizing your life!
Prelude: Making time
Step Zero when it comes to romanticizing life is getting off your phone, touching grass as they say. Life only truly happens off the phone. Take a look at your screen time. Be an adult and genuinely look at how much time you spend doomscrolling. Then take that number and get excited because that’s how much time you have to work with to fit in romanticization work.
Hobbies
The first one is taking up hobbies. The coolest people I know have hobbies, or things they like, completely separate from their job. Sometimes it’s something where you make something, where you can satiate your creativity! Sometimes it’s an instrument, a period of history you like, really anything that makes you feel passionate, not matter how much of a beginner or pro you are. I have a list of the best hobbies for people in their post grad eras here, for you to check out!
There are tons of free hobbies, like reading, chess, walking, etc, as well as tons of really expensive hobbies! The best hobby for you will probably be something you liked when you were a kid! I LOVED pottery as a kid, and joining a pottery studio was such an amazing thing to do as an adult! Heal your inner child by picking up a hobby that brought you joy when you were younger.
Romanticize Each Season
Another way is to enjoy each season and what it brings! Personally, I love summer, but that doesn’t mean I should yearn for summer all year long. I need to make the most of each season or else I will constantly be waiting and waiting for another time. I have made a list of activities you can do each season to romanticize them: how to romanticize fall, winter, spring, and summer.
Hindsight is 20 / 20. There will always be something you wish you did more of last season. Take the time now to sit with your thoughts and genuinely think about what you like. While winter isn’t my favorite, I can definitely embrace being cozy and warm and with family, and make that the focal point of my winter months. I can decorate adorably for the holidays and bake and get excited for a time of year to make it more enjoyable.
Always Learning More
One way you can broaden your horizons is traveling! Traveling, seeing how other people live, has made me more thoughtful about my own life. What do I like about how this culture lives, what do I dislike, and how can I implement this into my life? Traveling can also teach you about yourself. In the past few years I have embarked on multiple solo trips, and it has proven to be life altering! It’s helped me develop extreme self confidence in myself and my decision making that will help me in every area of my life! If you don’t want to travel alone, perhaps start doing things alone in general! I promise you will find it empowering!
To learn more you can take a class, whether at college or through a group that will teach you more about something you are interested in. Whether this is a hobby or to learn new information, taking a class can expand both your passions and your community!
Challenge yourself
Whatever way you want to learn more, about the world or yourself, make sure to continue always challenging yourself! Don’t let yourself create a limit in your head on what you can and cannot do. As you start romanticizing your life, you realize that most things in this world ARE attainable! You can and will create your dream life, and to do that, you cannot be the one telling yourself you can’t do it. Enough people will doubt you, so let them do the doubting as you go on and accomplish everything you want.
Romanticizing Life Conclusion
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present”
Whether you personally attribute this quote to Eleanor Roosevelt or Master Oogway, it rings true regardless. Romanticizing life each moment of each days means you are making the most of now, of the present. Too often we live our lives in a rush. If we are too busy to slow down, we’ll one day look up from our phone and realized years have gone by, and we’ve accomplished nothing. Don’t let that be you! Make your life as great as it can be.
