Live now. For so many, our life is defined by and measured in money, things, titles, awards, roles, and everything external. We set out with specific goals in mind, plotting our course. We strive to arrive at a destination, a point outside of ourselves that finally signals we have arrived. We push for this zenith, never stopping to consider what each victory or triumph means.
We focus on the big picture.
A Successful Big Picture
I’m talking to you, the person who views success as something to run after as you would an achievement that you attain. I’m talking to you because I was exactly like you with the same mindset. I invested so much of my energy and power in that endless climb. I was so busy doing, doing, doing and trying to reach that point where I could sit back, look around at my life and say with satisfaction, I have arrived.
This picture in my mind was my driving force. I wasn’t really living because I was so focused on the big picture and that end goal. I lived this way for most of my adult life until I finally realized that I was living my life for the future. Enjoyment and satisfaction were something I expected to experience in the future. In my every day life, I wasn’t feeling fulfilled or empowered or even successful.
What a waste to wait for that undefined distant moment to come, right?
You Have Arrived
What if instead of waiting for that zenith moment in your life, you stop to take stock of what you’re investing your energy in every day? What if you pause to intentionally focus on how you can be whole today?
You can arrive now, right now, in the present.
As I discovered is typical for someone like me and you, even when we have reached that zenith we’ve been striving for, we are not satisfied. We may not even recognize we’ve arrived. We work to determine what’s next, what’s the new goal, how can we continue to do, do, do because it’s unfamiliar and uncomfortable to just be.
It’s an empty triumph.
A Truly Successful Life
Arrive in the now. It’s time to redefine success. It’s time to own your accomplishments and evaluate what you’re spending all of your energy doing. Do you enjoy the doing? Does it bring you a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment?
Or do you find yourself craving more?
Imagine that there is no final point of destination. There is no zenith. Imagine instead that you are on a continual journey. How would that change your overall outlook?
Instead of a gradual climb on a chart, the points are little reminders of accomplishment, empowerment, and being present and conscious in your every day life. It doesn’t detract from the overall magnitude of what you have accomplished, but it emphasizes each accomplishment and leaves you room to change direction without feeling as if you must start from the very beginning.
Today is your destination before your next destination on your journey. Take the time to dust off your rucksack and take stock at this waypoint before venturing to the next.
I believe that true success is living in the now and being conscious of all that is going on around us and inside our own hearts and minds.
Hit Your Zenith Everyday
Imagine what it would be like to live that truly successful life, feeling as if you have climbed a mountain almost every day.
How would you accomplish this sort of lifestyle?
Start with your mindset. Decide that today and every day is a meaningful point in time on this journey we call life.
Decide that you own your yesterday, today, and tomorrow. What does this mean given that we are all mortals? It means take ownership or responsibility for your role in the good, the bad, and the in-between in your life. You are where you are because of the decisions you made yesterday, and tomorrow you will be where you’ll be because of the decisions you’ve made today.
Be ready to learn. I find that every day teaches us new things that we need to take in, file away, and keep in mind for tomorrow. Gaining new understanding also gives us new insight. Insight is invaluable. Don’t throw it away. Embrace it.
Listen to your instincts. We often talk about giving our power away. One of the most common ways we give our power away is by ignoring our own instincts. Trust yourself. Listen to your gut. When you do and you realize that you were right, the feeling of empowerment that follows won’t be something you soon forget.
Be grateful. Take stock of your life and be grateful for what goes on in your life. Make a conscious effort to appreciate the good. Be mindful of the lessons learned through the not so good. Focus on what matters.
Channel your efforts in the right direction. Determine what is worth your time and energy and what is only sucking away energy with no return in the form of personal happiness and satisfaction.
Work hard, internally. Look inward and take stock. What is it you want to be doing with your life? What is your reason for the way you live your life right now? Is it a valid reason? Or do you hide behind a flimsy wall of excuses that keep you from the hard work such as uncovering your inner purpose?
The New Big Picture
Instead of constantly looking down the road, focus on today. Look at your life as a continual polishing or constant improvement of what is already there. Make a concerted effort to connect to your inner purpose one day at a time. Evaluate often.
All of the suggestions offered to help you live like everyday is your zenith have a common result when put into practice—you will live a more powerful life. You will uncover what it most important, and your purpose will become clearer. You will feel in control of you and your happiness. You will no longer go through life doing, doing, doing, with the hope that sometime in the distant future you will finally be living the life you want.
You will have arrived, every single day.
Join me and a group of like-minded women. We are a community offering support and inspiration as we each travel our own journey every day.
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