Why You Should Do One Thing a Day That Makes You Feel Shiny
Shiny is no longer an adjective in my life, it’s an emotion.
Nestled somewhere near Enchanted and Euphoric on my emotion wheel.
I discovered the meaning of “shiny” sitting under the Eiffel tower with my best friend Flannery Maney. Eating overpriced French cheese and drinking cheap-ass French champagne.We watched this architectural masterpiece glisten and shimmer. Oohing and Ahhing by its brilliance. It was at this moment we both agreed the only appropriate descriptor for our current emotional state was “shiny”.
It was as if rays of light were beaming out of our eyes and our hearts. We felt free. We felt like our full selves.
That’s the epitome of the emotion shiny.
Feeling like your true authentic self and letting it radiate out of you. Letting it seep out of every pour in your body for the world to see and not giving a damn if it’s validated. Candidly exploring the world around you and the depths of your own heart.
We talked for hours. Asking each other thought-provoking questions.
We questioned the sentiments of our own hearts.
We gabbed with every human we came into contact with. Wanting to know more about their way of life. What were they afraid of? What were their dreams?
We took a deep dive into ourselves and who we thought we were. We gave our hearts to this city and what it was trying to tell us. We pondered what was on the minds of its locals. Were they really in as much thought as their expressions led us to believe?
We stayed curious and let our curiosity guide us through our week. We saw art. We ate all the food. We dreamed, and we danced. Literally, we danced through the streets. Like we were in a movie of our own creation. And for those six days in Paris, we were.
Where’d the Shiny Go?
I was recently asked, “What’s a feeling that I want more of in my life? What’s something that I’ve felt before, but has escaped me as of late? What’s a feeling I missed and was craving?” (This happens when you get your life coaching certification. You meet badass humans who are endlessly curious and ask you really cool questions just for fun.)
“Shiny” escaped from my lips. As I retold some of my Paris memories, my heart started to ache. The ache that holds both unabashed, absolute true happiness, and the pains of nostalgia. That wondering if you’ll ever get to live a moment like that again. It was then I realized I had not felt “shiny” in a really, really long damn time.
My friend continued, “Is there anything you do now to make yourself feel shiny?” I pondered and racked the depths of my brain. Nope, nada, zip.
Where the heck did the shiny go? I wanted to find it. I wanted to feel it.
Heck, I needed it.
My Search For Shiny
I embarked on my search for shiny. And as much as I would’ve loved to have planned some grand adventure, I knew it wasn’t in the cards. It also wasn’t the point of my shiny quest.
Shiny shouldn’t just be something I feel while eating carbs walking around a gorgeous city. It should be something I have access to in my everyday life.
So here I was, in Virginia Beach, VA. A city I recently inhabited where the only souls I know are my boyfriend and his mother, who we’re currently living with. Also, a disclaimer about my current daily wardrobe: since I work from home now, I almost exclusively wear an ill-fitting pair of Chicago Bears sweatpants and oversized Illinois sweatshirt. Both of which have coincidentally matching color schemes of orange and navy blue.
So the first thing I did was burn my wardrobe. (You all wish, I’m wearing it as I write this.)
However, I partake in fancy Fridays. Whether or not I leave the house, I shower, do my hair, put on a face, and some outfit that doesn’t make me resemble a navy blob.
Can I dance down the mean suburban streets of Virginia Beach like it’s a cobblestone Parisan alley? I sure can, and I did. I got many weird stares and a few chuckles thrown my way. But I felt… really good. Giddy, even. Dare I say… somewhat shiny? It felt fantastic to not give a damn about what anyone else thought.
I sorted through everything I do in my days and wondered — Can I make this shiny? Can I cook in a shiny way? Can I write in a shiny way? Can I grocery shop in a shiny way? The simple answer is yes.
When I cook I’ll sometimes shoo everyone out of the kitchen, open my giant cookbook, throw on some music, and get completely lost in my creation.
When I write I’ll light a fancy candle, make a cappuccino, put on French cafe music, open the window so I can hear the birds and let my fingers dance across my keyboard.
I hate grocery shopping so that was tough, but shiny found its way to me. I wore an outfit that was presentable to the public, put my earpods in and glided through the store. I even attempted to make eye contact with other patrons and smile at them. Most of them returned the smile and seemed pleasantly surprised I even offered it to them. It was a duller hue of shiny, but shiny nonetheless!
I also sought new, easy additions of shiny to my life. A late night beach boardwalk stroll with carryout cocktails? Hello, shiny! Having dinner at a new place in the marina? Driving through new neighborhoods on the coast and seeing a different way of life? A planned virtual happy hour with girlfriends to gossip and drink all the wine? Cooking new recipes from different cultures? All contain an element of shiny.
There are moments every single day that can contain a bit of shiny. If you can’t feel it, seek some shiny. It’s usually there lurking around, wanting to come play.
How Do You Speak Shiny
As I was waist deep in my search for shiny, I was reminded of this effervescent woman we met at a local dive bar our last night in Paris. The bar was half empty due to it being a Sunday night, and this woman swayed by herself on her own makeshift dancefloor. Not out of intoxication, out of bliss. Her face didn’t contain an ounce of makeup, and her wild hair begged to be let out of her messy bun. She was the type of “cool girl” who was friends with all the guys but genuinely had no interest in them, she was too busy in a love affair with herself.
She entertained a conversation with us and asked, “How do you say I love you in English?” After a few moments of racking my brain for something clever to say, I muttered, “I don’t know, I guess we just say I love you.”
She smiled, “Right. That’s what is so amazing about the French language. Our words have so many shades to color how we feel. In French, there are over 40 ways to say I love you. Try to find the hidden shades in your language. How else can you say I love you?”
Trying to discover the shades of our English language and how we communicate has been one of my favorite parts in searching for shiny. How can you express yourself in a shiny way?
Find Your Meaning Of Shiny
What makes you feel more alive? What people? Places? Food? Songs? Books?
What electrifies you?
Even if it’s just for a second of the day? How can you color your world and your language with a bit of shiny? This life was meant to be lived. What’s the point if you’re not actively trying to feel alive? Shiny is the best part of the positive aspect of feeling alive.
Where is shiny existing in your current life? Where can your life use an infusion of shiny?
Uncover it. I dare you to go on a search for your shiny.
Take-Aways
Shiny is a feeling. Shiny is an emotion.
It’s something that makes you feel alive. You glisten when you’re shiny. Light beams out of your soul when you’re shiny.
Try to cultivate an ounce of shiny every day. Sometimes it’s as if I’m walking the streets of Paris, but I’m in my Chicago Bears sweatpants. It’s not the same in the slightest, but the smile on my face doesn’t really need it to be.
My heart aches with fun as I write these words to you in my sun-filled Virginia Beach pad. It’s as if, dare I say, I’m feeling a tad shiny.
Where is shiny currently hiding in your life?
Keep searching for it. Unearth it. Let yourself bask in it. And then share it.
Let your shiny shine through you.
Maddie is a writer, voice-over artist and certified life coach. Self-declared boxed wine aficionado. She’d love to hear all your thoughts at [email protected]
This article was originally published on Medium.