Are you ready to invest in yourself? Making life easy shouldn’t be that hard to do! I know, right?
Yet, many people struggle each and every day in getting their life together and making life work for them.
2020, has been kind of a wild card year, so here’s a video I created on how to get back into alignment by making life easy.
In the video above, I talked about 3 key elements that when cultivated will guide you back into alignment.
But before we dive into these 3 elements, I want to take a moment to acknowledge you for taking the time to invest in yourself.
Most people WILL NOT take the time necessary for self-discovery and then they complain, why life is not easy!
You on the other hand, you’re an ignited soul and there’s a HUGE future awaiting for you. The more you wake up, the easier your life gets.
So, keep investing in yourself!
Now let’s dive into how to making life easy?
In today’s post, I am going to expand on 3 key elements I talked about in the video above.
My intention is to make this post, more a of “Value and Beliefs” guide for you on how to cultivate The Art of Making Life Easy.
1. The Importance of Knowing Your “Why”
If you’ve been taking the time to invest in yourself by reading personal growth books or watching online videos about how to improve your life. Then I am sure you heard about the importance of knowing your why! And if you haven’t, then now you’ll learn about it😊
Your Why is the driving force that keeps you going when things get tough, and your motivation wanes.
But first, let’s make a big distinction between your why and your passion.
Your passion give you energy, your why gives you purpose.
See, I have a passion for travel but that doesn’t drive me to get up every morning to do my best! Yet, creating content that adds value and makes an impact is my why, it gives me purpose. On days when I feel like crap, I remind myself of my why!
How to identify your why?
Credit: I learned this concept from the legendary Simon Sinek, make sure you get his books here.
Your WHY is the driving purpose of your existence. It’s the cause that drives you personally and professionally.
When it comes to identifying your why, Simon provides you and me with a simple formula to utilize when drafting our WHY Statement:
TO __________ SO THAT ________.
The formula above gives you a couple of guidelines to help you stay focused when creating your why statement.
In the first blank your job is to identify what is the contribution you want to contribute to the world through your WHY.
And in the second blank think of the impact that your contribution will make in the world.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself to get your creative juices flowing:
- You or your company, WHY do you exist?
- WHY did you get out of bed this morning?
- And WHY people should care about what you/your company do?
Here are a few why statements to help you put the formula into practice:
Simon Sinek Why Statement:
“To inspire people to do the things that inspire them, so that, together, we can change our world.”
Steve Job’s Apple’s Why statement:
“To make a contribution to the world by making tools for the mind that advance humankind.”
My Why Statment:
“To empower my brothers and sister in humanity to awaken, so that, they can live a happier, healthier and more prosperous life”
When you find your why, you’ll set yourself apart from everyone else.
Your why will drive you and motivate you to take inspired action.
Knowing your why is what will inspire others to follow you, spread or take action on your ideas, do business with you, etc.
So if you want to make life easy for you, start by identifying why in the first place.
Watch this video to understand fully how the WHY plays a big role in your life and the lives of others.
2. Knowing Your Values
Before you can know your values, you got to define what the word means to you in the first place.
To me, values are the core beliefs that guide my life. They are the inner compass that’ll always guide me to safer ground.
Each persons values are different, and that’s totally ok!
Knowing your values is a very important action item if making life easy is your ultimate goal.
Your values will guide your decision making, your ability to set boundaries and navigate difficult situations.
If you know your values, then awesome sauce! But if you don’t, then worry, NOT! I got you!
What do you need?
- A pen and paper
- A cup of tea or coffee
First thing first, get yourself cozy with a hot or cold beverage. Have a pen and paper handy. Then start googling “Core Values” or “Personal Values”.
As you research those terms, identify the values that stand out for you.
Make a list of 20-30 values that you identify with from your research.
Don’t complicate this task, if you got less or you got more, it’s ok.
This research should take no more than 30 mins but if you need more time, honor that. You’re doing some deep work that will impact you and the rest of your life. So, don’t be too concerned about how much time you’re investing in yourself.
