How to Be Excited About Life: Find Joy in the Ordinary Every Day

Feeling stuck in the same old routine? Wondering how to be excited about life when most days feel like a blur of emails, laundry, and endless “what’s for dinner?” questions? You don’t need a complete life overhaul to feel alive again. Excitement isn’t hiding in some glamorous future—it’s already baked into your ordinary, everyday moments. The trick is learning to notice it, lean in, and savor it. When you shift how you see yourself, your possibilities, and the small things around you, even a Tuesday can feel magical. Not Disney-fireworks magical, but the kind that makes you smile while brushing your teeth, hum a little tune on your commute, or actually look forward to your coffee. That’s the real secret to finding joy in the ordinary every day and truly being excited about life.

One – Get Clear on What You Value (The First Step to Being Excited About Life)

If life feels flat, it might be because your daily choices are out of sync with what actually matters to you. Maybe you crave adventure, connection, or creativity. Yet your weekends are spent binge-watching shows you’ve seen ten times. Ask yourself: What truly lights me up? Then start sprinkling those things into your life. You don’t need to quit your job or move to Bali; even small adjustments such as a longer walk outside, a quick sketch in a notebook, calling a friend who makes you laugh can reignite your spark. Living in alignment with your values transforms ordinary routines into tiny adventures, and noticing that shift is one of the most direct ways of learning how to be excited about life. Life feels more “your own” when your actions match what you care about. So today, ask yourself: Am I living in sync with what I actually want?

Two – Rediscover What Makes You Feel Alive Every Day

Excitement doesn’t require skydiving, a convertible, or a VIP concert ticket. Sometimes it’s blasting your favorite song while washing dishes, dancing like no one’s watching, or texting that friend who makes your cheeks hurt from laughing. Big or small, noticing and doing the things that make you feel alive is a shortcut to joy. When you actively seek out these little bursts of life, you’re not just passing the time. You’re cultivating a life you want to show up for. Try to notice what makes your heart beat a little faster or your mood lift unexpectedly. That moment when your commute smells like rain-soaked pavement, or the dog flops onto your lap at the perfect second? That’s life saying, “Here’s your spark. Pay attention.” Paying attention to these moments is a key part of how to be excited about life, even on ordinary days.

Three – Stop Tolerating & Complaining: Reclaim Your Joy

Life is full of things we tolerate: the stuck drawer, the friend who only vents, the coworker who hums off-key. Tolerating too much nonsense silently drains your joy tank. And complaining? That’s not a hobby—it’s a slow leak on your excitement battery. The trick is noticing what’s draining you and either changing it, leaving it, or learning to live with it without constant commentary. Think of it like pruning a plant: when you cut away the dead leaves, the whole thing thrives. Tiny shifts in your environment and habits can turn boredom into curiosity, irritation into amusement, and dread into delight. Paying attention to where your energy goes is a surprisingly fun exercise—and a practical step in how to be excited about life.

Four – Choose Goals That Truly Excite You

Some goals energize you (“I’m training for a 5K!”), others… make you yawn (“I should probably alphabetize my spice rack”). Life is too short to spend energy on the snooze-worthy stuff. The goals that light you up give you a reason to show up with enthusiasm. Even on mundane days. Ask yourself: Which tasks make me want to roll out of bed with a grin, and which make me want to hide under the covers? Align your to-do list with what sparks joy, curiosity, or accomplishment. Big or small, these goals are the breadcrumbs to excitement in daily life. When you actively choose the things that thrill you, you’re not waiting for life to get exciting—you’re creating excitement yourself, which is a core lesson in how to be excited about life.

Five – Surround Yourself with Energy and Inspiration

Ever spend time with someone who leaves you feeling like you just ran a mental marathon? And not in a good way? Yeah, that’s the wrong energy. Life is contagious, and so is excitement. Spend time with people who lift you up, make you laugh, and spark your imagination. These connections act like fuel: the more energy and inspiration you soak in, the more sparks you can generate yourself. Notice how a single conversation with an enthusiastic friend can make your day feel suddenly more interesting. Curiosity, playfulness, and delight are contagious; being around them reminds you that excitement exists all around you. And you can claim it, too.

Six – Find Beauty in the Ordinary: Notice Life’s Tiny Sparks

Life is mostly ordinary: coffee brewing, the dog snoring, sunlight streaking through blinds. And here’s the thing: if you wait for the extraordinary to show up, you’ll miss the magic that’s right in front of you. Pay attention to the texture, color, sound, and rhythm of daily life. Maybe your commute smells like rain-soaked pavement, or the mailman waves with perfect timing. The more you notice, the more ordinary life starts feeling like a secret garden full of tiny wonders. Being excited about life isn’t about constant adventure. It’s about seeing what’s already there and saying, “Oh wow, this is kind of amazing.” That shift in perspective is the heartbeat of how to be excited about life.

Seven – Stay Curious: How to Be Excited About Life by Trying New Things

Curiosity is excitement’s twin. Try new things—even if you’re hilariously bad at them. Take a cooking class, read outside your usual genre, or watch a documentary about space for no reason other than “why not?” Even minor experiments with novelty keep your brain engaged and your heart light. When fear or “what if it goes wrong?” thoughts creep in, flip the script: What if it all goes right? Curiosity transforms ordinary moments into mini-adventures. Paying attention to what surprises or delights you every day keeps life fresh and reminds you that excitement isn’t something far away. It’s right here, waiting to be noticed.

Eight – Switch Up Your Environment to Refresh Your Energy

Routine can be comforting, but it can also be soul-sucking if you never change a thing. Try a new lunch spot, rearrange your furniture, or take a different route to work. Even small environmental tweaks can trigger fresh energy, new ideas, or unexpected delight. Life starts to feel less “same-old, same-old” when you shake up the patterns that lull you into autopilot. Little changes = big sparks. And noticing how your surroundings affect your mood is another piece of the puzzle in how to be excited about life. Because the world itself is brimming with surprises if you give it a glance.

Nine – Start Your Day With Intention to Feel Alive

Mornings set the tone. Rolling out of bed, scrolling TikTok, and sighing into your coffee doesn’t exactly scream excitement. Instead, try starting with something that feels good: stretch, journal, sip your coffee slowly, or declare: Today, I’m going to look for one thing that excites me. Spoiler: you’ll likely find more than one. Intention frames your day, turning ordinary routines into playgrounds for discovery. Even mundane tasks become an opportunity to notice, wonder, and delight. And this daily habit is a simple, practical cornerstone of how to be excited about life every single day.

The Bottom Line: Become the Excitement in Your Life

Life isn’t always going to hand you excitement on a silver platter. Some days it’ll bring bills, traffic, and an overflowing inbox. But when you bring curiosity, humor, and attention to the little things, you become the excitement. Joy isn’t hiding somewhere out there—it’s woven into the ordinary, beautiful, perfectly imperfect moments of your daily life. Pay attention, lean in, notice the small sparks, and suddenly even the mundane feels alive. That’s the real secret to being excited about life every day, no matter how ordinary your routine may seem.