In the hustle and bustle of daily lives it’s easy to get lost, to forget the things that matter, the key truths that make all the difference to the life you lead. It’s easy to put up with things you don’t really want, or consistently prepare yourself for the next big disaster…the one that’s just waiting to stop you in your tracks.
In all honesty it’s something most of us do.
And we could all do with making better choices that feed our soul and delight our heart.
If you made a wrong choice yesterday, or last week, or last year, it doesn’t have to define you today. Sometimes we just have to accept our old choices didn’t work out too well, learn from them, and make a different choice today.
Life provides us with opportunities for abundance and happiness. You don’t have to seek them. They’ll discover you.
But first you have to stop talking about where you don’t have enough. You don’t have enough time, you don’t have enough money, you didn’t get enough sleep, you’re not thin enough or smart enough, or capable enough.
Rather than seeking more when living in a state of lack, begin instead to choose a better mindset. Intentionally choose attitudes of mind that allow abundance, joy and happiness to be permanent partners in your life.
1. Choose eagerness
Stop waiting around for inspiration to strike, or friends or family to give you a thumbs up. Be eager. Great things are created by enthusiasm. Every dream you have is a wish from your heart. A wish that connects you to the energy of vitality, of creation, of passionate longing.
Risks must be taken.
Be open and pay attention because everything that helps you evolve into the one whose dreams come true stems from your enthusiasm for life.
Don’t give your time and attention to those who are cynical and critical. They’ll squash the greatness right out of you.
2. Be willing to let go of those things that don’t feel joyful
Stop giving your power to another who wants to control or limit or discourage you. Choose to live a life that is filled with laughter and song, good food and good company. Eat chocolate, write sonnets, throw parties, dwell with nature. Sparkle and shine your way through every day.
Letting go means letting go of who you think you should be, or who others told you that you needed to be.
Not everyone is going to love you, so don’t waste a minute worrying about them. You could be the sweetest plum on the tree, but not everyone likes plums.
Make room in your life for the ones who care what happens to you, the ones who are rooting for your success and happiness and find a way to let the rest go. Stop living the life you’re ‘supposed’ to and give free reign to who you are.
3. Slow down and cherish everything
Stop being in such a hurry to get through life. It’ll be over soon enough.
Start your day with calm and peaceful habits and you’ll find yourself accomplishing more with less stress.
Try beginning the day with a meditation, or contemplation. Take some ‘me’ time whenever possible and if it isn’t possible, take a moment and choose your mood for the day. And make sure whatever happens, you keep returning to your ‘mood of the day’.
If you want to have any control over your life experiences, learn to select your moods in the same way you select your clothes each day. It might be the most important decision you make all day!
4. Devote your energy to living on purpose
It’s a pretty safe bet that your mind is mostly devoted to the things you don’t want.
Yet, the single most important characteristic of those who mainly lead an abundant happy life is that they manage to move away from what the world views as normal; the default setting of problems. Those to be solved, those to be eliminated and hopefully those that just go away.
For many, the majority of their brain power is focused on what’s wrong, not having enough, not being enough, or problems in relationships, and a life that just doesn’t have the abundance and joy they desire.
Don’t be one of them. Stop devoting your mind to ideas that keep you on the merry-go-round of lack and scarcity.
Do your best to catch yourself when this happens. Remember, that what you think, say and do makes all the difference to the way life turns out.
Choose to devote your mind to feeling abundant and happy for all the things that enrich your life now. Think about your blessings more than your problems and stop allowing the default programme of the world to shape your life.
5. Keep your eyes on the prize
Every time you say yes when you want to say no, you’re using up a portion of your life living it in a way you don’t want to. Learn to say yes more often to things that make you happy, and no to the things and the people that bring hassle into your life.
Every yes, when it should be no, brings with it resentment and less energy to lead your best life.
If you’re going to worry, make it about how you feel and not what others think.
Become focused on following your heart and fulfilling your dreams. Stop writing the same drama today that you wrote yesterday.
Today is a new day, write a fresh new story, the pen is in your hands; write something beautiful.
6. Respect and value your worthiness
You are worthy of love and compassion and all the good things in life, not because OF anything, but because of WHO you are. And you are most deserving of love from yourself.
