|
Featured Member |
Whose Life Are You Living?
Let me ask you something…. Do you have fun everyday? Do you look forward to a new day or do you dread starting the day?
Are you living YOUR life or the life someone planned for you?
If you could wave a magic wand and your life could be ANYthing, would it be what you’re living now? Would you be in your job? Your marriage? Would you live where you live? Have more kids? Less? Own a house? Live in an RV and travel? Join a monastery?
I grew up in the Midwest. Freezing winters, muggy summers, very little sunshine…hated it. As a young adult, early in my marriage, I packed up and moved with my immediate family to Florida and lived by the ocean. Loved it. The rest of my family thought I was nuts, selfish and a bit unstable. It’s not easy to go against the grain, especially with “authority” and family figures.
It might not be easy, but it’s not too late to take back your life.
Here’s some general myths to consider in living your life:
- Myth: you need to work on your weaknesses. No, you don’t. In fact, I say concentrate on your STRENGTHS and put your focus there. Success grows quickly when we spend time doing what we do well. If I’m a lousy cook, spending hours in the kitchen will produce modest improvement. If I’m a GOOD cook, my hours in the kitchen could produce a chef! Soar with your strengths.
- Myth: I’m good at this, so I should pursue it. Better to ask if it brings you joy. I’m good with budgets and finances, but shoot me if I ever work in a bank. Not my Joy Luck Club.
- Myth: I’m good at this so I must do it the rest of my life. Beverly Sills, the great opera singer left the stage to do other things. She wore a bracelet with the acronym IDTA, to address all the questions of why she stopped singing. IDTA stands for I Did That Already.
- Myth: everyone needs to approve of my choices. Abe Lincoln once said, “I don’t always know how to succeed, but I know how to fail- try to please everyone.”
- Myth: meeting my needs comes last. Sometimes- far too often- we don’t take time to tune into our own needs. That’s selfish, right? No, ignoring your needs is being a martyr. We all sacrifice, but when it comes from obligation and not love, it’s martyrdom, and it has a negative ripple effect. Self care is just the opposite- it has a wonderful positive ripple effect! [What’s selfish about that?]
Where we spend our time, our thoughts and our money tells us our priorities in life. Question: what are my priorities and are my priorities driving my choices?
A more important question : are the priorities I’m living MY priorities?
Allow me to offer some suggestions to living your authentic life:
- Get clarity of vision and values – can’t hit a target you don’t have.
- Play to your power – give attention to your strengths and watch the exponential growth occur.
- Have a support system – surround yourself with a healthy environment and people.
- Drop the need for external approval – we want others to give us what we don’t give ourselves.
- Be your own solution - take personal responsibility and take back power.
Love your sweet self, meet your own needs and watch the ripple effect occur around you.
Have a coaching question? Just ask Annie at [email protected] CHANGE HAPPENS IN AWARENESS, NOT IN DENIAL.
|