If we were sitting across from each other having a conversation and I asked you, where do you thrive? What is it that brings your life into flow? What makes your life a joy to be alive everyday? Would you have an immediate answer?
It’s so much easier to spew out the litany of complaints, everything that’s going wrong and why things in your life aren’t the way you want them to be. It might take a few minutes before you, like some of my clients say, “I don’t really know.”
I just spent a couple of hours having a powerful coaching conversation with someone I met recently. When I asked about what she really, really wanted—what her big goals and dreams were I heard crickets chirping in the background while she tried to think of something. Then as we started to explore the question some very logical next step things came up—that were within reach.
One thing I learned from studying many people who thrive, is they dream BIG. It’s easy to get locked into reality if you can’t see, feel, hear, smell or touch your dream. And if you can’t make it feel real, how will you get there?
So I took her on a guided visualization, a journey to explore the life she would love to live. She was blown away by the experience and how, when she was guided she was able to expand her imagination into something much bigger and BE in that experience of thriving in life.
Clarity is a beautiful thing. Without clarity it’s like following the scenic route everywhere you go—without a map. You’re just following where life leads you, and probably bitching and complaining about where you’ve ended up and why things aren’t working.
But alas, every obstacle is an opportunity. Instead of throwing your hands up in the air, feeling stuck, getting pissed off, and lashing out at someone else, just ask yourself, as I learned from Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup co-author) many years ago, “What’s the opportunity that this is?” Just saying this makes problem solving so much different, because you’re focused on the solution.
You always have a choice. What thoughts you think, how you process your thoughts, and what’s happening in your life on a daily basis. If you’re not thriving, pull out your GPS and set it to head directly to your destination. Life’s short, have fun, be present, laugh, appreciate the people in your life and what you learn from them. Make the choice to thrive no matter where you are.
