Create a Life You Love, Part 2
/What compliment took your breath away? I posed that question to my private Facebook Group, clients, friends, even fellow business owners, and the response was overwhelming. It can be surprising how well other people see you, even strangers.
Once you start noticing, compliments are coming at you from everywhere!
Some said that it feels so good to receive them, they want to give more compliments. Others said that their favorite compliments made them want to Live Up To what the person saw in them.
How do the breath-taking compliments you have received relate to What You Want to do with your life? Itchy purpose stuff that feels so much better when you realize that people already see you as Who You Want to Be. A kindhearted listener, a gifted communicator, the best parent in the whole world...
I promised more tips to Create a Life You Love, so here I am. This is part of the sneak peek into my new program, Facing 40, that launches later this month.
The next one...
Answer the Big How
It's all well and good to know what you want, even an inkling, but then the switch goes off in your brain.
How do I get there????
What do I DO to make this happen?
Why isn't it happening yet?
Okay, How is not the only question you ask, but it's the big one.
Because you're telling yourself that it hasn't happened yet. The path to get there is the opposite of obvious. It's frustrating.
Credit for this next thought goes to Mike Dooley. If you don't receive his Notes from the Universe, definitely sign up. They make my weekday mornings brighter the moment they arrive in my inbox.
Mike says that when we set an intention -- or get a clearer idea of who we want to be when we grow up -- it's like we are plugging coordinates into our GPS.
Most of us don't look ahead turn by turn to see how we're going to get where we want to go; we trust that the GPS knows the best route and just start driving. It's also not like we see our friend who we are going to visit waving at us the minute we get into the car. We assume that their home will come into view in the future. That we will know we have arrived when we get there. In addition, we don't normally stop halfway worried that maybe it's not working. We trust that our GPS will get us where we need to go, and reroute us if we make a wrong turn.
That's a lot of trust we put into a piece of technology.
Mike believes that we can have that same faith in the universe, our internal compasses, God, whatever your belief system. You set yourself on a path the minute you say out loud What You Want.
If that's true, that means you are Already on your way. Every step you take (even "wrong" turns) is getting you closer to where you said you wanted to go.
And if that's true, it's really, really important to know What You Want.
Luckily, you are getting breath-taking compliments that point you in the right direction. The ones that stop you in your tracks are telling you what to plug into your GPS.
You already know where you are headed, don't you?
In many ways, the answer is yes.
Fortunately and unfortunately, that brings us back to HOW.
Today's tip to Create a Life You Love is to assume that You Are Already On Your Way.
As much as you may laugh, I am suggesting that you assume you are already a New York Times bestselling novelist and world-renowned billionaire philanthropist.
Right now. Without doing anything else.
When you plug coordinates into your GPS, you assume you will arrive, and in your head you're kind of already have. You plan for what you are going to do when you get there before you have put the car in drive.
Same. Same.
You may ask: But, what do I DO???
The same things you would do as a New York Times bestseller and philanthropist. Or a gifted communicator. Or the greatest parent in the whole world.
It's not about the money you have in your bank account. The Who You Want to Be person is no different than who you are now.
If as a bestselling novelist you would write a story about nurses who served during World War II, then do it. Now. If as a philanthropist, you would look for the causes that you are most called to help and determine what they need...do it now.
If you want to be a gifted communicator, then focus on what you're saying and writing, and how people react to it.
I want to help people love their lives, work, and each other more every day. I hug people. I offer pep talks on #LoveFestFriday.
Do the thing you want to do now. Yes, even if you're not a parent you can be the world's best. You can love kids. Now. Be a Big Brother, be the world's best babysitter, do what you would do for kids as the world's best parent and start right away.
Start driving.
It doesn't have to be right, or perfect. Start driving.
You'll figure it out and recalculate as you go. That's how it works.
To get where you want to go you need to get in the car.
I'll be there with you, riding shotgun.
[box] Your assignment!
1) Plug in your GPS.
Use your favorite compliments as a guide. The ones that mean the most to you indicate the direction you want to go in. Set that as an intention and get in the car.
2) Start driving.
Imagine that you are Who You Want to Be. Imagine yourself as that person. How happy you are. What you spend your time doing and thinking about. Then go out into your life as that person. Do those things now. Feel those things now. Any step will work. You can always recalculate, but you need to start driving.
3) Tell us about it!
When you're heading on a road trip, it's so much more fun to have friends along for the ride. That's what the Life-Lovers & Simply Leapers private Facebook Group is for. Share what you've plugged into your GPS. Tell us about the step you are taking today as the person You Want to Be. Buying the pen you'll use at your book signings? Post a photo so that we can celebrate with you! [/box]
As with the previous one, I promise that this exercise will allow the Life You Love to happen all around you.
If you start driving, you're going to get there.