Do you know the secret to a happy life?
Let me put it like this:
Have you ever tried to successfully pin the tail on the donkey while you’re blindfolded? Sure, with luck it happens every now and then. It won’t happen consistently though. One time you land on the (ok, I’ll say it) ass and the next you’re missing the whole target!
Why? Because you have no idea what you’re aiming for. You’ve been blindfolded, spun round in circles and then expected to know which way is up, so to speak.
It’s the same with life. Life will always ‘happen’ to us. I tell clients all the time when we start working together – we’re not aiming for some mystical life where nothing bad ever happens and all challenges are deflected by Iron Man or some other super hero. That’s just not what happens.
What we are aiming for is having the internal resources to handle whatever life throws at you.
So take it as a foregone conclusion that life will blindfold you, spin you round 3 (or 300) times, and then leave you reeling and trying to work out which way is up and what to do next.
This is why people end up feeling stuck, exhausted, confused and lacking direction. If this feels like you, you might like to check out this Blog I did a while ago: Do You Live Life Waiting For The Next Escape?
What do they seek instead? I’ll tell you. They want to have direction; to feel energised; have clarity and to feel happy.
This requires having a lot of clarity on what you actually want. Please note: this is not what you don’t want. It’s what you do want. What you want to be experiencing consistently that will light you up and put a pep in your step. A life that still has challenges and curve balls, but overall gives you energy because you’re doing what you love.
Our brains are amazing! They will focus on whatever we direct them to. For many people, they just get more of what they don’t want, because that’s all they focus on (and let’s be honest, it’s the core of marketing – pointing out what you need based on what you don’t have. Lose weight – buy my thing. Stop feeling crap – buy this wardrobe. Stop feeling disconnected – buy the latest Apple product. You get the picture).
But you can be smarter than the smartest marketers. You can work out what you want more of and focus on that.
Your reticular activating system (RAS) in your brainstem will then go ahead and filter out all the many, many things that aren’t what you want, and instead bring into focus what you do. That’s why creating a vision is so powerful.
Here’s the 3 key components of having a happy life:
- Knowing what your vision is
- Creating a representation of the Vision (think Vision Board; Dream Board etc)
- Take Action – set some goals and keep taking action to bring the vision to life because (unfortunately) it won’t come to you while you sit on the couch drinking wine, grazing on a cheese board and watching Outlander (I know – life is not fair sometimes).
Your brain also doesn’t know the difference between what’s real and what your imagination is feeding it. So no matter how ‘unrealistic’ you think your vision is, it doesn’t matter to your mind. It will go ahead and try to funnel everything relevant to you having that dream home or business or day to day life that it possibly can.
If you’d like the chance to pin the tail on the donkey but without the blindfold or being spun in circles, you’re in luck!
I’m running my next Create Your Vision workshop next month – go ahead and check it out here and be one of the few people who lives a truly happy life that they don’t need to escape from.
Kylie x
Tags: Create a vision Happiness Mindset tips