In three words or less, how would you describe how you’re living your life? Outragious, playing it safe, off the charts, slow and steady, keep on truckin’, growing fast… For my own life, I would say that I’m “not bold enough.”
I once had a boss who gave me a desk plaque that said, “Dare to soar” with a picture of an eagle next to it. She clearly saw how I held myself back, achieving good things but clearly not what I’m capable of.
This is my year to be bold, to do the things I’ve admired about others and achieve great things.
Some of the bold people I’ve been following who are achieving great things have posted their versions of goals or resolutions for the new year and their lives in general. I want to share them with you.
Scott Dinsmore at Live Your Legend has done some amazing things over the past year. He turned his blog that was going nowhere fast over the past few years into one of the leaders in the lifestyle design arena. He released his first product. He recently posted his goals for the coming year along with his free Goal Setting and Action Workbook. If setting concrete goals is your thing, this is the place to go.
Barrie Davenport at Live Bold and Bloom continues to inspire and motivate us to live our own bold lives. She recently posted The 20 Most Life-Altering Concepts I’ve Ever Embraced – life lessons that have transformed how she lives her life. It’s an amazing list. If you fully embrace and integrate even some of these in your life, the effects will be transformative. She also has some wonderful programs like Discover Your Passion, something we all need to do.
Courtney Carver at Be More With Less suggests a Love List instead of a list of goals or resolutions. After reading this post, I immediately made my own Love List. Rather than goals that must be ticked off a list, a Love List is a list of things we would love to do or incorporate into our lives. I love this concept because it shifts our focus from things we feel like we should do to things we love to do. And doing what we love is a key to a happier life.
If fears are keeping you from living your most amazing life, Tess Marshall at The Bold Life has a new program, Take Your Fears and Shove It (I love that title), that should blast you forward. Her blog always inspires me to live more boldly.
And if motivation is an issue for you, consider Jen Grisham’s post on her blog, Everyday Bright, called What if 2012 Were the Last Year of Your Life? If all the predictions are true, the world, as we know it, will end at the end of this year. Whether you believe this or not, why not live as if it were true?
What do I want my life to look like?
When looking at the new year, I like to take Steven Covey’s advice and begin with the end in mind. What do I want my life to look like at the end of this year? What do I want my average day to look like? Who do I want to spend my time with? We are the sum of the five people with whom we spend the most time.
Normally we would look at the action steps that we must take to reach our goals. Looking at it a little differently, what new habits do I need to adopt and which of my daily habits do I need to drop in order for me to reach my ideal life? How can I incorporate more of my Love List in my day?
Making it even more real, what can I do right now that will take me closer to my ideal life?
That question takes us out of the “some day I’ll start” mentality that ends in frustration over unmet goals and brings us into the present moment. Our lives are nothing more than a series of present moments. The results in our lives are the sum of the choices we make in each of those moments.
If improved health or weight loss are on your agenda, are you eating or drinking something while you read this? Stop. Finish reading. Close your computer and then focus on what you’re about to consume. Notice every little thing you put in your mouth – the taste, the texture, how you feel when you’re done. Be present in each moment. A friend of mine started a new practice of taking a picture of everything she eats. Do whatever works for you but do one thing at a time and be as conscious as possible of every aspect of it.
Do you want to improve your business or your relationships? How much time are you spending on emails, TV and other things that aren’t on your Love List? Those are all habits. Out with the ones that aren’t serving you and in with the new ones that will. Leo at Zen Habits has many resources on how to develop new habits.
Stop and notice the choices you make throughout your day. Most choices are made with very little thought. Start to notice and consider your options each time. See what happens when you make a different choice.
What can you do as soon as you finish reading this post that will move you one more baby step closer to your ideal life? Notice how you feel when you take that baby step and the next one.
In the United States, Thursday, November 28 is Thanksgiving Day. I think it’s pretty silly to reserve giving thanks to one day in a string of 364 other days. Check out a sampling of some of my daily gratitude lists here: What’s On Your Gratitude List Today?
I want to say a great, big THANKS!! to you for being a reader and member of our community. Next month marks the third anniversary of Simple Mindfulness and I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you. You’re awesome!!
As another way to express my thanks to you, I’m offering the Mindful Body program for 50% off until Monday, December 2, 2013 at midnight. Just use the discount code THANKS when checking out
The program includes many ideas that you can use through the holidays and beyond to avoid gaining extra weight while keeping your energy and spirits high. It’s also a great gift to share with the special people in your life. Click here to learn more and take advantage of the discount: Mindful Body program
“This post first appeared on Simple Mindfulness.”
