Mental Health
3 must have foundations to live life well
30 October 2022
I was recently asked to speak at a women's breakfast event on the topic of "keeping on keeping on", and to share encouragement on how to live every day well.
This was a broad topic for sure, so I soon found myself reflecting on this big question: What is it, specifically, that helps me to keep on keeping on in a way that I get to say I'm living life well? ...Especially when life gets tough.
Hindsight can be such a gift when one takes time to pause and reflect and ask questions like:"Mmm, what specifically is working well for me here?"
With only 10 minutes allotted to share something of value on such a broad topic,
I sat down to get as clear and specific as possible!
For me, living well means living fulfilled.
So, what then are my keys that keep me on my path to living a fulfilled life?
I discovered that, in essence, to live my life well, there are three foundational building blocks that I need to understand and have firmly set in place. Your foundations may look a little different to mine, yet they may also be similar...
To live my life well, I need 3 foundational building blocks securely set in place.
- I need to know my identity
- I need to understand my significance
- I need to be clear about my purpose
Firstly, I have needed to clearly grow in the knowledge and understanding of my IDENTITY. I need to know who I am - apart from any titles, apart from any people-pleasing or approval-seeking, apart from anyone's expectations of me, and apart from all my busyness and doing. When I remove all these things, what is left?
What's left are my values, my needs, my motivations and my desires. When I am clear about these, then I am able to make wise decisions to help stay on my own path.
* IDENTITY * SIGNIFICANCE * PURPOSE *
Secondly, I needed a clear understanding of where my SIGNIFICANCE comes from. And in my case, I needed to unlearn a few things.
For example, I needed to unlearn that significance equals performance!!!
I honestly believed this was true! I've since discovered that it's thankfully very far from the truth! Significance and performance are in fact two completely different things!
In my case, I also needed to debunk the myth that self-doubt and low self-worth equals humility! I needed to understand that it IS possible to be confident, to step out and bring something of value to others, while still staying humble! I needed to rethink the definition of humility!
In my search, I discovered that my significance is found in simply being here and in simply being me. I am significant because of who I am, not because of all that I do! This was really baffling to me as it all seemed way too simple! Yet, thankfully, today I understand that I am significant because God chose to create me to be alive on this earth today. Period!
... And it's the same for you too!
You are significant because you are alive, living and breathing and here today! (Confession: this one took me a few months to process and I am still a work in progress!)
Your significance is found in simply being here today and in simply being YOU. You are significant because of who you are, not because of all that you do!
And thirdly, once I was firm in my understanding of these first two foundations, I was able to more clearly figure out my PURPOSE (the life path that is truly mine to journey on). Trying to 'do' life on someone else's path is exhausting!
I know this for a fact because this is what I did! For years! I was on a good path for sure, yet it simply wasn't mine to be on.
I share all about it in my book, Hiding in the Shade (available on Amazon).
When you're walking your own path in life, you'll feel truly energised and fulfilled, ...even through tough, challenging and sad times!
I know this to be true, because I have finally figured out what my own path is, and I've been on it now for these past few years... and it truly is what I call "A simply fulfilled life!"
If these foundational building blocks to living life well are somewhat confusing to you, or if you're finding them to be a struggle, then I invite you to schedule a life coaching session.
During our session, together we'll help you explore your current foundations and for you to gain a clearer understanding of your own foundational building blocks.
If one-on-one coaching feels like too much, yet you're still curious about figuring out a way to create firm foundations to live your life by, then I invite you to join my online eCourse called Finding YOU. Inside, you'll be able to work, self-paced, through modules fully designed to help you explore the these three foundations more clearly for yourself.
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