lifestyle reflects our beliefs, attitudes, customs, behaviors, and values. A lifestyle can fill us with joy, keep us healthy, and allow us to become more successful. It can also contribute to illness or hold us back from the things we are capable of accomplishing.
Fortunately, we can choose actions and habits that keep us happy, healthy, and successful. We have that choice daily.
Create Your Ideal Lifestyle
Maltbie Babcock summarized this very elegantly when she wrote, “A day dawns, quite like other days; in it, a single hour comes, quite like other hours; but in that day and in that hour the chance of a lifetime faces us.”
That chance, however, presents a challenge. A familiar lifestyle is not easy to leave behind, even when negative habits or tolerations make it uncomfortable. Doug Firebaugh wisely said, “Something must die in order to grow – your old habits, your old self image, your old thinking, your old life… must be weeded out for the seeds of success to grow.”
If you are not already living your ideal lifestyle, take time to think deeply about the following questions. Then write your answers in a journal. This exercise will help you create a clear picture of your ideal lifestyle. It will also help you to design a plan to begin creating the lifestyle that you want.
What is my current lifestyle?
How have my beliefs created that lifestyle?
What is my current lifestyle costing me?
If my lifestyle were to become ideal, what differences would I notice immediately in the major areas of my life?
For example, what would you be doing differently on a daily basis? What habits would you adopt, and what habits would you discard? Consider the changes you would notice in these areas:
- Relationships (Family and Career)
- Home environment
- Wellness and self-care
- Energy level
- Serenity and inner stillness
- Finances
- Rest and relaxation
- Temperament
- Happiness and contentment
What is one positive change I could comfortably make today?
This exercise will open your mind to the possibilities and options available to you for positive change. When you have a clear picture of your goal and the changes needed, you can begin moving forward toward a lifestyle that will bring you more success in all the important areas of your life.
These questions might lead to additional questions you will need to answer. You will need to evaluate your progress on a regular basis, make changes in your initial plan, and adjust your actions accordingly. A professional life strategies coach can also help you to expand these questions to a deeper level, find necessary answers, and design a plan to achieve the lifestyle you want.
