Live your best life! 2019

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...see blog below: 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

You aren't lost, look within

Life isn't about finding yourself. You're not lost, you are already "here". Let me explain. Have you been searching for something your whole life? Not sure exactly what it is or where to find it? Guess what, it's already here. Dig deep. Inside of yourself, there it is, the light. See the light that's already shining within you. It's been there all along but perhaps it's gotten a little (or alot) cloudier over the years.

Let's go waaaay back (for some of us) into your lifetime. I hope you have some fond memories as a joyful child. That child is still you! You're just a more grown-up version now. Likely you've added a few scars over the years, but that doesn't mean that this happy-go-lucky child is lost forever.

Sometimes it may not seem like the sense of joy you experienced is still there, because you've added layer upon layer of baggage, guilt, worrying, ruminating, etc etc. But think about it...you are still you no matter how you slice it or dice it. You are still that joyful child underneath (albeit with a few added layers of stuff).

I don't know about you, but I always feel better knowing that I'm still that joyful person deep inside. The you you're searching for isn't somewhere "out there". Now that's not to say you shouldn't get out there and learn, grow, connect, etc. But you can stop the search party looking for who you are, it's not a mystery and you aren't lost! Dig deep. It really is there. The light still shines within you, even if it's flickering a bit lately.

So...dust off that light. Start to look within in order to reach your goals and realize your dreams! You are you and please don't forget that. Don't listen to the naysayers or negative nelly's telling you to be someone or something that you are not. Tune them out and be who you are. You have everything you need to create the life you dream of. Take baby steps if you need to, and actually I recommend these small steps. Or if you prefer, take massive action (this works better for some people).

Now if you don't like who you are, that's another story. Take the steps necessary to change this if desired. It's a choice. Choose wisely. To help with some aspects of this, stay tuned for future posts on joy, happiness, mindfulness, motivation, and resilience.

Now go live your best life. Take the first step. Just do it!

Kevin

Enjoy the journey to your best life!

Thanks for joining us!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton

This blog is dedicated to exploring aspects of mindfulness, joy and happiness, positive psychology, resilience, and motivation. Thank you for sharing this journey and I hope that even if you pick up on one little thing, realize that it can make all the difference in the world. If I've helped just one person smile a little or overcome an obstacle then this means everything to me.

As human beings, we should all feel that we share simple and similar dreams and aspirations. We are all in this together, regardless of culture, skin colour or any other external thing. I'm hoping for a more inclusive world, where people's intrinsic values do not intentionally exclude others based on anything external. 

Believe in yourself. Believe in others. Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.

Remember, we are all in this together.

Living my best life,

Kevin