How do you change your life without having to change everything? Life gets better immediately when you practice your simple everyday habits a little more thoughtfully. What are you already doing that you can get more out of? One habit I’m paying attention to: turning the lights on when entering a room – because it can make a difference when and how I do.

When I enter a room I turn on the lights. I turn on all the lights. I confess, I even keep them on when I leave, so I’m greeted by light when I return. Light is priceless.

  • Science confirms it affects the nervous system, regulating our happiness and sadness.
  • Psychology explains that light encourages us and gives a sense of well-being.
  • Spirituality uses “Light” to illustrate hope. God is our “Light” and we are taught: be a light to the world.

We like light. We need light.

So we’ve designed wide open spaces with big windows to satisfy our craving for light. We have motion detector lights, solar lights and lights set on timers. We clap-on-clap-off our lights, and even choose the cities we live in and vacations we go on based on the sunshine promised to us.

Now here’s the connection I’ve made between this habit of turning the lights on and making life better and brighter:

We celebrate life with lights. Lights hint that something special is happening: Whether it’s Christmas, birthdays, or the dawn of the new day, we celebrate with twinkling, candle, sun and star light.

Celebrations – are – important to us. They are more than food and fun. They cause us to pause, savor the good stuff, and buffer out the stressors of life. Light and celebrations are inseparable.

When we turn on the lights we create “room” to celebrate. Not only do we convert energy to power and heat, we warm up and energize our emotions, too.  We need light to send darkness out. It keeps us from “falling” physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Sometimes light threatens us by exposing things we don’t want to see. It can be startling. If you gravitate to cozy- dark – spaces for peace and quiet, you can still connect light to a celebration with whatever glimmer remains: a candle is a symbol of hope, a single star can show the way, and even the constant glow from your electronics can remind you to celebrate our unlimited connection to not only the world wide web, but the whole wide world. Light is a celebration of life.  

So now, every time you turn on the light, remember to celebrate life. Create a space of positive energy. And, be a light in someone’s life, especially your own.