Creating The Life You Love

How do you 'create the life you love?'

I've spent the last 15 years of my life deep-diving into the world of personal development, seeking out the best trainers and coaches in this field and other areas; such as life & business coaching, high performance, yoga and meditation. During this time it has become very clear to me that when it comes to ‘creating a life you love’ it’s so unique to each and every person.?

Having said that, from all that I’ve learnt I have narrowed down 5 tips that can really help you when creating and living into 'The Life You Love’…. YOUR WAY!?

• Move towards what you VALUE most in your life?

When was the last time you sat down and took the time to really think about what you value most in your life? I know this may sound pretty obvious and common sense but for most people it doesn’t happen. In reality, life happens and we can easily fall down the rabbit hole of managing the day to day and getting swamped in the busyness; years can go by without consciously getting clear on your values.?

The big payoffs to knowing your values are; you become better at making decisions when challenging moments show up, you can easily shift from feeling stuck to having crystal clear clarity on what’s your next move and this happens because you are clear on what’s most important to you.?

Knowing your values creates a solid foundation and undoubtedly allows you to live more authentically and in your integrity.?Frequently asking "why is this important to me?" gives you access to a deeper sense of purpose and fulfillment. It will also improve your energy management, because you will be doing more of what you love and lights you up.

So if you are unsure what to do next in life, take some time to re-evaluate what’s most important to you and you might just start to notice that more and more clarity starts to show up for you and your life.?

• Begin With The End In MIND

This is one of my favourite habits from Stephen Covey’s work on ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’. Beginning with the end in mind links nicely to tip 1 ‘Move towards what you VALUE most in your life’ and reminds us that everything happens twice, first in our mind and then out here in the external world.?

When it comes to creating the life you love, it’s really a non-negotiable that you start to visualise what that looks and feels like, and then consistently put your attention on what you want to have happen in your life. This can certainly feel like a dilemma because your brain is wired to keep you safe; the ‘known’ is what we know, and what we are moving towards is the ‘unknown’, and that can bring up fear.?

When you allow yourself to get excited about what’s possible, rather than dread what might happen or just stay where you are, something magical begins to present itself and the fear that once held you back starts to bring out the best in you. Your daily habits and routines will align to where you are heading. You take unstoppable action and a new reality starts to unfold, and that’s the life you love.?

• Your Lifestyle Is Your Golden Ticket?

The mistake many people make when setting out their life goals, is that they forgot to consider what they want their lifestyle to be like.?

Let’s say you had a goal of becoming a Senior Partner in 3 years time and the plan was to progress up the career ladder and improve your financial remuneration and impact in the world. But you didn’t stop to think about what that might actually look like in reality; i.e. less time with your kids, missing bedtime or school events, and you start to regret missing these precious moments.?

Or, your new role has you leaving the house at 6am and getting home after 8pm and you are too tired to make that gym class, or enjoy a planned social event because you find yourself working all the hours under the sun. Perhaps you get trapped in deadlines when really you should be on holiday and recharging.?

So what you need to do is; starting with the end in mind map out how you would ideally like your daily life to be structured. Start to visualise what your ideal day feels like, how much of your time do you want to spend on; exercise, time with family, hobbies, socialising, adventure etc. and then where can you schedule this around your work commitments. Because what gets scheduled, gets done!

• Have Ambition, Stay Motivated & Grateful?

Having ambition and creating a compelling future is a wonderful thing, not only for your mindset and energy but also to help you stay motivated on your journey of success and living life on your terms.?

But here’s the thing, difficult times will come and when they do your motivation and momentum will be challenged. This is when you will need to tap into your ambition muscle. Take regular moments and ask yourself, why am I doing this? What is my purpose here? Who will benefit from this and does this align to my life’s work? If yes, keep going and if not, be grateful for the lesson and move on.?

The truth is, happy people are grateful people, and the energy of gratitude will have you enjoying the journey so much more.?

• Celebrate The Small Wins?

There is a part of your brain called the striatum (or reward center), which is where those feelings of reward and pleasure are felt. We can get so fixed on the outcomes of our life-goals and completely forget to stop and celebrate the small micro steps and wins that compound into a bigger result, ‘The Life You Love’. If you ignore this critical part of the game, you are likely to lose enthusiasm, drop off and forget why you are doing what you are doing.?

Did you know that every time you activate the reward system in your brain it connects you to the pleasurable stimuli, and this is essential for when you come up against resistance. From what I have seen, not just in my own life but those of pretty much all my clients; when you choose to enjoy the small micro wins you will have way more fun and are more likely to stay in the game to see things through, ending up with a far higher chance of getting what you set out to achieve.?

So remember, STOP and enjoy the small wins. This is where you get to experience the healthy dopamine hit that keeps you excited about your compelling future, in the present moment.

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