How can you start living the life you were meant to live today?
Very few of us can say we are living the life we always envisioned for ourselves. We get complacent and accept what we have, and stop dreaming of anything better. This doesn’t have to be the case!! Think back to when you were a kid. Remember when your parents told you that you could be anything you wanted to be, and do anything you wanted to do? When did you stop believing that? It definitely happened somewhere along the way. We need to find that inner kid, and reinstate that belief we once had. It’s not too late!!
Let’s start with these simple steps:
Step 1 Decide what it is you want to do
This may seem easy, but when you really think about it you may get stuck. Sometimes it is too broad of a topic. For example; you may think, “I want to be healthy”. Ok, that’s a good start, but what exactly does that mean to you? Do you want to cut out sugar? Are you wanting to lose weight? Is eating only whole foods your goal? Do you want to fix your gut issues? Are you hoping to implement a workout routine? See, there are endless ways to be “healthy”, so what exactly is it you are trying to achieve?
You may be desperately seeking a career change. Therefore, you may be thinking, “I really want a better job”. What exactly does that mean? It’s probably different for everyone. You need to narrow down what that means for you. Are you tired of sitting at a desk? Do you feel your talents are wasted? Do you need a job that generates more income? Have you always wanted to be your own boss? Having a generic goal like; I want a new career, isn’t enough to get you to where you want to go.
Your first step is to narrow down exactly what you want to achieve. Think of what your goal is, and then narrow it down. What exactly is it you want? Examples:
- I am going to lose 15 pounds
- I will convert to a clean eating meal plan
- I am going to eliminate all added sugar from my diet
- I am going to have a career that utilizes my strengths
- I will set up a business plan to start my own company
These are just a very few examples, but you get the idea. Notice they don’t start with “I want to”, they start with a decision, “I am going to, or I will”. Whatever change you want to make, it must start with a firm decision first!
Step 2 Envision It
If you can’t envision your life once you’ve made this decision, then you probably won’t work very hard to achieve it. I will also tell you that this is the most difficult part. It may seem like the easiest, but just wait until you really try to do it. You have probably envisioned yourself prancing along the beach in your bikini right? That wasn’t hard to envision….it was awesome! However, when you get serious and really sit down and truly imagine life as it would be if you achieved this goal….well that’s another story.
Set a date to lay out this future life of yours. You can write it out as a day in the future once you’ve achieved this goal. How would your day start? What are the things you’d do during this day? How would you be feeling? Or make a dream board. Put all of the things on there that you would be able to do as a result of reaching this goal and making this change in your life. Sound fun? Well it is, but it’s also emotionally difficult. You are now truly beginning to put these hopes for your future down on paper. And although you’re excited to start working towards them, in the back of your head there is that very real fear that you will fail. Now that you’ve let yourself believe they will come true you’ll be heartbroken if they don’t. This fear is what causes most people to stop the dreaming process. They won’t even try because it will be to painful if they try and then fail.
Sorry….this step in a non negotiable. You have to complete this step if you want to be successful. Yes, it’s scary, but so necessary. They crazy thing is, is once you complete this step, you subconsciously start making decisions to guide you to success!!!
Step 3 Make a plan
Congratulations! You are now subconsciously making decisions to guide you to your success. However, this alone will n
ot be enough to get you to your goals. You HAVE to develop a plan. Now this plan will evolve as you progress, but you need a starting point. Start with a 3 step plan. This will obviously be different for everyone. Think of 3 things you can start doing right away. Give each step a time limit. For example if you wanted to lose 15 pounds your plan might look like this:
1. By Wednesday, I will research and find a plan that works for me
2. I will go grocery shopping on Saturday, and clean out the pantry and fridge of foods I’m eliminating.
3. I will find a support group on Facebook before I start my new meal plan.
This gives you a plan to start working towards your goal. It will certainly change and evolve as you begin your journey, but it is a good starting place. IMPORTANT….include some sort of support system in your plan. Whether it’s a group or just a friend that you will hold yourself accountable to, don’t leave this step out!! Join my Facebook group “All Around Wellness”