I love that saying that I want to live a life that I don’t need a vacation from. Sadly, most people experience feeling wild and free and truly alive and fulfilled only one a year on vacation when they suddenly realize what’s most important in life and wonder how they could have ever been so caught up in all the trivialities of their day to day grind – then it’s back to real-life, where dreams go to die. But that’s not life, and it doesn’t have to be that way.
As a coach and therapist, I empower my clients to create and live a life they love because I know what it’s like to live on the hamster wheel and feel stuck in a life that I didn’t really want to be living.
Are you feeling stuck on the hamster wheel?
Does everyday feel like groundhog day?
Do you stay overwhelmed and reactive in your day and feel like everything and everybody else runs your life except for you?
Are you tired of not having time and energy for what you enjoy and want to do? Or to take care of yourself?
Well, today, it’s time to start taking back your life. It’s time to stop existing and start living. Right now, I want to encourage you to stop and reflect on the things that are stealing life from you, and then I’m going to tell you the four simple, but powerful questions that will empower and guide you to begin today to take back your life.
We all struggle with things that steal our energy and suck our souls – things like Obligations, Expectations, Distractions, Fear, Doubt, and Comparison. If we want our life to be our own again, then we have to start questioning our thinking and our beliefs, and we have to do something different. We have to start examining how we are spending our time, our energy, and our resources. We must determine if it is aligning with what we say is most important to us, and if it is getting us closer to where we want to be.
When I get into that place where I feel like I’ve lost my life to demands, to obligations, and to the expectations of other people – when I forget I do have a say about how I choose to live every moment, here are the four simple, but powerful questions I ask myself to begin to take back my life. Today, I challenge you to ask yourself these four questions so you can take back yours.
- Where did I allow a boundary to get crossed?
If you are feeling angry, irritable toward others, anxious, over-extended, overwhelmed, or resentful, most likely one of your boundaries has been crossed. Reflect back on the last week or two, and start to consider where things may have started going off course. Write down as many as you can identify. Stop and think about who or what you handed your power over to. What have you taken on that is not yours to take?
- What do I want more of and less of right now?
Take a moment to stop and realign with what is most important to you. Remind yourself that everything is a tradeoff – in every moment, in every decision you make, every dollar you spend, and every ounce of energy you expend, you’re choosing something over something else. Make sure that how you’re choosing to spend your time, energy, and resources are aligned with what you really want. Then, determine the small steps you can take to begin to course correct. Do one thing today that gets you closer to what you want or release something that you want less of.
- What am I tolerating?
Stop for a moment, and the answer will come to the surface pretty easily. Notice what feels heavy and burdensome in your life? Wherever you feel a lack of peace, you are carrying a burden that was not intended for you to carry. You may be settling for the counterfeit version of what you really want in some way because you don’t believe that what you really want is available to you. Or you may be believing the lie that if you honor what you want and need then someone may not approve of it, and there will be some kind of retribution. Whatever the reason or the thing, tolerating leads to existing. Existing is not living.
- What can I let go of that is no longer serving me?
What is holding you back from moving forward and from living a life of freedom and fulfillment? Is it fear and worry that saps your time and energy? You may be holding resentment or have unforgiveness towards someone, towards yourself, or even God, that is keeping you imprisoned in your own misery. It may be that you are holding onto your picture of the way life should have been that is perpetuating frustration and discontentment. Maybe it’s a relationship that is sucking energy from you and offering you little positive in return. It may be a habit that feels comfortable and safe but is keeping you stuck. Whatever it may be, it’s time to let go of what is no longer serving you, and open up space for what you really want.
Know this truth. You are the expert on your own life. The answers are inside of you – if you’re a Christian, God’s perfect wisdom is inside of you guiding you in every moment when you ask and then get quiet and still and listen. Taking the time to check in with your heart is invaluable, and it is crucial to living a life of contentment and fulfillment, and that is the life you were intended to live.
Finally, the clearer and more respectful you can be of yourself, your time, and your priorities, the greater the energy, the time, resources, and the space you will create to be in the flow of peace, joy, and abundance that is waiting for you in every moment.
So, today, Start Taking Back Your Life! It’s time to Create and Live a Life You Love!
-Connie Jones