We all end up living our lives because of the way we see ourselves. See yourself as victorious and you can rejoice in your life, see yourself as a victim and a life of regret will be your reward.
Success won’t come to you because of the techniques you have or your level of intelligence. You must know you’re worthy of receiving in order to experience the abundance life has on offer.
How do you know if you’re worthy? Because YOU say you are.
When you go to bed tonight, regardless of the kind of challenges you encountered today or those you met who weren’t supportive, tell yourself ‘I’m enough’. Because you are and you have nothing to prove to anyone.
I have a challenge for you today.
In the comments below, share your greatest dream. Whatever it is – I’d love to hear about your dream for your life. Not the one your parents have in mind, or society, or your friends. Being willing to name your dream is a necessary first step in experiencing it.
As always, I truly appreciate and thank you for reading and sharing and contributing so generously and kindly.
You make this the best, the most encouraging place to be online.
Continue to encourage one another.
Love Elle
PS If you enjoyed this post it would be lovely if you would share via your favourite social network. Each share or like helps to reach more people who might be looking for some actionable steps to having greater abundance and happiness in their life.
22 Comments
Another power-packed article from you… Perhaps the one I had long been waiting for… Challenge accepted… My biggest dream is to join civil services, be a part of the system and serve the people of the great nation of mine, especially the ones who face hardships just because of their castes. This seems like a distant dream yet.
I messed up. Didn’t prepare for the exams as I had to. Made some bad choices, consciously, I’d say. Wasted a lot of time dwelling on negative thoughts.
But not anymore.
I now know that I’m gonna give my best. I’m ready.
Thank you Elle… 🙂 You resurrect people.
Hi Charmy, I totally honour your dream and I’m so happy for you that you’ve made up your mind that it’s yours. Deciding that you really want something is always step one in allowing it into your life. I’m encouraging everyone who reads these comments to join me in adding our energy to your dream being fulfilled. 🙂
Dear Elle,
This is such an interesting insight, “For many, the majority of their brain power is focused on what’s wrong, not having enough, not being enough, or problems in relationships, and a life that just doesn’t have the abundance and joy they desire.” This is the pattern that we need to break if we want a more enduring happiness. I’m so grateful for people like you who care enough to keep encouraging us to do so.
My main dream is to reach my full spiritual potential. On a practical level, I would love to have a flourishing blog and array of courses that meet people’s deepest needs while contributing to my livelihood as well.
What a wonderful dream Sandra. And as one who avidly reads what you have to say, it seems to me you’re well on the way to experiencing it a a grander more amazing way. I truly appreciate you sharing your dream and I encourage everyone who reads these comments to add their energy to your experience. 🙂
Part of my dream has left me, but now the shock is dissipating I realise my dream can still come to fruition.
It is to build a strawbale home with facilities to accommodate guests in need of respite from whatever dramas or stresses are in their lives.
The house and surrounding grounds will have sanctuaries where they can listen and observe nature and find some peace and solace.
I will be wealthy beyond imagination able to give away money to any in need.
I have just completed a course that enabled me to see my life is opening up to all possibilities and I am so grateful for receiving the help I have been given to move on and find happiness again.
Hi Valerie, great dream dear one. I’m enjoying imaging this for you and I’m sure the energy of every commenter joins with you in supporting your dream to fruition. 🙂
Hi Elle,
I’ve been eagerly waiting for your post….And once again I feel enlightened.
I appreciate what you say about cherishing moments and slowing down life. Within this eventful life that we create for ourselves there is enormous call for striking a balance in every small thing we do.
The choice is always free before us to craft value through the moments that we live in. The peace you feel within at your core speaks to you incessantly yet softly about the quality your actions. And the best part is that you are always allowed to retrace your path to your origin.You can always commence to create balance right where you are.
There is a silent witness within us all that is amazingly intelligent .It permits us to truly celebrate only those actions which are aligned with our highest good.Tuning into this source of silence again is free of cost.
