‘This is your life and it’s ending one minute at a time.”

– Chuck Palahniuk

Sorry to bring up the issue of death! I know most of us would rather ignore this inconvenient truth but I prefer to embrace it. You see the advantage to having your immortality bubble burst is that it injects a sense of urgency into your day to day life. No longer can you afford to waste time watching Friends re runs on TV, getting annoyed about that person who cut you up on the freeway  or maybe even working a job you don’t like.

The clock is ticking and unless you eradicate all activities that are not, in some way, connected to your higher purpose, you might find yourself begging for extra time when the final whistle is about to blow.

To avoid this happening, I’m presenting you with a list of life goals like no other. This isn’t your typical ‘travel to every continent on the planet, learn to play at least one musical instrument and sky dive out of a plane’ type bucket list. While these are all great conversation starters, they may not stretch you enough or prompt you to think about the legacy you want to create.

That’s why each one of the following seven is designed to provide both a direction for your life and a means through which you can develop yourself towards achieving it.  So print the list out, keep it somewhere prominent, and watch your life transform as you tick each one off.

1.  Achieve the Impossible

All you have to do to achieve the impossible is;

1. Do something other people said you couldn’t do.

Or

2. Do something YOU believed you couldn’t do.

Whether this means leaving the security of employed work and setting up your own business, undertaking an extreme physical challenge or overcoming a fear, addiction or hang up that’s been holding you back for years, achieving the impossible is one of life’s ultimate tests.

Do it once, and you’ll want to do it again. Keep doing it and you’ll realize that most of the limitations we’ve been conditioned to accept simply aren’t real.

2.   Gain your Financial Freedom

Does the need to make money prevent you from doing what you want with your life?

For most of us, the answer is a resounding YES!!! If this is also the case with you then there are two means to gaining your financial freedom.

1. Make enough money so that you are not obliged to work.

Or

2. Work a job that you enjoy.

Gaining your financial freedom through the first method involves either;

• Making shrewd investments (e.g. property, financial markets).
• Executing a brilliant idea (e.g. inventing a new product, creating a company that provides a much needed service).
• Developing an outstanding skill (e.g. writing, playing sports, singing).

The other route to financial freedom involves changing the way you prioritise money. While The System teaches us to make major life decisions based on the amount we will be paid or how much money we stand to lose, you’ll have to take a different approach. The question of what brings the greatest amount of inspiration into your life will have to dominate your decision making process and as a result, every one of your days will be stimulating, largely stress free and provide a reward that money can’t buy.

3.  Chronicle at least 1 year of your Life

This goal is about self-reflection. While the more proactive and extrovert among you may question the value of such a discipline, long term journal keepers comment on how the practice enables them to relieve their burdens, see the bigger picture, learn from past mistakes and find strength in previous successes.

I’m asking you to commit a year because it will give you a long enough period of time to assess the benefits, while not imposing any major restraints on your enjoyment if you discover that it’s really not for you.

As a staunch journal keeping advocate, my advice is to update your diary, at a minimum, once a week. Let it know what’s bothering you, what your dreams are and how you are progressing. I promise you’ll find a forgiving, non-judgmental friend who will both sooth and inspire you to greater heights.

4.  Do 10 Things that Terrify You

Ever heard that Neale Donald Walsh quote about life beginning at the end of your comfort zone? Here’s how to get there. Over the next few years and into the foreseeable future, regularly force yourself to do things that terrify you.

This may involve approaching men or women you want to date, speaking in front of an audience, going to the cinema or restaurant on your own, striking up a conversation with a stranger on the underground, disagreeing with you boss, putting your work (whether it’s painting, writing or product creation) in front of a critical audience or being honest about your dreams and opinions with other people. Opportunities to partake in this practice can be found every day and by doing so; you gain the new strength and skills that can only come from being in a position where you are forced to adapt.

5.  Bet $500 on a Roulette Wheel

Here are the rules. Walk into a casino, exchange $500 for chips and then place a bet on either red or black. But don’t be mistaken, this isn’t about winning money; it’s about not being afraid to lose it.

If you win the bet then great, you walk out having doubled your money. If you lose the bet then don’t despair, you’ve just learned an important lesson on the importance not being too attached to money. This will serve you well when investing funds in your start up, helping others and having well balanced life priorities.

I chose the figure of $500 because I don’t want the loss to seriously damage your finances, yet, in order to learn the lesson; it has to be an amount that hurts to lose.

