100 Ways to Have a Love Affair with

Life
by Tonya Leigh

When it’s over, I want to say: all my life

I was a bride married to amazement.
I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.

When it is over, I don’t want to wonder

if I have made of my life something particular, and real.
I don’t want to find myself sighing and frightened,
or full of argument.

I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.

Mary Oliver

Ooh la la…Mary Oliver’s quote gets me every time.  I remember the first time I
heard it was at a dinner table in the South of France when an Irishman recited it
word for word. It struck a deep nerve within me, because up until then I had
ignored my deep desires and spent most of my time trying to rearrange my
external world – trying to lose weight, have the perfect relationship and make
more money – to offer me relief.  As a result, I was constantly overwhelmed,
worried and anxious about my future. Life felt more like an enemy to be
conquered than a lover to be adored.

Something had to change, and that something was the relationship I had with
life.

Having worked as a critical care nurse and being present with people on their
deathbeds, I have a deep understanding of what life is truly about, and contrary to
what people try to convince you, it’s not about making 6 or 7 figures, being a size
2 or finding the perfect relationship.    None of these things guarantee you a full
life.

Yet, if those are your desires (and there’s nothing wrong with wanting what you
want; I happen to love luxury, being fit and great relationships), falling in love
with life, as it is right now, is the secret to attracting it all – with ease, grace
and joie de vivre.  

If you want your life to change, change how you treat your life! (tweet it)

Because . . .

When You French Kiss Life, Life Kisses You Back!

Here are some ways I’m having a love affair with life:
 Say thank99 you often
 Eat what I want without guilt (I also lost weight with this approach
 Dance every day
 Keep fresh flowers in your home
 Flirt
 Learn 10 new Mandarin Words everyday
 Create your unique definition of success
 Kiss a lot
 Wear fine lingerie
 Create beautiful spaces to enjoy
 Wake up each morning and envision your day
 Go to bed celebrating your successes
 Keep a gratitude journal
 Take yourself on a date – get dressed up, reserve the best table at the best
restaurant and enjoy your own company
 Dress up, even in little ways, each day (a great accessory, beautiful shoes
or a stunning scarf, gorgeous earrings or necklace)
 Find your signature scent
 Stop using excuses as a way to settle
 Exercise daily, even if it’s just 20 minutes
 Forgive those who have hurt you (no need to continue hurting yourself)
 Always be willing to grow and change
 Create plans that excite you
 Simplify, simplify, simplify
 Start juicing everyday
 Spend money on things you truly value
 Trust your instincts
 Allow yourself to feel fully
 Stop being so serious; be a little playful
 Break the rules; make your own
 Don’t be a copycat; create from your divine heart
 Practice living in the moment – Read the Power of Now
 Go to Paris
 Make a list of things to do In Paris.
 Learn to accept and love your body (as it is right now)
 Place rose drops on your lingerie
 Pick your favorite era and spend the day pretending that you’ve stepped
back in time
 Go skinny dipping
 Buy New Lingerie
 Unplug from technology once a week
 Practise your Violin Everyday.
 Feel Beautiful ! MEDITATE!
 HOLD YOUR ARMS OUT IN THE AIR AND SAY TO THE
UNIVERSE - I AM GRATEFUL AND HAPPY!!!
 Spend a day doing only what you absolutely desire
 Connect with someone new (new people mean new perspectives)
 Be Charming
 Stay out of everyone else’s business (their opinions, beliefs and drama)
 Cuddle…with your partner, kids, friends or pet
 Send BIG love energy to everyone you encounter today
 Wear something that you’d normally not wear (hat, scarves, big fancy
sunglasses!
 Through out the day, stop and wink at the sky and say merci!
 Order something from the menu you’ve never tasted
 Practise Yoga by the Beach.
 Learn a new song a Week.
 Create a New Makeup look.
 Travel to Some place you have never been before at least once a year
 Buy decadent soaps
 Buy the most luxurious chocolate you can find, pour yourself a cup of tea
and savor every bite
 Look for beauty in everything
 Take 5 things off your to-do list and replace it with something  you really
want to do
 Learn a new Ballet Combination
 Look for miracles in everything – the unpredictable, heartbreaks,
perceived failures . . . they are there if you seek them
 Choose do go about your daily tasks with passion – from cleaning the
toilet to paying bills
 Take responsibility for your own happiness and fulfillment
 Stop complaining and gossiping
 Learn a new language
 Paint or draw; open up the channels of creativity
 Stop hanging out with energy drainers
 Eat only the best of whatever you choose to eat – aka no crap
 Be a little wild and unpredictable
 Each morning, choose who you want to BE first, then what you want to
DO
 Have a secret garden
 Stop comparing.  There is only one you, and that’s a pretty special place to
be
 Learn how to leisurely hustle – moments of massive inspired action
followed by moments pure leisure
 Get outside and get some Vitamin D – one of the greatest epidemics of our
time is lack of sunshine
 Stop the 100% productivity mode.  I’m giving you permission to not be so
productive.  You may find that taking that pressure off leads to smarter
productivity
 What did you love to do when you were little? Do that!
 Hang out with fellow life lovers – those who curate fascinating and
inspiring conversations
 Don’t follow trends; create your own
 Tell yourself you are AWESOME!
 Always choose kindness, especially towards yourself
 Dream every day
 Put your wishes in a bottle and release them into a river
 Write A Love Letter to Life
 Bathe in Salt Water
 Understand your triggers and patterns so you can elegantly navigate them
 Always ask yourself: how can I make this fun?
 Be open to the mystery of life; rigidity may lead to certain outcomes, but it
will never lead to adventure and the good stuff of life
 When in doubt, always, always follow your heart
 And, if you’re going to have a love affair with life, put on some lipstick
and pucker up.

Want to add to the list? I’d love to know how you are
having a love affair with life in the comments below.

Dark chocolate every day.

I LOVE the way my life is unfolding!

Carry a small notebook everywhere and jot down dreams, inspiration,
poetry, ideas, etc. I have found that over the years what I write, does
happen.
This whole concept could be a book! What a wonderful gift it would be to
compile for the world!!