Creating with intention
How do you define yourself?
Who (and what) are you committed to?
When do you say No?
When (and how) have you failed?
Which decision would you remake?
Where do you spend most of your time?
Who (and what) do you love?
When was the last time you redefined yourself?
Are you afraid of change?
An ayurvedic center in Nepal offers one month programs for people who have fallen out of good health. The team of practitioners systematically target different elements in the body in the belief that once balance is restored, the person will return to a calmer, more peaceful state of wellbeing. Throughout the month, clients receive weekly recommendations designed to detoxify and restore the body. Therapies incorporate diet, yoga, cleansing, and a series of ayurvedic practices. Participants are discouraged from engaging in unnecessary work — especially online — and follow a daily schedule, waking around 6:30am and sleeping by 10pm.
The center is simply decorated, a table of organized bottles of herbs and oils resting beneath a bright window. “What happens when clients return home?” I asked.
“One of two things usually happens,” the manager replied, his smiling eyes gentle and kind. “The person returns to same challenges with a renewed perspective, better equipped to make decisions, or they make changes after realizing their situations no longer serve them.”
The truth is we all have some habit that could be reevaluated. I don’t think you need to come to Nepal and spend a month in a health facility to make adjustments in your life, but you will need focus and a commitment to yourself. And if you need guidance, please don’t hesitate to find a suitable health practitioner near you.
By bringing mindfulness to each day, it is possible to assess whether the decisions we make are helping us become healthy, informed, and balanced.
The actions you take when you first get up in the morning set the tone for the rest of your day.
Do you check Facebook or emails while you’re still in bed?
Do you savor your first cup of coffee or drink it hurriedly over office briefs?
Do you speak kindly to your family or grudgingly rush out the door?
Do you allow five minutes to meditate or begin reviewing your to-do list?
Do you wake up thirty minutes early and stretch or do you race to your first meeting?
Use your morning to intentionally create thoughtful habits. Mindful routines and rituals build foundations for success, and advance preparation can help banish the worry and anxiety that stem from haste.
Have a great morning and watch your afternoon unfold with peace and calm.
1. Stop pretending. You don’t need to have everything figured out, you don’t need to be someone you’re not. Be authentically, completely, fully you. Direct your energy towards what you’re good at and what brings you joy. When you are able to step into your own and confidently accept your unique talents and quirks, you will be richly rewarded.
2. It is perfectly fine to take a slow beginning. Make cautious choices and weigh decisions carefully until your path and vision become clear.
3. Beat perfection. There will never be a perfect circumstance, and there will always be an obstacle waiting to derail you off course. Don’t let it. Sometimes you’ll need to ship before you’re ready, sometimes you’ll need to pitch without preparation. Go.
4. Nothing happens overnight: success, change, failure, pivots. Play the long game and keep your eyes fixed on your goals.
Of course resolutions don’t need to happen only once a year, but the turn of a new year provides prime opportunity for reflection. Are you where you want to be? Are you who you want to be?
Do you want to become more generous? Click here for a 52-week challenge.
Do you want to become more thoughtful? Click here for a step-by-step guide to meditation.
Do you want to become more informed? Sign up for an online course.
Do you want to become more creative? Find a copy of The Artist’s Way in your local bookstore.
Do you want to become more adventurous? Click here to get out of your daily rut.
Do you want to become more kind? Click here to find volunteer opportunities near you.
Do you want to write a novel? Click here to get started.
Do you want to get healthy? Tackle daily challenges.
Do you want to be a better cook? Consider a meal plan to get started.
Do you want to meet someone new? Attend a dinner (or host one of your own).
Do you want more variety in life? Try these 30 challenges.
How lucky we are to be able to reassess, recreate, and redefine our goals! How lucky we are to have the choice to change! Here’s to a fantastic 2017. Tell me what you choose.
“Find your bliss” has become the cliched guidance for those trying to find purpose in life. Bliss can be just as elusive as trying to identify your life mission. If you’re feeling lost or uncertain, try following your excitement.
Watch movies that quicken your heartbeat.
Read books you can’t put down.
Immerse yourself in company and environments that are stimulating.
Talk to people who are passionate about living.
Do work that you like.
Soon, the answers will come. You will know which path to choose and the decisions you need to make.
Take pressure off of finding eternal happiness and choose adventure instead.