6.   Spend 1 year of your Life Working 20 hours a week towards living your Dreams

Almost everybody dreams of living a greater life than the one they presently live. However, how many of us actually take that seemingly crazy step of putting everything on the line and pursuing those dreams?

For many, the risks can seem far too great and that’s why I’ve come up with this interim measure. Whether you are in full time employment, self-employed or out of work, you MUST give one year of your life to living your dreams. This will give you a significant amount of time to assess the progress you’ve made. If you see some results and believe that further advance is possible, then carry on. If nothing happens, well then at least you can go to your death bed knowing you gave it a shot.

Fit the 20 hours a week around your work. If it means living like a monk for a year then so be it. The rewards it might bring are well worth the sacrifice.

7.   Tell Every Important Person in your Life that you Love them

I had to end on a soppy one! Maybe I’m an exception, and most people do this on a regular basis, but it took me 33 years of my life to tell my dad that I loved him. Our relationship during my teenage years was difficult and more often than not, we were exchanging words of hate rather than love.

Funny thing was, though, I felt fantastic after I finally said those words and I can only hope he felt the same way too.

If there’s someone you love, but haven’t told them so, then give them this gift. Don’t leave it as a silent understanding that never needs to be spoken. It brings you closer, cements the bond and improves your ability to express emotions.

Joe Barnes is an author, coach and speaker who is passionate about helping people break free from societies limits and live the life they really want. He’s author of the critically acclaimed Escape the System and runs the http://ift.tt/Xtk3Y6 website. Head over there now for your free guide on living an extraordinary life. He also works as a hypnotherapist and tennis coach.

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One of the huge advantages of running your own business or being a freelancer is you can work from a virtual office. A virtual office allows you to present a professional image to the world, providing you with a physical address, office telephone number and in some cases even people to answer your calls and take messages. Meanwhile you are free to work from home or even on the move.

Let’s look at some of the key benefits this brings to you in terms of health and happiness.

Say Goodbye to Commuting

This will probably be the number one advantage for many people. You will waste much less time travelling, either standing on a crowded train or sitting at the wheel of your car, instead you can take a gentle stroll to your desk with a cup of coffee in your hand. Not only does this free up hours of your day but it is also a lot less stressful.

Motivating Surroundings

Many people find that working from home fosters their creativity and ensures they get much more work done in the time available. This is because when you work alone you have far fewer interruptions and can focus on the task at hand. The environment is quiet and you can also surround yourself with items which spark your imagination or spur you on to work. Maybe you put framed motivational quotes on your desk or every now and again you can look out at the great view from the window and realise what you are working for.

You Stay Healthier

When you work from home it means you won’t pick up every cough, cold and bug which is often circulating a workplace. Furthermore, if you are ill you can still get some work done, but at your own pace. You don’t have to choose between taking sick leave because you don’t want to pass your germs on to others or going into work even though you feel awful. Working from a virtual office means you can work as you feel able to throughout the day.

A Stress Free Life

A large reason you become less stressed when you work from home is because you no longer need to sit through interminable meetings while work piles up on your desk. You also don’t have to deal with office politics or that difficult colleague you used to sit next to.

Enjoy the Flexibility

Working from home means you can set your own schedule and work at those hours when you are most productive. The work still has to get done but if you need to take half an hour out to pick up the children from school you can do so without getting disapproving looks from your colleagues.

Create Your Own Environment

We mentioned that you can decorate your own space as you wish when you work from home and this can mean it’s a much nicer place to work than a stark cubicle. However working from home also means you can choose your own desk and chair and set the workstation up ergonomically, which means less back and neck strain. You can also get up and more around more freely and even do some stretching exercises. You also retain control over the temperature you feel most comfortable at and are free to make a cup of tea whenever you want to.

Choose When You Have Company

Of course working from home does mean you might sometimes crave human interaction, but the beauty of a virtual office is you can go and work in a coffee shop or even a co-working space from time to time.

Overall, working from a virtual office means you can focus and remain fully engaged with your work; enjoy all the benefits of working in your own surroundings; while also having the option to work alongside others on occasion; who could ask for a better working environment.

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Every weekend, we wake to the scent of strong black coffee while attempting to dress up, half-asleep and sleepy.

You’re off to work.

Regardless if you enjoy your job or not, days in the office can be extremely hectic, especially if you’re chasing deadlines and trying to get work done. The paperwork on your desk is a responsibility you cannot run away from, considering that clearing the pile the main reason why you’re getting a paycheck, enabling you to pay the bills and live.

