5 questions to ask yourself & 6 Ways to start truly living again!
We can get pretty caught up in our daily routines. We run from A to B to C and back: We bring the kids to school, run to work, chat to customers and clients all day, run to the next meeting & appointment, race home to make dinner, eat, clean up, get the kids to bed and prepare the next day... Which is a bit of a copy of the previous. Wow!!
Some weeks there is no time off. There is always stuff on. If it's not in appointments and work schedule, it's on in our heads. There are ALWAYS a million things to do!
And this doesn't even count in the dishes, washing and putting away clothes and toys (for the mums amongst us)!
I get it, I really do.
Especially with Christmas only a month away, I see so many clients and people in my life who take on more and more, just to create that extra cushion for the festive season.
People have the tendency to put themselves last.
What I know though is, that we can choose in each and every moment how we want to live. We can choose that we want to live life differently. We can make the choice to cut through the BS of overwhelming expectations and inner pressures. We can choose to dismiss a life of merely functioning and ticking the boxes, and trade it in for living!
I'm thinking of a dear friend who passed away this time three years ago. Whenever I think of him, I hear him say: "life is for living"! Even more, he didn't just say it, he actually lived it!
Don't waste life with stuff you don't wanna be doing! Life is too short to live it misaligned.
He was such an example of this, always living in the outdoors, always on the move, spontaneous, fun and healthy. He got tense when he felt restricted or stagnant, but when set free, there was never a holding him back!
Life is too short to waste it. Indeed, it was very short for him. But by living to the fullest, he touched many souls.
So many of us have this little voice, this craving within us that says its wants to be free and do what it wants.
Why not following it a bit more?
"Oh it's not that easy! I'm all tied up.."
"I can't"
"I have responsibilities" .. says the other little voice of self sabotage in our heads and holds us back.
There are always a million reasons why not and if you listen to them, they will keep you totally stuck and fulfilling a certain role that you expect from yourself.
To see where you're at and to snap you out of functioning into really living, ask yourself the following 5 questions:
1) Do you feel happy & fulfilled? (If yes, just stop reading and get back to it! :) )
2) Do you feel scattered at times, overwhelmed & unfulfilled? (If yes, read on)
3) Do you take regular time out to connect with yourself & your body? (No time for that? Consider the fact, that the primary person in your life is you. If you're not well, you can't be there for others either. Once your not well, it takes way longer to get better again than just spending that little effort, energy and time to maintain a certain level of wellbeing)
4) Do you generally listen to those inner urges, hints, words (or even screams) to look after yourself or do you ignore them to get more stuff done? (Start paying attention, as those urges are hints of your intuition telling you that it's about time looking after yourself before it is too late and you're burned out!)
5) Have you had fun lately?
Have you been doing anything spontaneously (ie visiting the beach or forest, going for a bike ride, a fun day out with the family or friends, catching up with an old friend or making wild love with your partner?)
If you answered no to most or even all of the last three questions, it's time to snap out of functioning mode and into living mode. To do so, follow these 6 steps:
1) Step back and assess:
- What's your big vision and are you moving towards it?
- What's your big why? What drives you to see this vision come to life?
2) Block out & book in some solid free time for yourself - Remember, time tends to fill up quickly! Unless you've booked in a date with yourself and look at it, as if it was an important business meeting, there is always something that's bound to be more important to take over.
3) Be mindful & bring awareness to the present moment
If things get too hectic and busy, simply tune into the now by using all your senses:
Listen to the sounds outside; the wind in the trees, the birds chirping, the ocean waves rolling, the mountain creek trickling.
Smell the scents around you. Can you pick up what foods been cooked last? Does it smell like a brand new car or an old musty cupboard?
Taste the food in your mouth and become super present to the textures and sensations on your tongue, but also all over.
Using your senses is the best, easiest and fastest way of becoming present in the present moment.
4) Ground & centre yourself
You've probably heard me say this a hundred times by now, but centring and grounding yourself is a key to feeling in charge of your life and being empowered. It not only gives you the chance to unwind and relax, it gives you a sense of calm and strength.
Not sure how to do that? Why don't you start here by downloading my free PDF booklet and incorporate these four simple methods into your life right now. I promise, if you give them a good go, life will never be the same (and that's in a good way!)!
5) Have an empowered attitude - remember we are the creator of our reality! There is no point for blaming others and bathing in the victim mentality.
If you don't like something, change it!
6) Connect within. Align. Set up your life so it matches your values and how you want to be living.
Get really clear on how you want to be living your life and move towards it.
Feeling stuck on any of these points grab a copy of my book “Remember who you are” which will give you the guidance and inspiration to create a truly fulfilling life in which you do what you love!
Life is for living, remember?
Don't settle for second best!