Thanks
Mona
Hi Mona, thank you, as always for your inspiring words. I always look forward to reading what you have to say and you never fail to disappoint. What a blessing you are. 🙂
Letting go of the need for everyone to love me was such a freeing moment in my life. I agree with keeping your eye on the prize and not letting setbacks get you down.
I would have to say that my dream is to be independently wealthy so I do not have to worry about money and so I can director movies that hopefully touch people’s lives.
I think the independently wealthy is one we can all envision Sebastian! How cool about directing movies that touch live’s we could certainly use a bit more of that. As always let’s all join our energy with you towards the fulfillment of your dreams. 🙂
Wow this makes me think of all the dreams I’ve had over my lifetime and how they keep changing and evolving. ‘Today’ my dream is to keep myself in a place of contentment and peace on the inside, without relying or being effected by external circumstances as much. I am so much better than I used to be but would like that refined more. Funny how 10 years ago that wouldn’t even have been on my radar 🙂 I wonder what my dream will be in 10 more years?
Great point Melissa about how our dreams change and evolve. What fascinates me as a great dream keeper, how many of my dreams have come true. I can totally get on board with your dream. Staying in peace regardless of what happens around you is a great dream. And I ask everyone who reads your comment to give their energy to the realization of your dream. 🙂
Hi Elle. This was an amazing post, and thank you for writing it. It cut right through and helped me to see what I need to change. You should be very proud of it.
My dream? I want to be a writer and be involved in creative projects, films, theatre etc, but I’d like those projects to be reflecting the new consciousness that is starting to gather momentum in the world. I’d like to counsel, to motivate, to provoke thought, to challenge the status quo. Work with people from a wide range of backgrounds, other writers, artists, engineers, leaders, and create a clique of inspirational people who are full of love for life who can be a catalyst for change wherever they are.
I’ve already started. I’m slowly improving my writing skills, and I’ve done Mindfulness courses and I’m reading a ton of books. I embrace the ‘slow’ movement. Everything done deliberately, with love, attention, and a general savouring of the moment. It just works!
I know where I want to be, I can picture it clearly. At the moment I’m at the ‘wading through mud’ stage, but sooner or later the mud dries up, falls off, and you can jog, and then run, even fly.
Happy days.
That’s my dream.
That’s my dream.
Hi Stewart, now that’s one huge and fabulous dream and I personally love it. I’m also with you on savouring the moments – life is so much more enjoyable when we actually take time to enjoy it! Hopefully with all the energy you get from our super community, the mud will soon be all dried up and your dream will take wings. 🙂
Elle I love this post, I have learned to go slow and I used to be a great risk taker- something I have to re-embrace. My dream is to make a real difference in the world by helping as many people as possible to love themselves, listen to their heart whispers and create ripples of change throughout the world.Through my work I touch one person at a time and they listen to the whisper of their heart and become empowered to create change so that they feel they are ENOUGH. Finishing my book is a step in this dream. hugs Suzie xx
Enjoyed reading this inspirational post, Elle. I’ve found that slowing down and living true to your purpose to be a couple powerful ways to live an abundant life. When we slow down in life, we are able to smell the roses and live in the present moment. And purposeful living allows us to live in alignment with what really matters to us – our values. I like how you called this title, “choices” which activiate abundance and happiness. Once people realize that they have the power in their hands, then it’s just a matter of choosing those things that bring more joy and less grief. Reading your blog is yet another way to find joy in our lives:) I’m enjoying inspiring people through the written and spoken word – and spending more and more of my days pursuing this dream.
Hi Elle,
I like your idea of self worth which says we’re worthy because we feel we are worthy.
I think that statement captures it all.
Because a lot of us are prone to feeling worthy only because we are validated by others around us.Which certainly should not be the case.
Hi Elle,
This is a great post especially when you say “Rather than seeking more when living in a state of lack, begin instead to choose a better mindset.” You are so right! We can’t focus on negativity when we want to move on and experience enthusiasm. I can’t be totally happy if I am thinking about my past mistakes nor things that I don’t have. So, I let go of regrets and I focus on happiness and abundance.
Thanks for sharing Elle!
Hi Patricia, I absolutely agree with you. How can we expect great things when focused on all that isn’t great. Doesn’t make any sense does it? 🙂