For years I participated in my life in much the same way that a branch falls off a tree and gets swept downstream with the rippling current. That’s not to say that I relaxed and “went with the flow.” On the contrary, I flailed about fighting the inevitable pull of the tide, but without realizing the struggle. I lived my life day to day with very little awareness of who I was, what I really wanted, and how I was showing up in my life.
I was in survival mode. Get the kids to school, get to work or show up to volunteer, scramble for after-school activities, and “thank goodness!” manage to get dinner on the table. Without awareness of all the blessings I had, what I wanted my life to feel like, and what the possible choices were, I was at the mercy of the urgent needs of everyone else in my life and gave no thought to who I was and what I wanted.
“Your life does not get better by chance; it gets better by change.” Jim Rohn
You may read this and think, “so what, that’s what everyone does.” Yes, I agree that most people live without giving it much thought. Most people are reasonably happy or willing to live with their own brand of unhappiness, trading that for security, control, and knowing what to expect.
Luckily, I had the good fortune to figure out that there could be more. Abundant happiness, love, joy, peace was mine for the making. See the pun? Not mine for the “taking” which connotes something outside of yourself. The power to create a magnificent life is within you. It takes a little digging. It takes a bit of courage too. Throw off your swim floaties and dive in that river of life with purpose and direction. Spend some time getting to know who you are becoming. Celebrate all that you are and all that makes your heart sing. As you wrap your loving arms around yourself you will learn to flourish in the life you create.
3 Ways to Celebrate Who You Are Becoming:
- Spend a bit of time each day getting to know yourself better: Ask yourself good questions that lead to a deeper understanding of who you are becoming, such as:
- Are there compliments that you repeatedly get from others? Strive for one-word adjectives such as loving, playful, optimistic…
- How would you describe what you want others to see in you? What words come to mind?
- What can you do to bring more of those qualities into your everyday life?
2. Count your blessings: I call it ‘Abundant Gratitude’. It is a constant awareness of being grateful for everything that makes life easier, more meaningful, and more beautiful. You can either make a daily list or bring an attitude of gratitude with you wherever you are. For example, ‘so grateful for waking up and seeing the sky this morning’, ‘ grateful for that smile my child gave me’, ‘I am so grateful for this delicious hot tea’.
3. Create an image of your most beautiful life: Who are you with? What are you regularly doing? Which values are important to you and how do you show that? How do you have fun? Where do you live? What do you do that feels meaningful? Hold that image in mind every day and ask yourself, “What is one thing I will do today to become closer to the life I most want to live?”
Letting Go
Letting go of how we have always done things can be a bit scary. It is when you push through that fear, however, that you learn and grow. In this case, the growth is asking yourself who you are and what you want and not hiding from the asking or the answers.
Celebrate all that makes you unique and wonderful. Celebrate who you are becoming. Celebrate the life you want to live, and flourish in the life you create.
Lauren Yellin Weinberg, MS, NBC-HWC
As The Becoming Coach, Lauren empowers her clients to become more confident, calm, and connected and to architect the wildly wonderful life they have always imagined. A National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, and a Certified Happiness Coach, with a background as a psychologist and family therapist, she is committed to a whole-person, empirically-based process that creates lasting mindset and wellbeing changes. Her transformational coaching is designed to accelerate and support personal and professional success while inspiring her clients to fall in love with who they are becoming.
Lauren is also a thought partner for solopreneurs and she is an expert for Living Healthy List.
Find out more at lastingchangewellness.com or email directly at lastingchangecoach@gmail.com Follow on FB @lastingchangewellness; on IG @lastingchangecoach and on LinkedIn @LaurenYellinWeinberg