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Hey, fabulous friends. Ready to live your life like a boss? Ready to create the life you want? It is totally possible.  It just takes a bit of willingness and courage on your part. 

One thing that struggling with chronic illness has taught me is that life is NOW. Life is too short to procrastinate doing the things that make you happy. In last week’s post, I wrote about some of the tools that I have used to stay hopeful during my journey to health.  This week is all about how I am learning to create the life that I love. 

A few years ago, after the birth of my second child, I took a giant leap of faith and decided to put my happiness and my family first. This decision has been the catalyst for so many wonderful things in my life.  At the time, I was working outside of the home as a registered nurse and was having a hard time balancing my family life with my work life. My oldest daughter was a teenager, and my Little One was a just a baby.  I felt pulled to be there for both of them more and wanted to have more time to be home to create the healthy lifestyle that I craved.  I wanted time to prepare and cook nutritious meals.  I wanted time to work in the garden.  I wanted time for self-care like yoga, exercise, and relaxation.  Life just seemed too pressurized and busy.

Without really knowing how it was all going to work out, I gave up my position at work and decided to work VERY part-time away from home.  My blog was still in it’s infancy but was gaining momentum every day. I made the conscious decision to create the life that I wanted NOW instead of waiting for the right time. I wanted to work from home so I could have more flexibility and freedom.  It was scary, but I knew that I did not want to live a life that felt stressful and kept me from my family. And now I don’t have to. 

This shift in my life didn’t happen overnight.  It was a culmination of years spent cultivating my spiritual practice and getting to know myself.  Through yoga, prayer, mediation, and through various mentors and teachers, I learned to trust my inner guide and how to take steps to follow my inner calling. And I’m sharing a bit of that with you today in hopes of giving you a few tools and a bit of courage to take action to meet your goals and to live the life you want.  Because life is precious, and not a moment of it should be wasted.

xo,

Katja

5 Ways to Create the Life You Want

1. Discover your purpose:

I believe that the meaning of life is to discover your purpose and then to share it with the world. Recognizing, accepting, and celebrating this purpose is a crucial step in beginning to create the life that you want. Living a life of purpose aligns you with the higher power that lives in each and every one of us. It goes by many names: God, Spirit, the Universe, or the Collective Intelligence. Listening to your inner calling will change your life in profound and positive ways and will bring more happiness and fulfillment. 

Take a moment to think about what your purpose might be.  What inspires you? What makes you happy? What makes you feel alive and passionate?  Is there anything that gives you a sense of purpose in your life? This process takes courage and requires tuning in.  Pay attention to your inner guide.  One common thread that I have noticed in the life of successful and happy people is that they are very clear on their “why” and work passionately to cultivate and pursue it.

2. Decide to be in charge of your life:

This is the tough love section of this post.  YOU are responsible for your life. You are the captain of your ship. You are the one who is in charge.  Do you find yourself looking at other peoples’ lives and feeling envious about how good they have it?  Do you often complain about things in your life that make you unhappy? Are you just sort of  floating through life wondering what to do next?

Guess what? NOW is the time to stop procrastinating and to start creating the life that you want. Decide what you want out of life and then make a plan on how to get it. This takes absolute commitment and willingness. But just being willing will open the door to big changes in your life.  Things may not change overnight, but if you stay dedicated to your goals and keep working towards them, you WILL get there.

Want to be healthier and more fit?  OK then, start eating healthier and join a gym. Want to be a happier and more positive person? Not a problem.  Decide to be happier and more positive.  Watch your thoughts and take inventory of the things in life that lift you up and the things that bring you down.  It may be time for some clean up in your life.   Start doing the things that you’ve always wanted to do and start becoming the person you want to be today.

This all begins with making yourself a priority. Make time for creating the life you want.  Start with small changes.  Make realistic expectations for yourself so you don’t get discouraged. Learn to do something every day for yourself that brings you closer to your goal.  You can do it!