Surviving a hectic day in the office will take a lot of effort and require you to exponentially increase your mental toughness.

So, if you’re swamped with a ton of work and pressured to finish them soon, here are some tips to help you do so:

Get Enough Sleep

Your day in the office doesn’t start the morning you wake up: it starts before you go to bed the previous night. If you’re bound to experience a manic Monday or a frantic Friday, be sure to curl up under the covers and have enough time to wander around dreamland.

Ditch your digital devices, turn off the TV and give your mind and eyes a break – get a shut-eye for at least eight hours, and you’ll wake up well-rested and ready to face the arduous mountain of tasks ahead. If you’re used to only getting four to six hours of sleep, note the difference once you get more than eight!

Put Your “Game Face” On

Before sitting on your work desk, slap yourself in the cheeks and mentally shout “LET’S DO THIS!”

Jokes aside, lacking or having the motivation to work is all in the mind. It takes a mind programmed to finish work to actually get things done. If you give in to the stress, pressure and fatigue, you’ll end up falling short of your targets and quotas.

Create a list of achievable “goals for the day” and possess the determination – or feign it – to finish your work. Remember, if the mind gives in, the body won’t be able to accomplish anything!

Be Disciplined, be Focused

Two of the qualities we covet and fail to attain are discipline and focus, especially when it comes to work.

Even if it’s just for a day, get rid of any distractions, have tunnel vision, and discipline yourself to ignore matters unrelated to labor. Focus solely on the tasks ahead:  ignore what people are saying on social media, avoid the urge to check your personal e-mail inbox, and don’t let your mind wander elsewhere. Only look at the pile of paperwork on your desk, smile, and start working.

Once you get into the zone, you’ll be surprised at how your hands move on its own, and how your mind comes up with the words to write about.

Do not think about what you’re going to do after your shift ends. Focus on drilling past the boulder in front of you, and don’t think about the rewards behind it.

Design Your Work Desk

A number of employees beautify their work desks by placing decorations such as laced mats, flowers, dangling toys and even framed portraits of their family members. Though this makes your work desk seem a little bit like home, certain decorations can become a distraction. For example, would you get any work done if you glanced at a portrait of your wife and child on your desk?

Work is work, and you should only place work-related elements and anything which can help spur creativity on your work table. Remember, you need to focus and at the same time, keep your mind active and sharpened, like how a whetstone affects a sword.

If you’re responsible for the overall design of your office, bear in mind that you’re doing it for the employees, not for yourself or your clients. Be sure that it’s not dull and boring, and remember that office interior designers are a good investment!

Mikhail Blacer is a sports junkie and the current sports editor of Scoopfed, an online magazine. He also works part time as a peer counselor in his locality. Strike up a conversation with him through his e-mail (mikhailblacer@scoopfed.com) and via Twitter. 

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According to the latest Gallup polls, only 32% of Americans actually love what they do for a living. That leaves a whopping 68% of people feeling unfulfilled with the work they do on a daily basis. In my mind, this is unacceptable. And if you’re reading this article, then it’s likely you think so, too. So, if you’re interested in changing that once and for all, then scroll down to read (or listen to) my top 10 tips to help you on your path to success and long-term fulfillment… both personally and professionally.

#1. PUT THE RIGHT ADDRESS INTO YOUR GPS (Greatness + Passions + Service).

When I first started trying to figure out how to find and do what I love for a living, I was confused just like everyone else. So, I decided to take conscious control of my destiny and do something about it… I ended up coming up with something I like to call The GPS Formula. I’ll continue to explain the meaning of this nifty little acronym (GPS) in the next few tips. But for now, here’s a broad overview:

• G = What am I Great at?
• P = What am I Passionate about?
• S = How can I provide people with a Service ($) by combining both G+P?

The overlapping of these three domains is how you’ll figure out the best possible road to go down when you start trying to make a living doing what you love.

Now let’s dive into the nitty gritty…

#2. WHAT ARE YOU GREAT AT?

Seems like a pretty simple question, right? If you’re not sure how to answer this question, then you need to grab a notebook and take a few minutes to create a list of your greatest strengths + skills. Write it all down.

When you’re done with your list, you’ll feel good about the fact that you’ve actually got something positive to look at on paper.

