Why Your Life is Really About Discovering Who You Are
Life is all about bringing the right mindset and being ready to learn. The thing is there is something strange that happens when we look inward to try and figure out who we are – We forget that we are the experts and we can also be the detectives in our lives. Simply put, no one knows you the way you know yourself, and yet there is plenty you don’t yet know about you.
Think about whether you really know what makes you happy, or what you want from life. Do you really know everything you like and don’t like? Have you figured out what your talents are or what makes you feel excited to wake up in the morning and conquer any obstacle set before you? If not that’s ok – congratulations! You’re like the rest of humanity figuring it out one step at a time.
So, now that we’ve established that we’re on this journey of discovery there are some key ingredients that will hold you in good stead as you begin. These ingredients will help you have a mindset that will guide you to reflect on where you are and where you think you’d like to go. If you bring these items there is no task or obstacle that should be too difficult to encounter. And there is nothing that you aren’t able to discover about yourself.
Remember life is a journey and it’s all about discovery. We don’t start out knowing anything as babies, and as we learn we grow. You are not the person you were last year or even last month. You, like the world you live in, are constantly changing. So, embrace that change and be purposeful about what you want in life by bringing the right mindset to the party!
Key Ingredients to Discovering Who You Are & What’s Important To You
A Sense of Adventure
You are starting a journey toward knowing yourself, this is both a scary and exciting thing. There are going to be unexpected twists and turns on your journey. You may have an idea of where you want to be and a map on how to get there but if you loosen your grip on the reigns then that’s when magic can happen.
You are stepping into the unknown when you determine to discover who you really are and what matters to you. It’s a fun, exhilarating ride, but not one you can always plan for. So, be ready to step out of your comfort zone, try new, things, and enjoy learning what makes you tick. And who know’s you might discover hidden talents or passions that you never knew you had!
Honesty
In order to be successful in your journey of self-discovery, you must be willing to think outside of the confines of what you believe to be true about you. You need to examine your life as it is and as you’d like it to be and understand WHY you want to change. What’s in it for you? You’re going to need to KNOW why you’re battling your inner Doubter (the negative voice inside your head) and outer critics (especially those closest to you whom you love and whose opinions you respect).
You have to be honest about what you are willing to do to be the best you that you can be. Because really what other version of yourself is worth discovering and all this effort? The gem of you that exists inside you, that currently is like a diamond in the rough must be buffed and polished. But that takes an eye for identifying what is working in your life and what isn’t. And that requires honesty, and two more key ingredients – courage, and a brave heart. What parts of you are solid gold and priceless?
Self-Belief, you must trust that you CAN do this!
Whatever change you want to make; you have to start believing you can over time accomplish what you set out to do. Having an achievable dream is a good way to ensure success, but self-belief is the key. If you don’t really truly believe you’ll make it, why would you put the effort in day in and day out to change? Remember any change is difficult. Fighting the pulls on your time, energy, money, and the Doubter nagging you to quit, will be HARD. Probably harder than you ever imagined. There are plenty of examples of the obstacles you’re going to face (I’m sure you know them better than I do). So you know why this ingredient is so important!
A Brave Heart
Change is hard, challenging the status quo in your life is harder. The people around you have come to expect certain things from you and when you begin to alter your actions they may react in negative ways. They may be your worst critics or more drastically decide you aren’t someone they can be friends with anymore. The external pressures you will face are the water rushing downstream while you’re swimming upstream against the current. You’re going to need to be strong but this is not an impossible task. In fact, there is a cost associated with building the life of your dreams. Conversely, there is a cost to NOT building the life of your dreams. You have to work out if the payoff is really worth the effort and the cost.
Courage to Change
Building on your Brave Heart, you’re going to need to bring your courage. You will find that some decisions will be harder than others. You may find some of this change business is glorious and fun, whilst other parts are HARD. For example, getting healthy is a great dream to have but the reality is it’s HARD to be healthy. Otherwise, everyone would be healthy.
It’s easier to grab fast food on the way home from a long day of work than it is to prep your food and have good healthy meals ready in advance. You also have to be ready for the pressure that comes from your workmates as they grab and go the deep-fried goodness while you’re sitting eating the proverbial lettuce leaves. But if you fight the impulsive decision making, you will stop creating invisible barriers that ultimately are what is stopping you from achieving your goal.
Persistence in the Face of Discouragement
This is a journey that requires many small steps, sometimes you might fall down. You’ll get dusty and feel like a failure but importantly, you’re not a failure. Just trying to change and taking the steps to make changes shows that you are not a failure. You ran into an obstacle and you did your best under the circumstances to implement your strategy for change. Focus on the positive elements of where you have succeeded and think about a revised strategy that will keep you on a straighter path next time around. And importantly be kind to yourself! You are discovering who you are and what’s important to you – it’s a journey and not a destination.
Allow yourself the opportunity to learn and grow. Remind yourself failures are part of the journey to success. Falling down often teaches us far more valuable lessons. Trial and error helps us course correct and improve. As long as you are willing to give it another go you’re just one step closer to success with every mistep.
Hard Work and Hustle
To get anywhere in life you need to be willing to put in the work. Every day you need to get up and get to work on your dream. Implement a strategy to start taking you toward those dreams. Small consistent steps forward are the key. Break your goal into chunks and smaller mile markers and keep working at it and hustling. Be creative and think about how you can better use your time. Swap out unproductive timeslots with something that takes you just that little bit closer to your goal. Even if it’s reading for a few minutes every day to get some tips for how you might approach your goal, or listening to a podcast for inspiration. Every little bit counts!
Focus on the Positive
To be positive practice the art of positive thinking and at the end of every day record your successes. This will be hard at first. You may start out with a short list. But as you get better at seeing the good things you’ve done and the positive steps you have taken toward building your dream you will be encouraged.
At the end of the week, you’ll be able to take a look back at all that you’ve accomplished and select a highlight. Keeping a record of every small step toward your goal is physical proof that you ARE building the life of your dreams. You are being an active part of owning your own life and time. And that has got power! Because you can realize that you are your own superhero if you show up every day for yourself and do all you can to make your dreams live!
Discovering Who You Are and What’s Important to You is A Journey
With these ingredients, you may discover some tough truths about your life and need to make difficult decisions in order to build the life of your dreams. But if you do, you’ll be rewarded by being fulfilled in ways and means you may not be expecting.
This is just a small portion extracted from the Dream Building Manual free for you to download and work through that will help you prioritize your goals and dreams in 7 simple steps! Because life is all about you discovering who you are and what you want and then going out and making the changes that you have decided will impact your happiness, help you find fulfillment, and happiness each and every day of your life!