So, just what does “Live Your Best Life” mean? This oft-used phrase has somewhat lost its meaning, hasn’t it? Everywhere we go, we hear it or some version of it. Let’s look at the idea of living your best life and how we can apply this thought to our lives. I have found that, when looking at life’s circumstances, if we are just sitting back and letting life happen to us, come what may, we are not living our own life. How many times have you heard someone say, “Why me? Why do these bad things always happen to me?” That person is sitting back and letting life happen. The idea is to create life or make your life the way you want it to be. Instead of saying, “I can’t,” try saying “I can.” No matter how hard something appears to be, or how un-achievable, you will never know if you don’t try. “Control your own destiny by taking responsibility of your thoughts, feelings, actions and results. This includes learning how to manage life’s many challenges and heartbreaks.” (Pullman D. A., 2018) “You can sit back and wait for opportunities, or you can get out there and create your own opportunities. The latter is definite and much more empowering.” (Chua, n.d.) Something else to consider while looking out there for opportunities to create is the roadblocks that might pop up. There will be times that things won’t just fall into place, but that shouldn’t stop you. It’s a good idea to identify the things that are stopping you from living your best life. “Authenticity is so important when we talk about really living our best lives. But so is having awareness about the things that are stopping you from living it. Authenticity and awareness seem to be the first steps.” (Skrabanek, 2020) For example, if you are thinking about changing career paths (or starting a career path), what is stopping you? Money? Time? Access to learning opportunities? Think about it, and then explore ways to overcome those obstacles. Don’t just stop and say, “I can’t.” Have you ever heard the phrase: “Can’t Never Did Anything”? References
Chua, C. (n.d.). 101 Ways to Live Your LIfe to the Fullest. Retrieved from Personal Excellence: https://personalexcellence.co/blog/101-ways-to-live-your-life-to-the-fullest/ Pullman, D. A. (2018). The Oz Principle. In D. .. Pullman, The Uniqueness of You (p. 17). Annadale, Virginia: Independently Published. Skrabanek, B. (2020, January 30). What the Hell Does LIve Your Best Life Really Mean? Retrieved from Brittskrabanek.com: https://brittskrabanek.com/2020/11/06/live-your-best-life/amp/
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“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King Dr. King believed that in order to move forward, we must start. In order to live our best lives, we need to start the journey, even though we cannot foresee the ending. There is an oft-asked question during job interviews that underscores this concept. The question, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” encourages one to think ahead and imagine their circumstances in five years. How many of you answered that question five years ago and envisioned today? Not many, I would wager. The thought of a global pandemic was not even on the horizon five years ago, which leads to the idea that we don’t know where we will be five years from today. However, just because we don’t know where we will be, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t start the journey. Living your best life means looking at your circumstances right now, imagining where you want to be in five years, and getting going. Even though you know that your five-year vision will not be exactly what you imagine it to be. “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.” Dr. Martin Luther King It has been said that the only constant is change. If we let change simply happen as an inevitable result of a situation, then we are letting life happen to us, rather than living life. In order to live your best life, it is important to take part in it – even if it means living through hard times. We live in a world of challenges that test all human beings’ emotional strengths on a daily basis. It’s our faith and belief in oneself whether we give up on life or face the situation. Life appears scary when you run away from the situation. The challenges get bigger when we are not prepared in life. The fundamental process to facilitate a positive change is to prepare yourself for the tougher challenges of life. Life is uncertain at every step. You can’t predict the ebb and flow of life, but you should be prepared on how you react to these changes. (Pullman, 2018) A final quote by Dr. King on the concept of moving forward to live our best lives: “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” Dr. Martin Luther King References
Nguyen, V. (2022, January 17). 55 of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Most Inspiring Motivational Quotes. Retrieved from Parade: https://parade.com/252644/viannguyen/15-of-martin-luther-king-jr-s-most-inspiring-motivational-quotes/amp/ Pullman, A. (2018). Life Favors the Brave. In A. Pullman, A Cool and Relaxed Life (p. 7). Annadale, Virginia: Independently Published. It’s a new year, and this year we are going to focus on Living your Best Life. Your best life is One that encompasses reaching new levels of self-awareness and self-growth. We are going to start with the concept of fresh new starts. Celestine Chua, who prefers to be called Celes, is the founder of Personal Excellence. On her website she presents 101 Ways to Live Your Life to the Fullest. (Chua, n.d.) Over the next several weeks we will explore some of Celes concepts as well as other ideas about living your best life. Her first recommendation to living your life to the fullest is this: Over the next several weeks we will explore some of Celes concepts as well as other ideas about living your best life. Her first recommendation to living your life to the fullest is this: Live every day on a fresh new start. This is a great way to look at our journey into this new year – as a fresh new start. 2021 was supposed to be the end of the pandemic, the beginning of a new political ideology in the country, a bringing a healthier and happier atmosphere. I’m not sure it lived up to expectations, but we cannot focus on what happened last year if we are going to start fresh. We certainly cannot forget the past, but we can move past it. There’s an old Chinese proverb that embodies this idea of recognizing the past and still focusing on the present: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is NOW!” There are some things you may want to do to get started on your Fresh Start journey. Creating and using positive affirmations is something that can help you get through each of the upcoming days and challenges. Here are a few to get you started:
One thing that I find helpful is to create a journal entry every day with a positive affirmation at the top of the page. I can then look at that affirmation every day as I contemplate my activities and start writing down what I plan to accomplish that day. At the end of the day, I can review my journal and reflect on the affirmation as well as the various thoughts and feelings about the day. Do this every day and you will find that you are creating a fresh start each day – reflecting on the past, but not focusing on it. References
Audrey Pullman, M. (2018). Tenacity and Resolve. In D. A. Pullman, A Cool and Relaxed Life (p. 80). Annadale, Virginia: Independently Published. Chua, C. (n.d.). 101 Ways to Live Your LIfe to the Fullest. Retrieved from Personal Excellence: https://personalexcellence.co/blog/101-ways-to-live-your-life-to-the-fullest/ |
AuthorI am a Performance Enhancement Specialist with a background in Emergency Psychiatric Medicine and Community Addiction. Archives
December 2023
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