Feel More Alive in 2005!

Ever feel like you're sleep walking through life? It's easy to settle into routines at work and in life that leave us a bit numb and wondering if this is all there is.

If your life has become a bit hum-drum with too much work and too little fun, now is a perfect time to rev up your energy in the year ahead. If you want to jump-start your life in the New Year, try these tips by Suzanne Zoglio, author of Recharge in Minutes and Create A Life That Tickles Your Soul.

1. Schedule your "someday dozen" now.

Right now schedule 12 activities you've always wanted to do into your calendar-one per month. Whether you've been meaning to take a bike trip, visit a nearby museum, take a hot air balloon ride, go fly-fishing, or refinish that heirloom antique …do it. Reviving dreams is a surefire way to enliven your spirit.

2. Book quarterly "play dates."

Call one friend or four and lock in a few dates that you both agree are written in stone; no matter what, you'll get together. Staying connected awakens the heart.

3. Reinvent yourself.

Adopt one new positive habit instead of trying to break one that's not serving you. Walk 20 minutes before you turn on TV. Read the comics before the investment page. Change your drive-time station to an uplifting one. Switch from coffee to green tea. Study the bible, a world atlas, or dictionary once a week.

List what you're grateful for every night just before you go to sleep. It's never too late to become more of the person you want to be. Expand in 2005.

4. Give away a day.

Pick a cause you care about and commit a day to helping them out. Work on a house for Habitat for Humanity, deliver Meals on Wheels, or help your church clean up an elderly person's yard---whatever appeals to you. You'll be surprised how much joy will come back to you when you're through.

5. Start each day on purpose.

To feel alive, we need to know how that we're using our days in meaningful ways, not just putting time in. Before you get out of bed each morning, answer 3 questions: What kind of person do I want to be today (fun, calm, generous)? What three things do I want to accomplish (important to you!)? Where can you make a difference in someone else's life (with a call, a gesture, a helping hand)?