Next, organize that list based on what you believe you’re best at from the list of skills and qualities you’ve written down about yourself. Don’t rush through this. Once you’re done, you’ll be ready for the second part of this three-pronged approach to taking control and doing work that matters.

#3. WHAT ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT?

People get way too caught up in trying to “find their passion”. Let me be crystal clear here — we do not find passion. Passion is a result. We bring it about by taking action.

We need to bring passion with us everywhere we go, and inject passion into everything we do.

The best way to do that, is to try doing more of the things that you actually love to do. And while you’re doing those things, keep a journal within reach so you can write down whether you love a certain thing enough to try and make a living out of it.

#4. DETERMINE YOUR HIGHEST POINT OF SERVICE.

Your highest point of service is where your greatest gifts (G) intersect with your passions (P) in a way that allows you to serve (S) other people.

This is where you focus on the “S” part of The GPS Formula — the part that requires you to produce value for others (employer, customers, readers, etc.) so that you can actually make a living doing what you love.

The best way to figure out your highest point of service is to go back to your lists…

• Start by referring to the list of things you made about everything you’re great at (G), and then cross reference this list with the list of things you’re passionate about (P). Once you’ve done this, you’re ready for the final step, which is to determine and decide upon the best combination of G + P with the highest probability of successfully serving (S) the other people.

For a thorough understanding of what it takes to tap into your highest point of service, I’d recommend picking up Greg McKeown’s book, “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less”

#5. ALWAYS BE READING.

If you want to do what you love for a living, you need to be on the constant look-out for ways to gain more knowledge about what you aspire to do by reading the best books about this particular area of interest.

Here’s something you can do as soon as you’ve figured out what you want to do for a living:

• Find 5 of the best books about your industry and read them cover to cover. Take notes on what you read and apply the material in real life. It’s the best way to learn. By the time you’re finished reading these books, you’ll have placed yourself in the top 5% of subject matter experts in your field — positioning yourself to totally dominate and crush it — but only if you …

#6. TAKE ACTION.

When I decided to start my own self-improvement podcast, I knew I needed to acquire some tech-related knowledge to do this properly + professionally, so I took a course on how to start a podcast.

The course was 12 WEEKS long.

Do you think I waited 3 excruciating months, until I was finally finished with the course, to start taking action?

Heck no! Every single lesson was followed up with immediate action.

Taking immediate action allowed me the opportunity to apply what I’d learned, and more importantly, to see if it actually worked.

If I waited until the course was all over to begin taking action, I’d have been so overwhelmed I would have procrastinated on taking any action at all.

If you want to do what you love for a living, you need to always be taking deliberate action immediately after you learn something so that you can decipher the difference between what works and what doesn’t.

#7. FIND A MENTOR.

It doesn’t matter if you’re learning from someone in real life, or if you’re learning from them through their books and videos — find the best of the best in your industry and use them as guides and role models to help you become more successful and avoid painful pitfalls so that you can successfully arrive to that sweet spot where you’ll be making a living doing what you love.

Wondering where — or how — to go about finding a mentor? Start by making a list of potential mentors. Next, learn more about them. Read their work. Follow them on twitter. Listen to their interviews. And if you’ve got the courage to do so, go ahead and reach out to them. They (probably) won’t bite.

#8. GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE.

Several years ago, I used to be in terrible physical condition — fat, unhealthy, and totally out of shape. I knew that if I wanted to make a change, I’d have to get myself out of my comfort zone and dedicate myself to eating healthy and working out 5+ times per week. But I had my fair share of challenges.

• For example: It was scary to go to the gym because it felt like everyone was watching me and thinking “what’s this worthless slob doing here…” But even though it was uncomfortable to go to the gym, I forced myself to do it anyway. Why? Because the temporary pain of feeling like people were watching and making fun of me, wasn’t as heavy as the long-term pain I knew I’d feel if I didn’t get a handle on my health.

Eventually, I got myself into the best shape of my life and developed a passion for health and fitness. On top of that, my confidence improved and my energy shot through the roof, too!

But I’m not telling you this to impress you, but rather to impress upon you, that it’s crucial to get out of your comfort zone if you want to find and do something you love for a living, because the benefits of doing so will pour into every area of your life.

#9. DON’T BURN YOURSELF OUT.

Too many people blindly believe that they need to do back-breaking work in order to earn their keep and be successful. This is non-sense.

