Masterful Mindsets ~ Free Up Your Life
“The secret of happiness is freedom… The secret of freedom is courage.” ~ Thucydides
Question:
How free are you to do the things you love in your life? Do you feel trapped by your schedule or to-do list? Are you so busy doing things that don’t fulfill you or bring you happiness that you don’t have time for the things that do? Do you have the courage to say no to things that don’t make you happy? Do you have the courage to set yourself free?
Action Challenge:
I love July! Summer is in full swing and for my family, it’s usually the one month out of the year that our schedule is actually somewhat free, at least for a couple weeks. The rest of the year, we are extremely busy. So we really relish that free time. Of course, don’t get me wrong… I love my life and I love what it is that keeps me busy. But sadly, not everyone can say the same.
The truth is, we have become a society infected with the disease of being busy. Everyone is busy! For some, it’s because their sense of worth only increases with the number of events they have on their schedule and tasks on their to-do lists. For others, it may be because they just don’t know what to say yes or no to. Or maybe even how to say no. But regardless of why – when we fill our schedules with things that don’t bring us joy or fit our life’s purpose, we end up burnt out and unfulfilled instead of happy and content.
So as I continue my month-long exploration of freedom, today I want to talk about the freedom to enjoy life… by having the courage to free up your life.
Now I get it, there are some things we just must do. We all have certain obligations and tasks that we don’t love doing but they are necessary to have the outcome we want. (I mean hey, who loves washing dishes? Not me! But I know I must do it so I can eat on clean plates.)
Where things start to go astray is when we don’t have clarity about what we are doing and why. Then we can become prisoners of our schedules and not ever really feel free to actually enjoy our lives. The list of things to do never seems to end and there’s always somewhere else we must go…
So how do you free up your life?
It simply begins with having extreme clarity about what is important to you. But from there, you must have the courage to say no to what doesn’t fit. And only say yes to what does. If you fall into the people pleaser category, having courage to say no can sometimes be difficult but it’s so worth it once you are clear on what’s really truly important to you and you use that as a guide for your life.
To begin, you can ask a few simple questions before you say yes to adding anything, in order to know if what you might be adding is in alignment with what’s important to you. In other words, is it worth your time and energy? Because remember, you only have so much time and energy. So when you say yes to one thing, you are saying no to something else. You must choose wisely or you end up doing things you don’t love instead of filling your life with what you do love. Before you add something to your list or schedule, ask these questions:
- Why are you doing it?
- Who does it benefit?
- Is it really worth your time and energy?
- Is it in alignment with your life’s purpose and what is truly important to you?
- What is the outcome you are really looking for?
Once you know the answers to these questions, you will be able to decide if what you are filling up your life with is going to have you feeling happy and fulfilled. If not, then free yourself from these things. Start saying no to what doesn’t matter so you can free up some space in your life to really enjoy the things that do matter. (And hey, don’t forget to make some space for doing nothing but relaxing!) You’ll be so glad you did and you’ll find that even if your life is still as busy as ever, you will love every minute of it and it will be so worth it. Trust me! I live that life every day… and when you do get that free time – be sure you enjoy every minute of it too!
My challenge for you is to look at your current schedule and to-do list. Ask the questions above to see if they are worth the yes to keep them in your life. If they are not, then figure out what you need to do to free yourself of these things. Maybe it’s time to delegate, hire out or drop them all together and just have the courage to say no. Or if they are a yes, then make them a priority and fill your life with what matters. Be busy with what you love and you’ll be free to love your life.
Not sure how to get clarity so you can be more productive with what matters – have the time and energy to get more done and ultimately create more happiness in your life? Let me help you get started… Click here to get access to a FREE Strategy Session for a limited time.
***Join me for more on this subject tomorrow, Tuesday, July 16th at 11am PT/2pm ET for Facebook Live on my Facebook Biz Page: Coach Michelle Weimer.
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