My top five life hacks

My idea of life hacks are tips to live your life more fully and intentionally, to make living easier and more grace-full, to be more true to who you are and how you want to show up in the world. Here are my top five:

1. Send love to the situation.

A few weeks ago, I had to complete government requirements for my business. (This is one of the things no one ever tells you about being an entrepreneur—the unglamorous and tedious work of government permits and taxes.)

I dread doing this and I usually outsource this task to someone else. But because our city made it more convenient (i.e. the completion of the permits actually take place in a mall and not a government office), I felt it was something I could handle on my own.

After submitting my initial set of requirements, I was asked to wait. Instead of mindlessly scrolling through my phone, I decided to do this practice as recommended by Marianne Williamson in her book A Year of Miracles. (Her prayer: May my selfish nature melt away, dear God, and compassion come to take its place. May everyone I meet or even think of today be blessed by the love I send their way. I will receive as I decide to give, and today I choose to give love.)

I sent love to all the government employees who I will encounter that day. I sent love to the space we were in. I even sent love to the people waiting.

In doing this, the energy I felt in my body transformed from dread to calm. And because of that, everyone I met was incredibly helpful and pleasant. One of them even gave me special concessions when I forgot a certain document.

2. I ask myself: What do I want to give my energy to: creativity or fear?

Running your own business is not for the faint-hearted. The lack of structure, the lack of a boss, the up-and-down nature of revenues and profits—these are freeing but can also cause so much fear, especially if you’re used to the security of knowing what to do on a daily basis and a regular paycheck.

When fear comes up, I pause and ask: Do I want to give my energy to fear or to creativity?

It’s the same effort—and this question reminds me that I am powerful enough to change my thoughts and transform my energy towards something that can serve me rather than something that will just make me spiral into short-term thinking.

3. I use my intention as my guiding light.

Every year, I hold a workshop called Begin Again where I guide women in creating their intention for the year.

My favorite definition for an intention is: the energy that infuses a word or a deed. (I’m paraphrasing this from Gary Zukav.) An intention is more powerful than a resolution or a word of the year because it’s clearer and more encompassing.

Instead of leaving my intention in my workbook or a card that’s pinned to my cork board, it actually becomes an active entity.

When I make decisions, I ask: Is this aligned with my intention? If yes, then I go for it. If not, then I say no.

This is why an intention is so powerful. While there are many things I have no control over, my intention guides me in how I choose to respond to the situations in my life—whether good or bad.

4. I write a letter to my future self.

During Valentine’s Day week, I make time to write a letter to my future self (my self one year from that day). I address it to her and allow my pen to move across the page, just letting whatever words that want to appear emerge in my journal. I use a different colored ink or even a different way of writing (this year, I chose to write my future self’s message in cursive instead of my usual print.)

I recently re-read the letters that I wrote in the past. They’ve gotten longer and longer through the years. My future self’s messages have become clearer too. They aren’t general truisms anymore but have become more specific.