On the flip-side though, doing work you love isn’t supposed to be totally easy… But that still doesn’t mean it’s supposed to be excruciatingly painful either. People who do what they love for a living maintain their charge by cultivating a symbiotic relationship between labor and love.

Key take-away: if you’re burning yourself out, then you’re doing it wrong.

#10. MAKE FRIENDS WITH FAILURE.

Regardless of who you are or what you do — there’s one thing you need to get comfortable with whether you’re ready for it or not — FAILURE. Throughout my own personal journey to doing meaningful work, I failed so many darn times I decided to create a public list of all my failures. This way, I can have something to look back on and learn from, and more importantly, something you and countless others can learn from as you embark on your own journey to doing work that matters.

If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that failure is inevitable on your path to success. But the beautiful thing about failure, is that the more it happens, the closer you get to that sweet spot… That place you’ve defined as your own unique intersection of where your greatest gifts collide with your skills — coming together in a way that allows you to finally fulfill the dream you desire and deserve, which is to…

Combine what you LOVE with how you LIVE.

It’s possible.

I promise.

If I can do it, so can you.

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Risk is one of those things that’s hard to quantify. Think about it. What exactly does it mean when someone says, “Take more risk.”

I was confused by this as well, until I began to find myself in situations where I had a unique choice to make. It didn’t have to be jumping off a cliff in Mexico or pouring my entire life savings into launching a startup.

It was more a matter of whether to follow the safe, proven route that would prevent me from having to stand out if I failed, or following my instincts about what I felt would be effective and exciting.

Things like wearing neutral business clothes, using company issued marketing materials, and speaking in a communal, non-authoritative way, would be considered safe and even “good enough.” If I branched out with my wardrobe, developed my own presentations based on the observations I made my marketplace, and spoke about my ideas with authority, I would be taking the risk of failure and embarrassment.

Feeling the thrill of the risk, I chose the latter, and it paid off in big ways. It got me noticed by my peers, bosses, and clients, who began to view me as confident, intelligent, and a promising resource to do business with, so my success rate went up.

Since then, I’ve come to see that taking risk has a pattern of benefits that come with it.

1.Risk gets you noticed

Most people will take the easy route, because in general the population lacks self confidence, and taking risk forces you to put yourself out there. You’re not just following the program when it comes to risk. Instead, you’re saying to those around you, “Look at my ideas.”

Because it’s rare for people to take risk, when you do, you’ll get noticed. And when you’re noticed, you’ll be thought of when it comes to advancing at work, or when clients are deciding who to do business with.

2. Risk creates change

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut, and to mindlessly follow the habits you’ve been entrenched in for years. This is true for large organizations, small companies, and individual people alike. So if you want something to change, you’re going to have to do something different. Doing something different is uncomfortable and comes with a sense of the unknown. After all, you haven’t proven it’s effectiveness yet.

But taking this risk of lost time and unproven results, is the only way to create change, so it’s well worth the effort. Even if the initial plan isn’t effective, it will teach you more about what will and will not work, being productive in the end.

3. Risk makes you feel alive

There is a satisfaction to doing everything “right” and pleasing the world around you, but there’s also an undeniable thrill that comes from taking risk. The adrenaline that pumps through your body when you’re doing something in an entirely new way, is worth the risk on it’s own. In fact, I have found myself getting addicted to risk because of this feeling.

4. Risk creates a higher standard

When you begin taking risk and seeing the results it offers, a new standard begins to form in your mind. You are no longer satisfied with just enough, and know that in order to create something of excellence, you will need to go to the next level.

This kind of behavior pushes you or your company forward and sets a new standard. Soon, a new comfort zone is created where risk is the norm, and the rate at which you are working is higher than before.

5. Risk teaches you more about yourself

Because risk is usually an expression of your own ideas, it can teach you a lot about yourself. The more comfortable you are with exploring new abilities within yourself, the more aware you will become of just what lies inside you. And the more success you experience within those areas, the more confident you will become.

Are there downsides to risk? Sure. That’s why it’s called risk. You could put yourself out there in a big way, and fall flat on your face. But what if you don’t? The benefits are worth it. Evaluate where you are and think about where you want to be, and take the risks necessary to get there.

 

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Just because you are now out of school and over your twenties does not mean the learning process is over. Some might say it has only just begun, and that the real work starts after finishing formal education and graduating from high school or college. Only after you have started working and being active professionally do you realize that most of the things you’ve been taught in collage are fine when left to the world of education, but that in real life, some additional skills are also needed. Lifelong learning does not just include enrolling in various courses and workshops, but keeping your brain up to speed, your head above water and you mind curious.