Once you have your list, put it away for an hour or two.
Why?
You want to give your brain a break, otherwise, it’ll get overwhelmed by all the data you’ve got from your research.
If you can, after finishing your research, go on a walk, preferably out in nature to clear your mind. If you can’t go on a walk or be in nature, here’s a nature meditation for you to clear your mind. I recorded it myself out in nature:
After your break, come back to your list and read every value out loud.
As you read each value, ask yourself these deep questions, and feel free to journal about them if you feel inspired.
- How does this value make me feel?
- Is this value important to me? Why or why not?
- How having this value as a core value can impact my life?
Do this with every value. Circle the values that get you excited.
Narrow the 20-30 core values down to the top 10-15 values.
And there you have it! Your core values in one spot.
I encourage you to put these values somewhere visible, to remind you of their importance.
I revisit my values at the end of the year, to see how I lived up to my values.
Pro tip: Your values will evolve as you evolve. Don’t be too attached to one set of values. Let your values grow with you.
3. Knowing Your Self-Limiting Beliefs
This quote from Tony Robbins always light a fire under my bum!
We all have self-limiting beliefs. I know, what a bold statement!
Truth be told, we all had to go through the growing up process, and with that comes many events that carry within them trauma.
And, no matter how positive your upbringing was, there are certain things that you experienced as a child, teen, or young adult that are remaining hid in your subconscious.
For me, it’s growing up in a war zone, that made me feel unsafe 24/7.
So, as an adult I walked around for the longest time of my life, thinking that I am unsafe.
And guess what? I lived that self-fulfilling prophecy.
I survived 3 wars before I was 18. Also, I had 3 near-death experiences before I was 25.
Additionally, at one point, in Baghdad, Iraq, I was kidnapped and released cause they got the wrong person (Boy, did I luck out on this one).
On top of that, I was involved in a horrific car accident in 2013.
Had my fair share of betrayal by people that I trusted but I shouldn’t (way more than I’d like to admit). I got into the wrong business relations and got burned.
So, my list of crappy situations that reminded me of how unsafe the world is, has plagued me for as long as I can remember.
Now, there is hope!
When you take the time to identify your self-limiting beliefs and re-frame them, then you can release them. Just like I did.
In another article, I’ll write about how to release self-limiting beliefs but in today’s post, I want you to start by identifying what your self-limiting beliefs might be?
How to identify a self-limiting belief?
Get a pen and paper and take one area of life that you’re not doing well in. Then ask yourself these questions in that area:
- What traumatic experiences I had in that area? (No age limits)
- Without thinking, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of that area?
- When you see others excelling in that area, how does that make you feel?
- Are you being honest with yourself about how you feel in that area?
- Have you tried any self-discovery work before?
- How is this exercise making you feel right now?
- Do you believe you’re worthy of excelling in this area?
Once you do that exercise in one area, then you can expand to other areas of life by asking yourself, “What are my self-limiting beliefs in that area?” and use the formula shared with you above!
Top areas to explore:
- Health
- Wealth
- Relationships
- Family
- Success
- Failure
- Winning
- Losing
- Learning
- Strengths
- Weaknesses
- Rejection
- Acceptance
Take your time. Maybe tackle one area at a time then give yourself some rest. Doing this type of work is emotional. Honor your journey.
In summary, making life easy is a TRUE investment in ourselves.
Start by identifying your why! Then find your core values, and last but not least, eradicate them self-limiting beliefs.
These three things alone will put you light years ahead of the rest of the world that’s too busy to even breathe sometimes.
Make your advancement as a human being your soul mission. Invest in yourself. Life can’t help but get easier when you’re in alignment.
I pray that you enjoyed this Post!
If you did, please pass the knowledge around.
If you’re a visual person like me, Pin this post to Pinterest to spread the wisdom of making life easy with your family and friends!
To a successful you!
Xoxo,
Zane
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