3. Let go of fear:

Fear is the number one thing that keeps you from living the life that you want. Fear can paralyze you and keep you from doing what you really want in life. But guess what?  It’s all in your mind. Fears are illusions based on the past that we have created in our minds that follow us around until we are willing to let them go.

Give this a try:  make a list of what you are afraid of.  Naming your fears is half of the battle. Then really look at each fear and ask yourself:  Is this real? Can I let this go?  Does this fear serve my higher good? Or is it a story from the past that I no longer need?

What I personally do to release my fears is to cultivate my connection to Source.  This may be God to you.  Or the Universe.  Or Spirit. Or the Inner Guide that lives in each and every one of us. Whatever you call it, surrender to it.  Surrendering to a higher power means choosing to release your fears and trust that you have everything you need in life to get where you want to go.  I HIGHLY recommend a daily mediation practice to begin cultivating this connection. This can be as simple as sitting quietly for 5 minutes per day. Getting quiet and tuning inward connects us to that inner wisdom that we need to move past our fears.

4. Daily affirmations:

A daily affirmation is a positive phrase that you repeat to yourself which describes how you want to be or what you want to achieve.  Repeating your daily affirmations helps to reprogram the unconscious mind for success, basically rewiring your brain.

Daily affirmations move your mind from a negative way of thinking to a positive way of thinking.  They help you to let go of fears and limiting beliefs that keep you from living the life that you want. These daily affirmations also help us to believe that nothing is impossible. As Buddha wisely said: you become what you believe.

The idea behind using daily affirmations to create the life that you want is simple: You become what you think.  Take a moment to think about what you tell yourself every day.

“I can’t do that.”

“I will always be in debt.”

“I’m going to be single forever.”

“I’m not qualified for that job.”

“I am not pretty enough”

What would happen in your life if you tried this instead:

“I am healthy, strong, and beautiful.”

“I am loved.  I am supported.  I have enough.  I am enough.”

“I love my life.  I choose to be happy.”

“I am financially abundant.  Money comes easily to me.”

“Today is going to be a good day.  My mind is full of positive thoughts.  My life is full of abundance.”

“I am in the right place at the right time to meet my perfect partner.”

“I love my job.  I am making good money.  I am doing good things.”

Don’t be afraid to get super specific when creating your own personal mantra. Pick a goal for where you want to see yourself. Repeat your affirmation daily.  Several times a day.  Write it down and tape it on your bathroom mirror.  Make it your password for your email.  Set a daily reminder on your phone to say your daily affirmation.  This helps create a mindset overflowing with positivity, possibility, and “I can.”  What you place your attention on will begin to manifest.

5. Practice the art of receiving:

There is a false notion that it is better to give than to receive. Not true. I have learned that giving and receiving are merely opposite sides of the same coin.  One does not exist without the other. In order for someone to be able to give, there must be someone there to receive. And learning to receive is a HUGE part of creating the life that you want.

Think about it.  How can good things come into your life if you are unable to receive them? Are you blocking love, money, happiness, or health because you are not willing or able to receive them?  Do you have limiting beliefs about yourself that make it hard to accept these gifts?

I have to admit that this is the hardest part for me.  Receiving has been challenging, and I have to actively work at it. I have had to look at my ideas around my own self-worth, my ideas around my support systems, and my ideas around why I give what I give.  I have had to accept that I am worthy of all of the things that I desire.  I have had to make room for receiving in my life, knowing that it gives others the opportunity to give.  I have had to learn to give without expectations. And I have learned that giving is easier for me because I’m in charge.  Receiving requires me to be vulnerable.

I encourage you to look at areas of your life where you may be blocked from receiving what you truly desire because of stories that you are holding onto. Practice the art of receiving.  If someone offers to buy you a coffee, say “thank you” without needing to immediately return the favor.  If someone compliments you by saying, “You look beautiful,”  let it in.  Don’t deflect it. Because you are worthy of all the goodness and abundance that life has to offer.

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