Once upon a time, there lived a little child who was always enthusiastic. He sang, he danced, he played, no matter what he did, he did it with the enthusiasm of a puppy with a shoe. He was curious, excited and enthusiastic about everything around him. In fact, being enthusiastic was the only way he could be! That little child was you.
But now it sounds like a fairytale, doesn't it? Somehow the mundane ness of life has killed any little enthusiasm that might be left in our grown up selves, and it's sad that we have learnt to live this way. But not anymore, here are seven simple ways to get back the zing in your life. These techniques have always worked for me, and science supports them too. Coz it has been proven that if you break the monotony and introduce something new and challenging to your brain, it works better! And all these "ways" are guaranteed to get the "happy hormones" flowing.

Doodle
Remember when you were young and you used to doodle with crayons for hours. You loved drawing silly little pictures, unconcerned about what the outcome will look like. So get some pens, pencils, crayons or whatever you have and just draw - doodle away until your state of mind shifts. You never know, you could get a brilliant idea or an answer to any problem, coz doodling helps your subconscious to express itself through the unrestricted flow of creativity.

Chase a feather
Put on your running shoes, find a less crowded stretch (if you are people-conscious) and chase the wind! See how fast you can run. Time yourself, and beat your earlier record! You might surprise yourself!

P.S: of course, it's needless to say this might not suit folks with health problems. In which case, chasing a feather or even a piece of paper works equally well ? Just find a safe windy spot and release it into the air, remember how easy it was for you to run behind it when you were little? Well, it still is!

Try something new
Eat something you've never tasted before. Go to that new restaurant you've wanted to try for months. Or even better, cook something new! And savor each morsel with all your senses. Let your eyes enjoy the sight of your new dish, then enjoy the aroma. As you place a bite in your mouth, let your taste buds ride the rollercoaster of new tastes and flavors. Food has an amazing psychological and physiological effect on us. Haven't you heard, chocolate is one of the best mood lifters?

Pretend to be someone else
For a few minutes, forget yourself. Try to think, act, behave the way someone you know would. E.g.: your mother, your boyfriend, your boss, etc. Speak like them (even with them) walk like them, talk to yourself the way they do (only the good stuff!) even comment on things the way they do. Get into their shoes completely! Ask yourself, "If I was my boss, how would I do this?" After a while, when you return to your old self, it can be a very amusing and enlightening experience to discover what it means to be you!

Dig out old treasures
Bring out your childhood stuff, things you hid from everyone else. Or things you collected for "after 20 years" Relive the good old memories for a while. If you stay in a rental far away from the home you grew up in, don't worry, there is an option- Clean! ? Might sound like a silly idea, but cleaning is a very therapeutic activity, it's dusting the cobwebs and clearing the clutter outside and inside your head! It motivates you to start afresh.

Practice different types of laughs
Have you ever had the experience when you just laugh for no good reason? Isn't it great! Laughter is one of the best ways to lift your spirits. Can't think of anything funny? Try grinning at yourself insanely in the mirror, or imitating the laughs of people you know and notice how difficult it becomes to control your giggle muscles! It isn't easy but once you start it isn't easy to stop!

Dance
Especially the way you did when you were little. Let go of your body, let it swing the way it wants to the beat of your favorite dance songs. Invent new dance steps!

Life is too short to waste another moment sulking. Go wild, it takes courage to act silly and it's totally worth it.

Get back on your feet and grab life by the reigns, it's time to enjoy the ride.

Prachi Mayekar

Prachi Mayekar is the co-founder of Athena India ( http://athenaindia.in ), a holistic guidance firm. Along with her husband Joel Joseph Pannikot, she conducts motivational and performance development workshops for individuals, corporates and educational institutions.

Prachi has, at various times in her career, been a chef, restaurateur, life adviser and travel adviser. She has also been a Radio Show Host for the most popular radio stations in Mumbai and Dubai. She has been a freelance voice dubbing artist for the past 26 years.

She is trained in the Carkhuff Model of Personal Counselling and Neuro Linguistic Programming and is also an exponent of Reiki and Feng Shui.

Her blog ( http://athenaindia.in/blog ) is highly sought after for its eclectic content and inspiring insight.