The Basics

The main differences between lifelong learning and your formal education are the age of the learner and the fact that one of them is voluntary. That is why it is not uncommon to see people in their forties, fifties or even sixties enrolling into courses or attending lectures because they choose to make a difference in their lives. Also, an important reason behind this choice is the mental activity that is triggered through learning – as people age, their brain functions are not on the level they used to be in their youth, so stimulating your thought process is always welcome. You can also boost your self-esteem, test your adaptability to new things and add some excitement into your life. Lifelong learning includes more than courses and school programs, so you can effectively learn via educational trips, researches and activism in your community. Challenging yourself with puzzles, doing the NY Times Sunday crossword or playing an online quiz will also keep you both entertained and your mind sharp.

Personal Development

Once you become a bit bored with your life or are fed up with your job, you may tend to start looking into new hobbies and activities which will get you back you zest for life. You can choose to dive into something work-related, or, on the other hand, learn a new skill which you’ve never had time for before.

Because this is completely voluntary and usually not for the sake of professional advancement, you can choose what you want to learn. Most people focus on languages and computer skills as something they did not have a chance to do in their youth, or, on the other hand, find a more practical course on pottery, carpentry or other handicrafts. This way, they engage both their brain and hands, so it is good for preventing mental and physical diseases at the same time. If you’ve always wanted to learn to knit, your forties or fifties are the perfect time to take this up.

Professional Development

When applying for a job, you should know that your CV will not be enough. It is not about what you know any more, but what you can do – proper education is essential, but a good set of skills is sometimes even more vital. Finally, when you are out of work, additional knowledge will give you leverage over others. That is why everyone needs to continue learning new things even after they have reached a certain position in their companies.

When it comes to lifelong learning for professional purposes, you are expected to take opportunities provided by your employer, such as trainings, learning seminars, coaching performed at your company, etc. Being involved in these things shows that you are keen to continually develop and also take your job seriously, so, in the end, new skills might get you a better position or a promotion you have been hoping for. Moreover, you can become an expert in other fields of the industry and always seek a job there once yours becomes unsatisfactory.

The Benefits

Even though the main benefit of lifelong learning is actually learning something new which should be enough, there are other perks as well, both personal and professional. People who do it have more motivation for everyday activities, develop mental skills, add fun to their lives and make new friends, while professionals get more options for further employment, are in a better position than their competitors and, finally, become better employees.

Striving to continually better yourself should be a goal in itself, without a definite endpoint. Remember that this is not something you have to do, only something you are enthusiastic about.

 

The author of this article, Norah Martin, has recently gone back to school and is now taking several courses through Upskilled, aiming to improve both her business skills and her business itself. While never a bookish person, she has now realized learning gets better as one gets older.

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Look Within

Think About What You Love

What are you passionate about? What excites you and makes you feel alive? Thinking about the things that you love doing will help steer you to what might be the best career path for you. Love numbers? Maybe you’re an accountant. Love fixing things? Maybe you’re a carpenter.

Remember Past Experiences

Think back to a time when you felt really satisfied with your work. Remember when you felt really proud about the job you did? What kind of work were you doing? Was it a project you managed, or something that you created on your own completely from scratch?

Think About What You’re Good At

What are your strengths? If you’re great at persuading people, maybe you’re a natural-born salesperson. If you’re not good with grammar, maybe you shouldn’t be a writer or editor. Making a list of your strengths will help you find the right career path for you.

Discover Your Personality Traits

Get clear on who you are and what interests you. Are you a people-person? Maybe customer service is a good fit. Are you shy? Maybe customer service isn’t a good fit. How would your friends describe you? These are all clues for you.

Look at Your Values

What’s most important and meaningful to you? Maybe you want to make a difference in the world, for people who really need help. (Think non-profit.) Maybe you just want to make money. (Think Wall Street.) What are your highest values?

List Out What You Want From Your Career

What do you want to get out of your career? Some jobs, such as consulting, allow you to travel a lot. Perhaps you want to work for a cause, or you want the prestige of being an accomplished expert.

Get Outside Yourself

Get a Career Coach

Speaking to someone in person and bouncing ideas off of them will help you find your way. There are career coaches, jobs coaches, and even life coaches available to help you find what’s right for you. They might have even more suggestions for ways you can the perfect career for you.

