Springtime is right around the corner – we hope! For most of us the date has come but the weather has not followed! As we start the new season, there are five personal life choices I encourage you to embrace as a way of living a more abundant life. These choices are for those who are serious about maximizing their personal and professional lives without compromising their sanity — you know the kind of people – those who don’t want to look back 10, 15 or 20 years from now with regrets. Are you one of those people? I am at that point in my life where I choose to seek progress not perfection. It is true, life really is not about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself. Once I incorporated these five steps into my life I have been able to release mental clutter which was blocking my blessing. Now I experience true momentum. These choices are simple in theory, but profound, and are directly connected to the thought process. No matter what you encounter on your journey of progress, these five life choices will steer you in the right direction, restore confidence, and boost your happiness even in the midst of challenges.
Life Choice #1: Grow.
I choose to seek growth. You need people around you who are truth tellers. Resilient people know this. And even when they don’t like what they hear, they listen, process it, and ask themselves, “Is there a grain of truth to this feedback, even if it’s negative?” Your limited perspective is not enough to grow. Be humble, and use failures and mistakes as learning tools. Put yourself around people who know more than you, and learn all you can from them. Strive to never be the smartest person in the room. If you find yourself in that situation run as fast as you can because if not, you will limited your growth – personal and professional.
Life Choice #2: Relationships.
I choose relationships wisely and nurture them with purpose. Success doesn’t occur in a vacuum. You need people, and people need you. Those with a strong support system have resource that open doors of opportunity and empower them to manage any challenge. By the same token, there is a deep sense of well-being that occurs when we give to others, offering support, kindness, and love. Don’t try to go it alone. Happiness and energy come in relationships with others. Be mindful, that everything you go through in life may not be about you as much as it is how you may be the blessing to someone else going through the same thing who may feel they have no way out.
Life Choice #3: Authenticity.
I choose to articulate and present my authentic self. Be yourself. Be your true self. It takes less effort and energy to just be you. Concentrate on listening to your inner voice. Engage in activities that are compatible with your personality, and expressing yourself in ways which allow you to share yourselves with others on a deeper level.
Life Choice #4: Courage.
I choose courage over fear. Like challenges, fear is inevitable. Fear is the greatest thief to achieving true success and happiness. Fear tempts you to shrink from your authentic desires. It causes you to rationalize yourself out of a great idea. It leads you to pretend you don’t want what you really want and deserve. Life challenges causes fear which is inevitable. But don’t give fear more power than you give yourself.
Life Choice #5: Envision
I choose to envision my desired outcome. Mark Twain said it best: “It isn’t the things we did that we most regret; it is the things we didn’t do.” To be happy in life and succeed at a high level, you must go past your comfort zone and expect more because you know your higher power wants you to have the very best. Even when you don’t get everything you expect, you will get much more than if you were expecting nothing at all. I am often reminded the journey is more rewarding then the final destination.
By consciously choosing to live my life with G.R.A.C.E., I have been able to silence the voices I use to hear from my past reminding me of my limitations. I no longer doubt my ability to overcome obstacles. Am I living the perfect life? Absolutely not, but I prefer progress over perfection any day. I recognize the bigger the dream, the more opportunity for obstacles, challenges, and problems but also more opportunity for me to focus on my life choice of progressing with G.R.A.C.E!
