Design your Life

Live true to who you are. I heard a quote once that said, “The biggest regret someone that is nearing death has, is that they didn’t live a life true to who they are.” We are unique and wonderful just being ourselves, but there are so many times when we try to reshape ourselves to fit a mold. Examples would be living someone else’s dream, keeping our opinions to ourselves because we don’t feel confident enough to give them, or acting in a way that doesn’t express our values or morals. Express yourself and your individuality in everything you do. We all have different interests and talents and it would be pretty awful to hide those because we are too scared to be seen for who we really are. There is nothing to be gained by doing this except a lifetime of unhappiness.

Continue to grow and learn. I don’t think there is ever an age where we can honestly say we’ve learned enough. Life is about growing through experience, learning from our mistakes, and constantly educating ourselves to become more knowledgeable in any given area. Take a class, read a book, find what areas of your life you want to improve and take action. Find a mentor, someone that does what you want to do….watch them, learn from them, grow with them.

Quit comparing yourself to others. There will never be anyone quite like you. You will never be able to be exactly like anyone else. It’s like a slap in the face to compare yourself to someone because most of the time…you never add up. Someone else always has more money, is better looking, has more well behaved kids, etc. Insecurities run wild when we consistently do this to ourselves. I used to compare myself all the time to other people and always came away feeling less than perfect.

Live out random acts of kindness. A great quote by Winston Churchill states “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” It’s hard not to be self-absorbed in the world we live today. Everything always seems to be centered on what someone else can do to make our lives better. What we really need to be asking is “how can we help someone else?” Focusing on someone else for a moment and helping them, even in the smallest way, will allow us to grow and start reshaping our mindset and our character.

Find the positive in a negative world. If you’ve heard the saying “Attitude is everything” that is what I’m talking about. This is not to say that life will always be perfect and you always have to be in a good mood no matter what the situation. However, there is so much more to be accomplished with a positive, optimistic outlook. Negativity is like a disease and you are not able to see things as clearly with that mindset. It helps to surround yourself with people that hold the same values, beliefs, and ideals and that will encourage you rather then hold you down.

83,200….A.K.A. the number of hours, on average, a person works in their given lifetime.    40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, 40 years (give or take a few).   The thought of a person working in the same job for that long is unlikely these days but the number remains the same.     Time is the only resource we cannot get back so it’s important to know we are using it exactly how we desire.  It makes no sense to hop from job to job, wasting our time doing nothing but collecting a paycheck.   Robert Kiyosaki, author of “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” says “J.O.B. stands for Just Over Broke.”    If your anything like me, that has been the story of my life and I’m ready for a change.   It’s time to stop trading dollars for hours, knowing we are headed for a lifetime of unfulling work.   Who can honestly say they want to spend THAT much time in something they consider a J.O.B.   We want a career, a vocation, a passion.   There is no better time then now…..the future is waiting…make it happen!

Give yourself permission to dream.  When we are little all we can think about is what we want to be when we grow up.   We just know we will be able to do ANYTHING.   What happens to that 5 year old inside us?   We change, we grow, we learn, but most important we quit asking why.    I know when my kids were small they had a “why?” button that didn’t turn off.   It’s second nature for a child to question everything around them.  Adults tend to conform to what we have been brought up to believe.     This is not to say that every person out there is unhappy  but when over 50% of Americans surveyed say they hate their job that, to me, is an eye-opener.    One of my favorite quotes from Dave Ramsey is “If your vocation is something you love, you will be on vacation the rest of your life.”    This doesn’t mean there won’t be bad days just because you find work you are passionate about.   However, you will be on a path that is much more fulfilling and will bring you happiness you won’t find elsewhere.  Just for a minute, think about how it would feel to wake up in the morning and actually want to start working.  Instead most of us wake up saying a few choice words, hating the alarm clock.  It’s a completely different mindset but one that more and more people are catching onto.   When I was little I wanted to be a writer.   I continued to write throughout the years but somewhere along the line forgot to be serious about it.  This blog is as much about personal growth as it is about inspiring others to find what makes them happy.   Give yourself permission to take a chance, dream big, and not only ask yourself why, but why not?

Embrace who you are…..We each have unique talents and abilities that set us apart from each other.  There are too many times where we focus on our flaws rather than our strengths, however.  I like to call almost everything I do perfectly imperfect.   We are all human and we will mess up from time to time.   That doesn’t mean our dreams, or aspirations need to be pushed to the side.    We need to embrace our flaws because they make us who we are.  In our society we are bombarded with television ads and magazine articles showing us what “perfect” supposedly looks like.   I’d like to start a new kind of normal where women and young girls aren’t pressured so much to be who they aren’t but rather completely love who they are.

Empower your passion……Deep down we each have a burning passion for something in life.   The only problem is we may not know it yet.   Helen Keller said “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”  To me, settling for less than you deserve in life is worse then nothing.  It’s so easy to get caught up in the “rat race” and the 9 to 5 because that’s what we are brought up to strive for.   Go to college, get a great job, and life will be perfect right?   Oh so wrong.   For one, a college degree does not guarantee a good job, nor does it guarantee our happiness.   More times than not, we are left with a huge student loan, few job prospects, scratching our head wondering where we went wrong.   I’ve been there, done that…it’s not a fun path.   Find something you are passionate about and take action.   Maybe you like guitar, or computer programming, writing, or speaking in public.   Anything can be turned into a business with the right mindset and the right tools and guidence.

Exist for a purpose……Although I’m not a big believer in fate or destiny, I do think we all have a purpose in life.  If you’re not already doing something that is fulfilling and passion driven, challenge yourself to step out of your comfort zone.  Some find it easier than others.  The important point is that you start looking.    Our mindset has been stuck on cruise control for years and it’s hard to divert from the comfort of our “normal” lives.  Taking a leap of faith is not easy…..just worth it.   There are so many opportunities out there, but you won’t see them with a closed mind.   Opening yourself up to everything life has to offer, rather then sticking with the conventional norm is probably one of the scariest yet best decisions you can make.