Do you find yourself trudging through the days, doing the same things, simply because you feel like you have to?
That is, is your life in control of you?
You might desperately need to take control of your life, and you don’t even realize it.
Consider…
Is This What Your Life Is Like?
Your alarm clock goes off. You go through your morning routine: dressed, breakfast, and out the door to the morning drive. You arrive at the office. Just like that, two hours of the day, gone.
You check your inbox, respond to your e-mails, check your voice mails, and call back them back. Now you need coffee before you greet your coworkers. Another hour down.
You start most important project of the day. Then interruption, back to project, bathroom break, more coffee, back to project, interruption, project, interruption, oops, missed lunch, project, “sure, I have a minute to talk”, project, FIRE DRILL, UGH!
You’d think when work is over you’d have free time, but nope. Time to drive home, fix dinner, run kids to sports practice, and go back home…then homework, baths, bedtime, collapse in a chair for a few precious minutes, back to the home office to do paperwork, and time for bed.
What’s Wrong With This Picture?
Where do I begin? Too many people are living this so-called “life.” In reality, their “living” is draining the life out of them. What happened to taking time to smell the roses? Well, if you are flying through life like described, you don’t even see the roses!
You might say, big deal, everyone is living like this today. Everything is rush, rush, rush, with no time to breathe between activities. While that may be true, that doesn’t make it a good way to live. You are missing everything that happens today in your race for tomorrow…and then you wonder why you have so much stress in your life!
Related: Fight Stress with Mini-Meditations, Affirmations and Visualizations
What Your Life Could Be If You Can Take Back Control Of It
Consider this: a warm day with the sun shining and a slight breeze blowing. You, sitting in a chair, with a nice cool beverage of your choice, enjoying the sunshine on your face. Amazingly enough, you are on a mountain top, with no cell reception, no Wi-fi, no distractions except the ones you want. Are you enjoying watching your kids play? Hanging out with your best friends? Watching the dogs run through the fields? (Does any of this even sound remotely familiar?)
Do you remember the pleasant, calmness of doing nothing? Having no stress?
Which life would you prefer? Are you being intentional in your day to day activities so you are living the life you want? If not, why not? It is still your life, right? If you aren’t driving it, who is? As a 2-year-old would say, who is the boss of you?
The answer should be you.
There is still time to get your life back in balance. Go for it! You know you want to!
You may be wondering where to start to get your life back under control. Here are a few places to look.
5 Steps to Take Control of Your Life
1. Discover what you are truly passionate about in your life
It could be family, kids, cars, helping others, giving financially, success, flying, travel….you get the picture. Make sure that everything you do in your life honors your passions and values.
Related Article: Unleash Your Passion and Dare To Succeed
2. Remember that all things are possible
This is your life. You are writing this story. Don’t let the past stand in your way, and don’t let fear prevent you from living your best life. If time, money, skill were no object, what would you want your life to be? Find ways to move toward that life.
3. Enjoy the ride!
Each day, find something to be grateful for. Remember to pause to appreciate all that is good. Find good in everything, even when it seems to be all bad. Learn the important life lessons from the trials, and use them to move forward.
4. Control the circumstances
Do not use “under the circumstances” as an excuse. Eeyore is doing well “under the circumstances.” Get on top of the circumstances and use them to your benefit!
5. Find your support system
Everyone needs to have a confidante, a cheerleader, an accountability partner, someone who believes they can do anything. Find yours. If you can’t find one, hire a life coach. It’s what Fortune 100 executives do.
The Takeaway
Life can get busy – so busy that you lose yourself and forget how to live. You can take control of your life again and do the things you love to do…so that you are your own boss.
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Linda Wright is a Co-Active Coach specializing in individual and small business growth and balance. She helps clients define their life or company agenda, and helps them see where they are now and move forward.
Photo by rockmixer