Do more than just exist. We all exist. The question is: Are you living?
On a rainy Sunday morning 15 years ago, as Angel and I were struggling to cope with the recent, back-to-back deaths of two loved ones, I sat down at the kitchen table and had a full-blown intervention with myself. I read through hundreds of archived entries in five different journals I had kept over the years. Specifically, I was looking for all the unfulfilled goals, dreams and visions for the future I had jotted down along the way. And it didn’t take long before I realized the course my life had taken up to that point had been the product of other people’s ideas, opinions and decisions. I knew all too well that life was short, yet every day I was just going through the motions and doing what I was “supposed” to do, instead of what was right for ME.
I was in line.
I was comfortable.
And I was utterly distracted from what matters most in life.
But, fast forward to today, and as I awoke this morning I marveled at my life. Where once I awoke with inner resistance at the thought of a new day, now I wake up with excitement to begin, grateful to be doing what I’m doing on a daily basis, grateful I got my priorities straight and gave myself a fair shot.
I tell you this because I know life can get crazy. Sometimes it gets so busy and difficult that we forget how important it is to actually listen to ourselves. We fill our calendars, our social media feeds, and our days with various forms of distraction, just to avoid doing the little uncomfortable things required to get us from where we are to where we hope to be. The instant we feel a bit of discomfort, we run off in the direction of the nearest shiny object that catches our attention. And this habit gradually dismantles our best intentions and our true potential. Our dreams and priorities go by the wayside, and we’re left regretting another wasted year.
Yes, most of us suffer from a severe misalignment of our priorities, even though, deep down, we know our lives are quickly passing us by.
If you can relate in any way, I’m happy to tell you that things can change if you want them to, at any age.
Just as I have turned things around for myself, I know hundreds of other people who have done the same. Through a decade of coaching our students and our live seminar attendees, Angel and I have witnessed people reinventing themselves at all ages—48-year-olds starting families, 57-year-olds graduating from college for the first time, 71-year-olds starting successful businesses, and so forth.
How did we all do it?
Well, the first step is we stopped wasting so much time and energy on things that don’t matter. This transition, of course, takes practice. But if you’re ready to follow our lead and get started, here are four insanely popular ideas that ultimately rob us of the life we are capable of living… [Read more…]