When was the last time you asked yourself if what you have is also what you want?
We spend a lot of time doing things but not planning them. Or we plan the life out of them but never really get around to doing them.
How much time do you spend a month on writing grocery shopping lists?
Now compare that with how much time you’ve spent planning your life.
How do they compare?
Take the opportunity to explore this today.
This isn’t about finding right or wrong, this is about what you’d like to be different. Because odds are, your life is pretty okay as is.
But what would you like to change about it?
Even if you’ve got a great life, you’re still going to want things like personal growth and better relationships, even if it simply means putting the effort in to keep your existing relationships great.
As you go deeper into this question, don’t shy away from anything that feels like dissatisfaction or anger.
Those two things might come at you, but don’t back down; they’re showing you the things you want to change but are currently not changing.
And you don’t need to guilt trip yourself for wanting more, either.
Wanting a bigger house, a fifth dog, fresh-cut flowers every month, nice clothes and spa days isn’t shallow, selfish or greedy.
It can feel shallow at first to want things that feel unnecessary, but I want you to give yourself permission to dig a little deeper.
Find out what’s giving rise to that desire.
For me, it’s living in the countryside and having many animals. This comes from a desire to live a slow life close to nature that feels more aligned with who I am than living in the city where life is hectic and I feel starved of energy when I’m cut off from nature.
This isn’t about figuring out how you’re going to get what you want or forcing it into being, it’s simply about mulling over the things you want more of in your life and bringing them up from your subconscious.
Because when you’re more aware of what it is you truly want, you’ll be able to take the steps that will eventually carry you to it.
For instance, if you’re dissatisfied at work, your immediate thought may be that you need to change jobs.
But when you stop and examine what’s causing your dissatisfaction, you may actually realise that you love your job and don’t want to go work somewhere else.
Instead, you may realise that you’re dissatisfied because you’re not getting paid enough for the work you do and either need a promotion or to simply cut back on doing things “for free” at your own expense and scaling your effort down to match the job and salary.
And who knows, if you stop sacrificing your weekends for work, you might even pick up a new hobby that will give you a whole new lease on life!
Whether you want a new car, a new house, a partner, a family, more creativity, less stress, more time alone, more relaxation, or to start something new like pottery or learning a new language – don’t worry about the obstacles in your way now (such as not having enough money to start something new, not having someone to watch the baby while you go to the gym etc.).
Just let your mind wander and put it all down on paper.
Once you put it down in your notebook, your mind will work more efficiently to figure out how to make it happen.
But it can’t do that unless you unburden your mind first.
By making this a regular habit – maybe twice a year or each quarter – you can keep tabs on how things are going, and think about how you want things to look going forward.
When you are in the habit of regularly checking your course – like any excellent navigator – it’ll be easier to make the necessary adjustments as you go (rather than having to do a massive overhaul on your life every decade).
JOURNALING PROMPTS:
What do you want more of in your life?
And what do you want less of (that you currently have in plenty)?
Think about how you want your life to look different from how it does now.
