Quest for Zest!

Here is a little back story on the idea of a quest for zest. One of my closest friends and I decided to dedicate our lives to a “quest for zest.” This mindset has infiltrated many aspects of our friendship, from citrus-themed Christmas gifts to sign-offs promising to keep it zesty. If you are a creative that runs into blocks or have found yourself lacking in inspiration, it may be time for you to start your very own quest for zest.

A few years back, we started using this phrase because we both felt stuck. We were stuck in relationships and in jobs that no longer served us. Things were looking bleak, and we both expressed how hard it was getting to keep going while in these situations. Like another citrus-themed phrase, “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” starting to live your life as a quest for zest is all about making a bad situation better.

When we feel stuck, it can begin to look hopeless, and you can start narrowing your view of the world to just focusing on what is wrong. In situations like this, it can be helpful to chase whatever is most exciting to you at the moment. No matter how nonsensical it is, it doesn’t matter if you are most excited about playing the kazoo or going on a weekend trip with a friend. You won’t find the benefit in the actual activity but the commitment to your excitement.

These actions may seem minor or unhelpful, but by taking a break from the issue you’ve been obsessively working on over and over in your head, you can gain newfound clarity. Doing something that excites you will also bring in more opportunities for excitement to enter your life. If you find yourself stuck in a creative block, excitement works as an excellent starting point for inspiration.

Often when we have trouble finding a solution to a problem, it may not be something we need to solve but a truth we need to accept. Searching for the zest of life raises your energy and mindset from helplessness to hopefulness. There is a lot of power in changing your energetic basepoint.

I like to think about the range of emotions on a scale. For me, fear is at the bottom of the scale, followed by anger and blame. You will find neutrality in the middle. Since we all usually have an opinion about a situation, that is a rare energy state. When you move up from neutrality, you’ll discover hopefulness and joy. It is essential to check in with yourself about where you are on this emotional scale.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to improve your life, but people can get so caught up in an endless cycle of self-improvement that they only focus on what is wrong, and that focus brings in similar issues. When I realized that we move through the world energetically, like magnets attracting what we are omitting, I realized that it’s super powerful to move up this scale of emotions. Chasing the zest or excitement in your life is the easiest and most efficient way to move from fear or sadness to appreciation or hope.

So how can you begin your quest for zest or make your own “zesto manifesto” of sorts? An excellent place to start is to make a commitment to yourself that you will do one thing that excites you every day. This action doesn’t have to be a grand gesture. It can be something small like taking a walk in a beautiful area or watching a live performance of your favorite musician. The next step on your zesty journey would be to make some more extensive plans that excite you, maybe attend a workshop or start a personal project. Having something big to look forward to is highly motivating.

Another way to move up the emotional scale is to appreciate the good in your life. A lot of people will recommend keeping a gratitude journal. Don’t get me wrong, I wholeheartedly believe in the power of gratitude. Still, I think it’s easy to get burned out when you do this because gratitude loses its impact when you overly focus on documenting it. When something starts to feel like a chore, we dread it. Dread is the opposite of zest. What I would recommend instead of keeping your gratitude to yourself would be to show your gratitude. You can send a friendly text of appreciation to a friend or offer a compliment to a coworker. Planning acts that demonstrate gratitude can also be a great way to add excitement to your day.

This article is my invitation to you to “squeeze” the day. I hope that going on a quest for zest will show you just how much power you have over your emotional state and how much that state can influence your life. By finding what feels good and making a commitment each day to keep things zesty, I hope that you stop simply reacting to the world and situations and can grab the reigns to direct your path.