It’s the start of a new year and you are pumped to get going or keep going on your new years resolutions…right?!? Or, now that we are a few weeks into the year have you found yourself stumbling out of the gate? Do you need a push or a gentle reminder? Do you find yourself sliding back into doing “busywork” more than some of your most passionate work, you know…those things that actually motivate you?
We are all human, but that’s the point. We are human beings, not human doings. Sure, you have things that must get done every day but are you consciously making time for the things you really want to do? Making prioritization a priority?
As human beings we have the ability to make a conscious choice to embrace life, live our best life. But why do we get caught up in all of this busywork hour after hour, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year? It could be because we flounder along in life doing what we feel we need to do, but we don’t take enough moments to clarify what it is that really matters to us. We just keep doing what we’re doing because others have told us that this is what we should do.
Have you taken the time to figure out yet what YOUR best life looks like? Living your best life may include many different areas including:
- Health and wellness
- Joy and happiness
- Success (as you define it)
- Mindfulness
- Life purpose (as you define it. e.g. serving others, family)
- Resilience
- Attitude
- Motivation
So, with these aspects in mind, how are you going to live your best life? Try this: get away from distractions and take a moment to picture yourself doing what you love to do whether it’s serving others, taking a walk in nature, slowing down at times to appreciate the little things in life, taking a course in something that you love, etc. How do you feel after doing this? Pretty good hey? If not, take your time and keep trying or try again later..but please don’t forget!
Me on a hike in BC
So how do you get to this place of awesomeness, you know, your best life? TAKE ACTION! Sure, easier said than done. Maybe you don’t feel like it. So how do you take action on this then?
- Put one foot in front of the other. Repeat. If needed, repeat again. And again. Never give up. Say it out loud, “never give up!”.
- Spend time with who/what you love, even if it’s just for a few minutes. If you don’t know what you love, spend some time doing some research, or better yet try out some new things. Go do it.
- Take an interesting course or read about something that’s interesting to you.
- Say no to “busywork” sometimes. Try it, and don’t feel bad or ruminate over it.
- Practice mindfulness. This means deep breathing, meditation, or even just remembering to put yourself back into the moment that you are in. Wherever you go, there you are.
- Strike a healthy balance between work and play. At the end of life it would be rare for someone to say that they wished they worked more in their life.
- Lose the attitude (but of course you don’t have a bad attitude right)? Consider that you tend to get out of life what you put into it, and that includes your attitude and effort towards anything and everything.
- Make better choices. Stop and ask yourself if this current decision is beneficial for yourself, or serves others. If it doesn’t, is it the right choice? If it’s not that’s ok, but remember to consciously learn from any mistakes.
- Find or do your passion(s) (hint: this will help with motivation). Don’t let your passions get lost for too long, you can never get that time back. The time to start is now!
One more important thing. Put aside all of the things everyone told you about who you are and what you should do. Now take some time to consider who you are…you aren’t lost look within, and consider what you love to do (your life purpose or passion).
Once again I’ll repeat this…then TAKE ACTION! Always remember that this is all on you, and you can do it. Make it happen.
If you have anything to add to this or any general questions on living your bestlife I would love to hear from you. We are all in this together, and I want to learn from others too. We can all learn from each other on what constitutes your good life.
Living life as best I can,
Kevin
