You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.
You know you’re on the right track when you can repeat each
of the following headlines to yourself, honestly. (And if you can’t, this list gives you
something positive to work on.)
1. I am following my
heart and intuition.
Don’t be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams. Live the life you want to live. Be the person you want to remember years from
now. Make decisions and act on
them. Make mistakes, fall and try
again. Even if you fall a thousand
times, at least you won’t have to wonder what could have been. At least you will know in your heart that you
gave your dreams your best shot.
Each of us has a fire in our hearts burning for
something. It’s our responsibility in
life to find it and keep it lit. This is
your life, and it’s a short one. Don’t
let others extinguish your flame. Try
what you want to try. Go where you want
to go. Follow your own intuition. Dream with your eyes open until you know
exactly what it looks like. Then do at
least one thing every day to make it a reality.
And as you strive to achieve your goals, you can count on
there being some fairly substantial disappointments along the way. Don’t get discouraged, the road to your
dreams may not be an easy one. Think of
these disappointments as challenges – tests of persistence and courage. At the end of the road, more often than not,
we regret what we didn’t do far more than what we did. Read Quitter.
2. I am proud of
myself.
You are your own best friend and your own biggest
critic. Regardless of the opinions of
others, at the end of the day the only reflection staring back at you in the
mirror is your own. Accept everything
about yourself – EVERYTHING! You are you
and that is the beginning and the end – no apologies, no regrets.
People who are proud of themselves tend to have passions in
life, feel content and set good examples for others. It requires envisioning the person you would
like to become and making your best efforts to grow.
Being proud isn’t bragging about how great you are; it’s
more like quietly knowing that you’re worth a lot. It’s not about thinking you’re perfect –
because nobody is – but knowing that you’re worthy of being loved and
accepted. All you have to do is be
yourself and live the story that no one else can live – the story of your own
unique life. Be proud, be confident, you
never know who has been looking at you wishing they were you.
3. I am making a
difference.
Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.
Is it true that we all live to serve? That by helping others we fulfill our own
destiny? The answer is a simple
‘yes.’ When you make a positive impact
in someone else’s life, you also make a positive impact in your own life. Do something that’s greater than you –
something that helps someone else to be happy or to suffer less.
You are only one, but you are one. You cannot do everything, but you can do something. Smile and enjoy the fact that you made a
difference – one you’ll likely remember forever.
4. I am happy and
grateful.
Happiness is within you, in your way of thinking. How you view yourself and your world are
mindful choices and habits. The lens you
choose to view everything through determines how you feel about yourself and
everything that happens around you.
Being grateful will always make you happy. If you’re finding it hard to be grateful for
anything, sit down close your eyes and take a long slow breath and be grateful
for oxygen. Every breath you take is in
sync with someone’s last.
5. I am growing in to
the best version of me.
Judy Garland once said, “Always be a first rate version of
yourself instead of a second rate version of somebody else.” Live by this statement. There is no such thing as living in someone
else’s shoes. The only shoes you can
occupy are your own. If you aren’t being
yourself, you aren’t truly living – you’re merely existing.
Remember, trying to be anyone else is a waste of the person
you are. Embrace that individual inside
you that has ideas, strengths and beauty like no one else. Be the person you know yourself to be – the
best version of you – on your terms.
Improve continuously, take care of your body and health, and surround
yourself with positivity. Become the
best version of you.
6. I am making my
time count.
Time is the most valuable constituent of life. Make the time for what does matter
today. Really being in the moment,
finding passion in your life, seeing the world and traveling, or just seeing
the world that’s around you right now, being with great people, doing amazing
things, eating amazing food and savoring life’s little pleasures.
Remember, your time is priceless, but it’s free. You can’t
own it, but you can use it. You can
spend it, but you can’t keep it. Once
you’ve lost it you can never get it back.
You really do only have a short period to live. So let your dreams be bigger than your fears
and your actions louder than your words. Make your time count!
7. I am honest with
myself.
Be honest about what’s right, as well as what needs to be
changed. Be honest about what you want
to achieve and who you want to become.
Be honest with every aspect of your life, always. Because you are the one person you can
forever count on.
Search your soul, for the truth, so that you truly know who
you are. Once you do, you’ll have a
better understanding of where you are now and how you got here, and you’ll be
better equipped to identify where you want to go and how to get there. Read The Four Agreements.
8. I am good to those
I care about.
In human relationships distance is not measured in miles,
but in affection. Two people can be
right next to each other, yet miles apart.
So don’t ignore someone you care about, because lack of concern hurts
more than angry words. Stay in touch
with those who matter to you. Not
because it’s convenient, but because they’re worth the extra effort.
When was the last time you told your family and close
personal friends that you loved them?
Just spending a little time with someone shows that you care, shows that
they are important enough that you’ve chosen — out of all the things to do on
your busy schedule — to find the time for them.
Talk to them. Listen to
them. Understand them.
Many times it’s our actions, not just our words that really
speak what our heart feels for another.
9. I know what
unconditional love feels like.
Whether your love is towards a child, a lover, or another
family member, know the feeling of giving love and not expecting anything in
return – this is what lies at the heart of unconditional love. Life through unconditional love is a wondrous
adventure that excites the very core of our being and lights our path with
delight. This love is a dynamic and
powerful energy that lifts us through the most difficult times.
Love is beautiful and unpredictable. It begins with ourselves, for without
self-love, we cannot know what true love can be. In loving ourselves, we allow the feeling to
generate within us and then we can share it to everyone and everything around
us. When you love unconditionally, it
isn’t because the person you love is perfect, it’s because you learn to see an
imperfect person perfectly.
10. I have forgiven
those who once hurt me.
We’ve all been hurt by another person at some point or
another – we were treated badly, trust was broken, hearts were hurt. And while this pain is normal, sometimes that
pain lingers for too long. We relive the
pain over and over, letting them live rent-free in our head and we have a hard
time letting go.
Grudges are a waste of perfect happiness, it causes us to
miss out on the beauty of life as it happens.
To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner was you.
11. I take full
accountability for my life.
Own your choices and mistakes, and be willing to take the
necessary steps to improve upon them.
Either you take accountability for your life or someone else will. And when they do, you’ll become a slave to
their ideas and dreams instead of a pioneer of your own.
You are the only one who can directly control the outcome of
your life. And no, it won’t always be
easy. Every person has a stack of
obstacles in front of them. But you must
take accountability for your situation and overcome these obstacles. Choosing not to is choosing a lifetime of
mere existence. Read The Road Less
Traveled.
12. I have no
regrets.
This one is simply a culmination of the previous eleven…
Follow your heart. Be
true to yourself. Do what makes you
happy. Be with who makes you smile. Laugh as much as you breathe. Love as long as you live. Say what you need to say. Offer a helping hand when you’re able. Appreciate all the things you do have. Smile.
Celebrate your small victories.
Learn from your mistakes. Realize
that everything is a lesson in disguise.
Forgive. And let go of the things
you can’t control.