Take an Online Test

There are a lot of online tests to help you discover what career path is best for you. Just simply answer the questions given to you, and their algorithm will tell you what possible fields you are best suited for. Couldn’t be easier!

Imagine Yourself Doing That Job

See yourself doing that job. How do you feel while you’re doing it? Do you love it sometimes? All the time? By picturing yourself in that role, you can try to imagine how you might like doing it.

Get in the Real World

Read Some Job Descriptions

This one is easy. Just go on a job board and see what the required tasks are for certain jobs. This will give you a sense of what that job might be like, and if it’d feel like something right for you.

Talk to People in the Fields You’re Considering

Hear straight from the horse’s mouth what it’s like in that career you keep thinking about. How are the hours? Do they get to do the things you’d love to do? Connect with people on LinkedIn and set up a time to ask them some questions.

Shadow Someone Else

Know someone who’s in the industry you’re considering? Shadow them for a day and see what they do. It can be a real wake-up call. Maybe you had idealized how glamorous and exciting their job is, only to discover that it’s more hum-drum than you had imagined.

Try It Out

Really think you’re ready to jump into a new career? Try out an internship so you can test the waters and see how you like it. You can even do this in the evenings or weekends if possible, while you work your day-job or go to school.

Search Online

See if you can find online a “day in the life of” or some first-hand accounts of what someone in that field does all. You might be surprised to learn that what they do is nothing like you had imagined.

Stuck in a rut? Find the right life coach for you and learn more about life coaching, like what a life coach is and what a life coach does. Click here to learn more about coaching.

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Who were you before you were born?

“ We are born originals and die as copies” (Kierkegaard)

Before you were born you were free to be yourself. You had no one to worry about, no one to copy. And then you were born.

Born into a life where the search for meaning is totally dependent on finding and expressing your true self, but do you know who that is?

Psychological struggles that bombard and restrict many of us, in varying degrees, have their origins in the developmental hurdles of our childhood.

We are all individuals with our own special talents and personal power. And yet everywhere we look we are told what to do, how to behave, who to love etc.

From ancient days, culture has gendered male and female bodies with stereotypes that tell us who we are before we are born.

This gender stereotyping is unseen and pervasive as it is such a familiar part of our daily lives.

Within the media, images of men and women in society reinforce stereotypical perceptions of their place and role.

The intense circulation of these images interacts with and supports deeply embedded assumptions about the differing roles of men and women.

Women as mothers. housewives, and carers. Men as workers, business executives and workaholics.

And yet these images are so much more than images, they are profoundly persuasive symbols of everyday behavior and beliefs.

For men and women who fit neatly in the prescribed stereotypical roles and behaviours of society there is no problem, but for so many people who would like to step outside of the ‘norms’ of society, the reality is that they often spend a lifetime of unhappiness attempting to fit into the mould and failing.

They suffer because of stereotypical ‘ideals’ that are embedded in their psyches.

In an attempt for acceptance, men and women build their lives on a superficiality, a false image which focuses on external events, such as appearances, sexual choices, circumstances, behaviours and the desires of others, whilst leaving them bereft within themselves.

This false self is promoted and defended vigorously and this can become a permanent part of mental makeup from childhood to adulthood.

Stereotypical expectations of contemporary culture and about what constitutes men and women will not fade overnight. Therefore it is within psychotherapy that the rigid stereotypical constructs in our minds need to be gently dismantled, so that all our notions of gender and sexual orientations become more flexible and fluid, allowing them to drop away.

Are you living your life from your true self?

8 Questions to ask yourself.

1.Are you are a cardboard copy of what society wants you to be ?
2.Do you live your life through through family members?
3.Can you say No to requests for your help?
4.Is your life panning out the way you want it to?
5.Are you working in a career that gives you satisfaction and happiness?
6.Are you in a fulfilling relationship?
7.Do you know who you are and where you are going?
8.Is your opinion more important than what others think of you?

What do you think? Are you living life from your own true self or are you at the beck and call of others?

Bio: Carole Lyden is a writer and psychodynamic psychotherapist specializing in depression therapy at Teddy Bear Therapy Centre in Perth Western Australia. She is passionate about the power of psychotherapy and its ability to change lives. Download your free e book entitled “ Who were you before you were born?” How to find your true self.

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It’s 3 pm at work, and you’re dragging. You’ve still got a couple hours to go, and you’ve already had a coffee or two, but you just can’t get the energy to really focus enough and keep going to make it happen.

