Our natural existence on this earth is not to work long hours in order to meet the bills. These days, human beings barely get the time to stop and just take a breath. There comes a time in a person’s life that they feel disconnected and realise that they are not living to their fullest. Could this be you?
We believe that we need to get that next promotion or that job that pays that bit more in order to feel content with our lives. We could not be more wrong. That is just something that we are being conditioned to believe in order to keep working away, keeping up with society’s demands and pressures.
Instead of working towards meeting the never-ending deadlines we need to work towards creating a fulfilling life. And to the work-a-holics who are muttering to themselves, this is nonsense, you need this even more than anyone else.
Research has suggested that you need to be satisfied and fulfilled in order to have a successful career. Optimistic thinking leads to increased performance and accomplishment, which sets us up for a prosperous career. Our brain is known to perform at its best when it is in a positive state. When we are live with optimism and have a positive mindset regarding our future, we are more energised, focused, and better at problem-solving. On the other hand, if we are too consumed with our problems and thinking about the negatives, we are drained of our ability to focus and energy needed to perform optimally. This is why high performers tend to add more value and take home bigger pay-cheques.
Living a meaningful and fulfilling life measures beyond monetary terms. It circles around the idea of us becoming a better version of ourselves. When we strive to lead a happier life we allow ourselves to be more present at home, at work and within the community. We fulfil our duties as parents, spouses, children, friends, and employees in a much stronger way.
We all have the power to alter ourselves and the course of life that we are currently on. It is never too late to grasp the reigns of our life and manoeuvre it to our liking.
The main key to do this is to let go of all our inhibitions in a successful way, stop bowing to peer pressure and external societal factors. There will be obstacles of different sorts along the way that might discourage you, sometimes that obstacle will be you yourself. But, with willpower and development of good habits, you can get past any obstacle.
Here are some tips to creating the life you would actually want to live:
Be healthy: this may seem very trivial and easy to do, but as they say, easier said than done. A healthy mind, body, and spirit is the key. Treat yourself with kindness by eating well, moving your body and practising mindfulness.
Step outside of your comfort zone: nothing good comes from staying in your comfort zone. Tread the easier path and you may find yourself on a plateau, never quite moving forward or learning anything new. Step out into the uncomfortable once in a while, seek new opportunities, this, in turn, will allow you to take healthier risks. Your transformation only happens outside your comfort zone.
Stop complaining: whining won’t help anyone. In fact, it pushes people away from you. Complaining reinforces a negative state of mind and offers zero solutions. It’s not about never having a rant; sometimes it feels good to have a good moan, but don’t get stuck there. Next time you feel flustered about something, feel the feels then take a deep breath and shift your focus to something more positive, try to find humour in a bad situation (wherever possible). Look for solutions to move you forward, rather than wallowing in the problem.
Be valuable: instead of focusing on what you can take from others, try to find ways of being useful to others. Make use of your strengths, and even weaknesses. You should aim to become indispensable to the other person, but not for a selfish reason, instead to provide them with some sort of positive value. This comes with a small caveat that being kind does not mean you have to give all of yourself. You need to have a full cup yourself in order to be able to be there for others in the way you want.
Learn to forgive yourself and others: Have you ever noticed that we tend to judge others by their actions and ourselves by our intentions? We all make mistakes and, either accidentally or intentionally hurt people. Sometimes we feel hurt ourselves. If we really want to find inner calm, we need to learn to forgive ourselves and others. We are all mere humans trying to survive in this world. Let go of the anger inside of you and welcome in the peace of forgiveness without expectation. This can take practice, but it’s worth it!
When you start following these steps you will find yourself on the path to a more fulfilled life.
