20 Simple Ways to Feel Like the Main Character of Your Life
When was the last time you felt like the main character of your life; the last time you stopped waiting for someone else to notice your potential and started noticing it yourself? When did you last feel like you were marching to the beat of your own drum… and not the drum of those around you?
The other day I was in the car with my kids, headed home from a great lunch to celebrate my mom’s birthday. The kids LOVE spending time with my mom, but the excitement and the park play naturally exhaust them, so the car rides home aren’t always great.
We’d just got about half way home when my favorite song came on, and I turned it up to belt it out. For two seconds, I was in my element… Then my daughter started screaming.
There was a split second when I wanted to be the child; to yell and tell her to let me enjoy the moment. Instead, I got a little blue and turned on Ms. Rachel. It was either listening to screaming through my favorite song or listening to her favorite song… there wasn’t an option to choose me. I remember thinking to myself, this moment perfectly defines my life right now. (And honestly, documenting moments like this has helped me notice how easy it is to disappear from my own story without realizing it.) Then I felt like a bad mom. Wash, rinse, repeat.
Soooo how are we supposed to find a way to dance to the beat of our own drum? Hell, how do many of us even know what that sounds or looks like?!
How do you become the main character of your life when society is telling you that you’re a horrible mom for having a single thought about making your life about you?
F*ck them. We deserve better, and so do your kids.
Here are 20 simple ways to feel like the main character of your life:
1. Get Dressed to the Shoes: Not for others, but as a signal that the day belongs to you.
2. Move Your Body: Stretch, dance, run, walk, lift your toddler like a kettlebell if that’s what works for you.
3. Eat a Meal Sitting Down: No bites over the sink. Set a plate, light a candle, even if it’s PB&J.
4. Change the Scenery: Take yourself to a coffee shop with the kids, a library corner, or even a different park.
5. Reclaim a Daily Ritual: Morning journal, tea, meditation, playlist. One thing that’s only yours.
6. Learn Something New: Take a short course or a YouTube deep dive that has nothing to do with parenting.
7. Make a Micro Goal: Something bite-sized that builds proof you can finish things.
8. Consume Stories for Adults: A novel, docuseries, or even a podcast that makes you think, not just survive.
9. Name Your Season: “In my rebuilding era” or “my soft hustle season”. This can help you own it and not feel so trapped by it.
10. Write Your Name: On a notebook, mug, or your screensaver. This is a quiet reminder that it’s your story.
11. Return To An Old Love: Sing, sketch, write, move. Do it once this week without apologizing.
12. Start Sharing Again: Blog, post on social media, start a YouTube channel. Visibility is power, even if no one sees it yet.
13. Create a Corner: Something that feels like you. A desk, a reading chair, or even just a shelf.
14. Declutter One Small Space: Sometimes clarity starts with control over one small thing.
15. Create a Soundtrack, or Five: Give yourself a playlist that wakes up the main character energy instantly.
16. Meet a Friend Without Kids: No diaper bags, no apologies.
17. Talk About Your Dreams: Make sure you share them with someone who won’t minimize them.
18. Ask For Help: And do so like it’s normal, because it is.
19. Narrate Life Out Loud: This will feel awkward and silly, but if you do this in a positive way, you might just change your world.
20. Remember The Legacy: Don’t forget that the person you are now is a part of the plot. She matters too, no matter how much you want to step into a newer version of yourself.
Here’s to us living the ultimate main character lives!
See you!
Amy