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Living a Vibrant Life
Recently I read an article about living “vibrantly”. I love that word applied to living life! As artists we think of vibrant, highly saturated colors that pop. A life lived vibrantly means full of energy, life, and spirit. Who wouldn’t want that? What prevents us from living life to the fullest?
Living life vibrantly means avoiding shrinking your world. As we become adults we settle into patterns of behavior that are easy and comfortable. But as friends and family move away or pass, we start to avoid certain social events and anything that makes us feel slightly uncomfortable and before you know it, life becomes smaller. But isn’t living life to the full until your very last breath much better than the alternative—a slow fade?
It also means making new friends. Making new friends is harder as we get older but it will never happen if we don’t open ourselves up to opportunities to meet new people.
It has been a great joy to watch the friendships that develop during our artist retreats. At the beginning most of the participants are complete strangers. But at our farewell dinner people are laughing together, hugging and exchanging emails. It happens every time!
Travelling in a group gives you courage. Things that were a worry are completely forgotten because everyone is trying that new food or walking down that alleyway together.
Friendships build naturally because we are facing the challenges of our art class together. We are making mistakes, overcoming obstacles and learning something new together.
Learning new things, exploring a new place, making new friends—these are the things that expand our world and make our lives more vibrant.
Neuroscience shows that we need novelty, learning and engagement to keep neural pathways flexible. We need to break out of our patterns of behavior and try something new to stay mentally healthy.
That could mean small adventures like joining a club or art class, trying out a new restaurant, taking in a speaker, a play or a concert. Exploring a nearby town. Volunteering for an organization you believe in.
It happens every time because these people have stepped out of their comfort zones to try something new. They are often visiting a new country they’ve never been to but they are doing it in the company of like-minded artists who are, sometimes with a little trepidation, also excited to be on this adventure together.
Final thoughts: take the small or big steps you need to take to be healthy and happy and to live a vibrant life.
It’s a big world. Let’s explore it together.
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