Post written by Evita Ochel.
At each and every moment, we are creating our life. This is not always obvious to us, as many of us only think of life creation in terms of big decisions, like buying a new house, getting married, or finding a new job. However, the quality of our life, all that we have and how much we enjoy it depends very much on our everyday thoughts, words and actions. Nothing you say or do is irrelevant, as each of these areas invests energy into a certain outcome. Have enough of certain thoughts, say enough of certain words, or do enough of a certain action, and you create the reality that follows what they reflected.
Naturally, this demands an accountability on our part that many of us are not yet willing or able to accept. However, it is when we consciously tap into how we conduct our everyday life that we begin to reap the rewards of being a successful life creator.
Examples of conscious and successful life creators are all around us. Think of someone you know who enjoys a really high quality of life where they live the joy of all that is in it, rather than struggle through various degrees of suffering. Perhaps that person is you, and others look towards you as their inspiration. Whatever the case may be, each of us can create a successful life—a life based on joy, health, inner peace, meaning and purpose. Let’s therefore examine some key steps needed to make that happen.
1. Define What You Want
It may be overstating the obvious, but to consciously create the life of your dreams, you have to know what you want to begin with. One would think this is obvious, but when we observe how we go about things in our society, it doesn’t seem that we always understand the full implications of this, or even know how to put it into practice.
For example, if you are trying to find a romantic partner it is not enough to say “I want someone nice” or “I want someone loving”. You need to define what does “nice” or “loving” mean to you. Without limiting creation, we do need to get specific as to what is it that we really want. Does nice mean doing the cooking all the time, or does it mean showering you with compliments, or both, or other? Along the same example, aside from not being specific enough, another creation pitfall is that many people try to create by focusing on all that they don’t want when figuring out what they want. A typical stream of thoughts or words may go something like this: “I don’t want my partner to be, have, or do (fill in the blank).”
Yes, knowing what we do not want, definitely helps us know what we do want. But when we become aware of what that is, we need to reframe how we present our thoughts, words, and stories to others. Your creative power is in the energy of what each of those carry. As the sayings go, energy follows attention. What you give most of your focus, or attention to, is what you are creating. So you need to define what you want, and then take the steps to keep moving in that direction.
Let’s consider another example to further apply what the above is saying. I think it is safe to say that all people want health, yet when we consider the actions taken by most, they do not really reflect a wanting of health. These include eating processed food, avoiding physical activity, smoking, overindulging in harmful substances, sacrificing their sleep or simply overeating. So here again, just like with thoughts and words, we need to become mindful of our actions. Are they reflecting what we want, or what we don’t want? What are we really creating?
Ultimately, while conscious life creation is a serious process, it is important to have fun with it! Allow yourself to be dynamic and know that what we want does change, as we ourselves evolve throughout our life. The partner you wanted at 20, is not going to be exactly the way you want your partner to be at 40. This is an ongoing life process, not a one time deal. Focus on what you want now, but be flexible to create anew when that need or desire arises. And whenever other people are involved, don’t forget to communicate your newly evolved desires with them so they have a fair chance to co-create with you.
2. Take Steps to Move You in the Desired Direction.
Once you have clearly defined what you would like your life to look like, you need to take the steps necessary to create that: i.e. what your ideal partner would be like, your ideal job, living situation, creative outlet, state of health, happiness, etc. Taking steps in the desired direction is done through all that we think, say and do. It is not going to help you to think thoughts of financial abundance, but complain about your money matters with coworkers. It is equally not helpful to keep helping your friends, while you keep having thoughts about how much you resent their neediness. Your thoughts, words and actions need to get in alignment with what it is that you wish to create. Don’t dwell on what is, rather deal with it by creating anew.
If you want to lose weight, you have to take steps to make that happen, as it will not happen on its own if we continue with the habits that got us to where we currently are. An example of taking steps towards your goal include educating yourself on your body, or how different foods impact it. An example of taking steps away from your goal includes making excuses.
So if you want for example peace—in your life, or the world—be the peace in your thoughts, words and actions. Exercise peace in all your personal interactions, from how you drive and what you eat, to how you speak to your loved ones and strangers alike. Before you know it, you and your life will be a living reflection of peace. The same goes for health, happiness, meaning, success, etc.
3. Exercise Some Patience
If you have not heard it already, good decisions take time. It takes time to figure out what we really want. It takes time to keep aligning our thoughts, words and actions to reflect what we want. Again, this is a life long journey and that is not meant to be a negative aspect, but rather a positive encouragement to enjoy the journey wherever you may be on it. The key is to take constant, consistent steps, which result in constant, consistent changes in your life.
It is therefore wise not to set arbitrary time limits, like for example: by the summer I must have a new job, or by the wedding I must lose “x” amount of pounds. While goals can be very healthy, artificial constraints only limit your potential and creative expression, not to mention add unnecessary stress. If you are making an honest effort and doing the best that you can to make sure your thoughts, words and actions reflect your desired outcome, then allow the process to unfold naturally and be patient. When we try to force things, we often miss valuable hints from the Universe of what is best for us at any given time.
4. Practice Gratitude and Appreciation
Finally, nothing creates a great life as fast as gratitude. Gratitude helps in two main ways. First, it empowers us in the present moment to appreciate where we are today. Yes, your job may not be bringing you fulfillment currently, but at least you have a job. Be grateful. Yes, your spouse may not be understanding your needs currently, but at least you have someone to share your life with. Be grateful. Yes, you may be “x” amount of dollars in debt, but at least you have a supportive friend network. Be grateful. Gratitude births positive feelings, and positive feelings are an excellent platform from which to create consciously and successfully.
In the end, it is truly all the little things that we appreciate, that add up to a large overall good feeling. It all depends what you choose to focus on. Being grateful and showing appreciation for what we have does not mean we have to stay where we are. It means that you honor your life creations to date, and use the positive power of gratitude to keep inspiring you to continue being a conscious and successful life creator.
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