Here are 10 things that you can do to improve your life TODAY!
1. Be intentional with your thoughts. Whether you are in the middle of planning your move or have been an expatriate for years, your life is a continuous creation and your thoughts are a key part of what creates your life. How your thoughts make you feel is your personal radar letting you know whether your thoughts are serving you and your life or not. If your thoughts make you feel good, GREAT! If your thoughts make you feel bad, make a concerted effort to shift your thought. This is bigger than "positive thinking" this is about taking control of our unique human endowment -- our ability to control our thoughts.
2. Be honest with yourself and others. I really believe that it takes small bits of our soul to not speak our truth. Even white lies can wear away at your character. More important than your relationship with others is your relationship with yourself. There is consistent pressure to "look good" or "be nice" when leaving old friends and when making new friends. True friends appreciate honesty -- not simple politeness. Being honest is one of the best ways to honor yourself. Strive for self-integrity.
3. Be kind to yourself and others. Like honesty, kindness and compassion feed the soul. In the high pressure situation of relocating or in the throws of adjustment, you can find yourself on edge and much less patient with others. When you find yourself being really tough on yourself think about how you would be and what you would say to your best friend. When you are being really tough with someone else (most often our nearest and dearest) think about whether your best friend would still be your best friend if you treated them this way.
4. Relax. I know it is easier said than done but worrying and stressing gets us nowhere fast. When you find yourself full of anxiety and frustration about something (the unknowns of the new location, leaving familiar people and places) remind yourself that life is an adventure and that it takes a certain kind of person to be willing to do what you are doing. Look forward to creating your new life.
5. Be thankful. And I don't mean a quick "thanks". I mean really look around the room you are in, the company you keep, the sky, your health, your children, your dog, whatever it is that you can genuinely be thankful for and let yourself really feel that appreciation. When you are full of appreciation, your perspective on life shifts for the better and helps us breath in our experiences and truly live rather than rushing through life to get things done.
6. Don't over-schedule yourself. Whether it is your way of being helpful or efficient, the nature of what your professional or personal life demands, saying yes to too many things is saying a big fat NO to your well-being. Don't bother yourself or others with long explanations, simply say "I can't" when you can't. Honor the preciousness of your time and only do the things you really WANT to do. This includes our goodbye dinners -- have a big gathering instead!
7. Tell the people you love that you love them. Very similar to being thankful and being honest, letting people you care for know that you love them feeds their soul and yours. Don't ever assume that they "know" you do. Letting people know how you feel WILL matter in a week, month and year from now. This will also deepen the relationships you are physically leaving ensuring the possibility to not only continue them but improve them while you are away.
8. Be quiet. As little as 15 minutes a day of quiet time can make a profound difference in the quality of your life. Don't be afraid, it doesn't have to be meditation (and it can be) but turn off your cell phone, close your door, no t.v., no radio, get comfortable, close your eyes, and enjoy your own company. Use this time to focus on what you really want and how you want your life to be.
9. Take care of yourself. I know that you know what to do to take care of yourself. It is what your grandmother and your mother taught you -- eat breakfast, drink water, exercise, and get plenty of rest but so many of us say I'll start tomorrow, or on Monday; or after I get settled. There are thousands of excuses AND there are NONE. We all have the same number of minutes and hours in the day and the only separation between people who take good care of themselves and people who don't is a decision.
10. Get a Life Coach. Seriously! If you are interested in how to make your okay life phenomenal, then get a life coach. There are coaches who specialize in supporting you through your move and in creating the life you desire in your new country.
These are just a few things you can do to improve your life. If you are thinking, "that sounds great but who has time, or let's get real here -- I have to make a living and I have a life -- I am engaged in an international move!!" then you are not making time for things that really matter. I can show you how to have your daily actions reflect your deepest values and desires. And if you are thinking: I know all this and have tried but it just doesn't stick, then you are putting yourself and your life on the back burner while you pack and put out fires -- where is your joy? Where is your passion? You deserve to have it all and it is up to you to create it.
Professional Life and Business Coach Pamela Mattsson is an advocate for living a passionate and balanced life. She is deeply committed to her clients law of success and happiness and firmly believes that the only thing keeping people from their utmost potential is self-limiting thinking and daily actions that are incongruent with their dreams and values. One of her specialties is assisting expatriates and their families in their transition with a focus on THRIVING not just adjusting.
Pamelas coaching style combines her entrepreneurial and business experience with her intense compassion and powerful intuition. She works with individuals, couples, and businesses to realign their daily actions with their deepest desires and values in order to unleash powerful potential.
Among her many adventures, Pamela has lived In Switzerland, France, the US, and now Sweden. She has a passion for her children, her work, is an avid chef and world traveler.
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