Are You Living Your Best Life?

That might be a tough question to ask ourselves, but the reality is that most of us can improve parts of our life at some level.

• What areas do you wish or need to improve?
• Your health/wellness?
• Your relationships (both personal and professional)?
• Your knowledge/expertise?
• Your career or job?
• Your impact, generosity, or legacy?
• Your material condition or creature comforts?
• Your life experiences–recreation, activities, sports, art, travel, etc.?
• Your contacts and sphere of influence?
• Your financial situation?

Living Your Best Life

Do you believe YOU influence the direction of your life and your outcomes? Or do you believe you are simply a victim of circumstances and random events?

If you believe the latter, there’s no reason to read any further. Why bother with following the steps to improve your life if you don’t think it will make any difference in the end?

But if you believe you can have, be, and do more, please read on.

• Each of us has a choice to be an overcome or to be overcome.
• Success has little to do with circumstances, although some like to blame others for their situation.
• We don’t attract what we want; we attract who we are!

These truths can sting.

Example: You want the best team working with and for you, but you are an untrained manager, light on leadership skills. The best talent will not be attracted to you–or, if others do join you, they will not stay. Talent is attracted to a capable leader who wants and is able to create a successful team.

Being the best you can be is about your gifts, talents, abilities, desires, and purpose.

If this is to be your best year ever, what do you need and want to change, remove, or adjust? Think about one your greatest dreams or desires. Envision yourself realizing that goal this very moment. How does that make you feel? Inspired? Enthusiastic? Motivated?

For example, if I said you could lose 10 pounds over the next year, that might not rouse your interest. What if I said over the next month? That timeline is more stimulating. What if I pushed the limits to say you’ll lose 10 pounds by next week?

Wow! That might really get your adrenaline going!

It’s time for all of us to expand our mindset to move from slow, incremental improvements and goals (such as losing 10 pounds in a year) to exponential transformation and growth (like losing 10 pounds in a month or even a week).

Note: Many doctors and dietitians will say that losing 10 pounds a week is not safe, realistic, or sustainable, but this is just an example, so treat it that way. My focus is on the pounds and the timing, and thinking differently.

If you plan to lose 100 pounds in the next 12 months, that starts to qualify as an inspired and exciting goal (if you were to wish to lose that amount of weight).

How do we achieve goals? First, most people don’t set goals because they don’t know what they want. So what are your passions and your purpose? What motivates you? That’s where you need to start. The opposite of excitement is boredom–the demise of anyone’s inspiration. It is difficult to become excited about being average and mediocre, and this mentality will not help you form goals.

• Do you believe you have a purpose in this life?
• Are you confident that you are worthy and able to achieve your goals?

In the past, have you set safe, but boring, goals because you don’t believe you can achieve the lofty, challenging goals you really want? Have you settled for less?

Remember the Henry Ford quote: “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are right!

Action Steps to Living Your Best Life:

1. Find out who you are–your purpose, your passions, and your beliefs.

2. Find out exactly what you want. What excites you? What inspires you?

3. Blow the doors off your limits, so to speak! If you knew you could not fail, what would you want to have, be, and do?

4. Develop a plan and vision for your future. If one of your goals is financial independence, what will you do with the time you are currently investing in your job? Without your work, you may be at a loss.

5. Focus only on goals that can be achieved within the next 12 months. No longer-term goals here, please. Focusing on less time–three to six months–is even better.

6. Create a list of things you dream of a) having (house, car, new clothing), b) being (a great cook, a musician, a business owner, a leader), and c) doing (traveling, racing cars, writing a memoir, leaving a legacy). List 5 items under each heading for a total of 15 dreams. Don’t be concerned just yet with how those goals will be accomplished.

7. Don’t judge yourself as unworthy, and be honest with yourself. For years, I thought I really wanted a Ferrari. In the end, I saw it was just my boyhood fantasy–and never a real dream for me.

8. Select 3 dreams you want to achieve within the next 1 to 12 months–one in each category of having, being, and doing.

9. Determine your first 4 Action Steps beside each “Dream Goal.” Make the first step simple so you can do it in just a few minutes.

Example: One of my six-month goals was to have my new book become a bestseller. My first step was to call three bestselling authors to ask how they had achieved that status. Each call took less than five minutes!

10. Complete the first 4 Action Steps, and list the next 4 activities that will move you closer to achieving your goals. As you progress, continue to add 4 more Action Steps.

11. Get started now on your Action Steps. Don’t wait a week, a day, or even an hour. Start your momentum right now!

Where do you think you need help on being the best you can be? Let me know if these tips help you. I’d love to hear your feedback.