I had the most wonderful weekend. I got a good amount of rest and “me time”, worked around the house, finished and even got ahead on many tasks for my business and spent several hours of quality time with family. It was the perfect balance of fun, relaxation and business. I was thinking last night how I wished every weekend could be like that when it hit me that every weekend, in fact, could be like that!
I realized that in the past few months, I have been so caught up the chaos of life that I stopped focusing on my priorities, being proactive and practicing gratitude as much as I should. Life is meant to be lived to the fullest but that does not mean we have to let every day be a rush and end up exhausted and overwhelmed.
We can change our lives and make every day our best day and have more time to enjoy our lives, families and passions by practicing these three things daily:
#1. Putting our priorities first.
A priority is “a thing that is regarded as more important than another” (Webster’s Dictionary). We know what our priorities are or what they should be. We just have to be sure we actually put them first place in everything that we do. This means with each opportunity, decision, event, hour we are presented with, that we ask ourselves whether or not saying yes to that aligns with our priorities. Before making a decision, ask yourself if it is going to get you closer to your goals or the ideal life you are dreaming of? Is this going to help you reach your long term vision for your life (or family, or business)? Or is it going to cause you to compromise your integrity, your values, your top priorities or delay you from reaching your goals? Putting our priorities first is a daily decision we have to make. It involves becoming more self-aware and thinking more about the long term results of our actions than the short term.
#2. Being Proactive.
When we choose to do the things we need to do ahead of time, when we have systems in place and plan for our success, it allows us to get ahead of the game. Being proactive reduces stress and anxiety and lessens the chance of things falling apart last minute or you have to put off more important things because you are taking care of something that should have already been completed. This does not mean you have a strict schedule you adhere to, that you never procrastinate or are some super-human who never makes a mistake. It simply means that you make the most of your time, anticipate any potential problems and you do what you need to do even when you don’t feel like it so you can have more time to do what you really want to do.
#3. Practicing Gratitude.
Many times we feel overwhelmed and stressed out because we are only focusing on everything we still need to do, need to have, need to achieve and feel like we need to be. Instead, we should be more grateful every day and in every situation for all the opportunities and amazing things we already have. Look around and realize just have much you already have, how much you have already achieved and how many wonderful people and relationships you have in your life. Be grateful for how far you have come and all that you have. Take the time to practice being grateful every day. Start a gratitude journal and write down something you are thankful for each day. Say thank you more often to the people in your life who do things for you all that time that you might not even notice anymore. Let those things and people that are your priorities know just how thankful you are for them. Be grateful for your own life, your experiences and the door for so many amazing opportunities will open wide for you.
Time is the only asset we cannot get more of. Life is too short to let the chaos take over and keep us from enjoying what we are working so hard to actually enjoy! I am committing to keeping my priorities first, being more proactive and practicing being more grateful so every weekend (and weekday) can be as wonderful as I choose for it to be! I hope you choose to do the same so you can change your life too!
I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below & appreciate it even more if you would share, pin or tweet this post. Thank you!
PS. Want more strategies and tools to help you shift your mindset and step into the role of a confident CEO of your life? Sign up for my CEO Shift Challenge here.