What do you do?

Well here are five tiny habits you can start doing (today) for loads more coffee-free energy to keep you fueled for your busy life.

#1. Flip the nutrient ratio

Ever notice how when you eat certain foods (or a big meal) you feel sluggish, tired and gross for a few hours? Maybe you just feel unproductive and sleepy after lunch while you’re working – well that’s because what we eat has a large influence on our perceived energy.

Think of it like this: how do you feel after eating a salad versus eating a big steak with mashed potatoes and gravy?

The steak and mashed potatoes probably make you feel stuffed and tired. Now I’m not saying to stop eating steak or go vegan or anything, but maybe save that for a dinner meal.

When you add more plants to your meals, you’re going to be getting more fiber, more nutrients, and more water, while also getting filled without stuffing yourself and feeling heavy after.

The idea of flipping the nutrient ratio simply means to include more unrefined grains (like whole wheat, brown rice, quinoa), which are dramatically higher in nutrients, vitamins and minerals, rather than the typical “Standard American Diet” which leaves you sluggish and tired.

It also means including more plants and “green things” that are fresher, which will give you important vitamins, hydrate you, and leave you feeling less tired after you eat.

#2 Do the swap

Ever find yourself struggling to get anything done first thing in the morning without coffee?

Or maybe it’s the afternoon crash – if so, wait before you reach for that next cup of coffee.

A recent study suggested that drinking ice cold water first thing in the morning (or anytime you need a pick me up) might be just as effective as drinking coffee (and a lot better for you).

Next time you need to wake up a bit and don’t have a good spot to nap, take a couple ice cubes, toss them in your water and you’ll get a pretty quick wake up call.

Especially if you find yourself working lots of hours, it can seem natural to just rely on drinking multiple cups of coffee per day, but not only is too much coffee (and caffeine) just going to increase stress hormones, it’s also going to affect your ability to relax after you finally get off work.

#3 Follow the rule of 180

You’ve probably heard all the conflicting advice on the planet regarding nutrition: eat every three hours, make sure to eat breakfast, do intermittent fasting and so on and so forth.

But eating every three hours is one of the best things you can do to offset low blood sugar.

Low blood sugar is a primary cause of fatigue, lack of energy, mood swings, and cravings. And just by eating more regularly – keeping your blood sugar consistent, you can offset any kind of crash that will alter your energy levels.

Like we’ll talk about in step five, the best way to also have a stable blood sugar is to change specifically what you’re eating.

Some of the fastest ways to do this are super simple, like:

• Change your snacks to high-protein snacks, which keep you fuller, longer and stabilize blood sugar
• Eat more whole grains (like brown rice), because they have more fiber and nutrients
• Eat every three hours, and don’t snack – because you’ll constantly be on the verge of hunger

#4 Drop the white stuff

It’s so temping to grab a bagel with butter when you’re rushing to work in the morning, but in reality, refined carbs (white bread, bagels, etc.) especially in combination with sugar (hello pastries), are quite possibly the worst combination for your mood and energy.

Refined carbs (versus whole grains for example) have two major problems:

First, they rapidly spike your blood sugar and then make it quickly crash after.

This is bad news for your energy (and mood!). The reason is because they lack some of the fiber and bran that unrefined carbs have, and as a result, they don’t regulate your blood sugar as well.

The other big problem is that refined carbs actually have a lot less nutrition than whole, unrefined carbs. In some nutrients, it’s as little as 1/20^th the nutrition.

So you’re not only getting less nutrition, but you’re also making yourself more prone to cravings and weight gain.

#5 Have a “30g” breakfast

The last principle here to having way more energy today is to have the “30g” breakfast, which just means emphasizing at least 30g of protein with each meal.

In fact, if you want energy all day long, have at least 30g of protein at each meal with your veggies.

Having a sizeable amount of protein in the morning will help you stay fuller, longer, it’ll help stabilize blood sugar which is important for mood and energy, and it’ll keep those cravings away.

Follow these five daily habits, and you’ll be sure to double your energy very quickly, boost your mood, and have that sustained productivity you’ve been craving.

What’s worked for you? Share it below!

Bio: Alexander is the founder of Modern Health Monk, an integrative health site that shows busy professionals how to lose weight using the power of tiny habits. You can get his free starter’s guide here: 5 daily habits for healthy weight loss here.

 

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