How To Survive With Passion And Purpose

These are my thoughts about how to live and survive with passion and purpose year to year.

At the end of every year, I review the daily entries in my 6″x8″ lined planner. I think most of us forget what happens from day to day, let alone the quality of those 365 days gone by. The notes, memories, and goals I still need to complete become the blueprint for the new year’s calendar.

Ten Questions I Ask Myself

Before I start writing things down, here are the ten questions I ask myself:

1. When my mind wanders, who or what activity am I thinking about?
2. Did I accomplish all of my goals; what kept me from pursuing my passion?
3. How do I improve my writing and content-creator skills?
4. If I died today, what would be my biggest regret?
5. Who are the friends or family members who would do everything to find me if I was missing?
6. Who am I still like-minded with, enjoy being around, and who is easy to meet up with?
7. Who are the people who show me they believe in me; who makes me feel invisible?
8. Am I regularly caring for my mental, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being?
9. How do I feel the fear and do it anyway for the new things I want to try, like solo camping, learning to fly a drone, or having a YouTube channel?
10. What should I stop wasting my time on; what new hobby or worthy cause should I devote more energy to?

If you are ready to invest in a higher quality of life, take some time and consider creating your ten questions. Your questions might be different, and the answers to the questions, followed by practicing them consistently, might be the sparkler you need.

Always remember how much you have survived, celebrate your successes, and remind yourself:

Ten Qualities To Develop That Lead To Success And Admiration

• Develop and nurture a positive attitude and sense of humor.
• Know your self-worth and expertise and use those skills to help others and work on behalf of causes that you are passionate about.
• Be a dedicated listener. You cannot be an effective problem solver or communicator if you only hear your side of an issue.
• Have manners and show respect for men, women, and children of all cultures equally.
• Successful people value their time and other people’s time and know how to be action-oriented to get things done.
• Be a risk taker. It takes wise courage to tackle complex problems and resolve them.
• Value people, integrity, kindness, and self-control over a dollar bill, things, and personal ambitions.
• Create a balanced plan, so you have time for yourself, all the important people in your life, and professional commitments.
• Healthy relationships are the foundation for all things social and long-lasting. Do you think and talk only about yourself? Can you put yourself in another person’s traumatic situation and be empathetic? Are you a person of your word? Do people believe and trust in you? If you hurt someone, do you admit your mistake and apologize to the person you harmed? Do you forgive so you can keep moving forward? Or are you envious of the people who can do all these things?
• Trust your gut. Be independent and rely on yourself. Make informed decisions using the most credible resources. Live authentically.

Conquer Stress And Fear

Fear of the unknown is what scares us and holds us back. Additionally, previous experiences that did not go as planned heighten our anxiety in anticipation of being in that situation again.

Three of my greatest fears are going to the dentist, medical procedures, and flying. The process below (like self-hypnosis) helps me to overcome fearful thoughts. I hope you will try them and they work for you too.

Write a meditation/affirmation before the upcoming mind-over-matter challenge. Once written, the key is to repeat the words many times. I also make sure I say the affirmation right before the appointment or event. You can keep your affirmations handy on your smartphone or a piece of paper.

The confident statements will rewire your thoughts and replace the fearful ones. You must put all your faith and trust in the affirmation. Believe you will be okay and feel much better.

For example, below are the words I use before dental appointments. They can easily be changed for medical appointments and procedures.

I accept I need to attend my dental appointment.

I accept it is in my best interests to undergo my dental treatment.

I trust in my dentist’s skills and am confident the treatment will be successful.

I believe my dentist will administer the treatment as pain-free as possible.

I will be calm, relaxed, and confident about my dental appointment and treatment.

I know I will feel better and benefit from having this treatment completed.

I will have peace of mind.

This is the meditation/affirmation for the fear of flying.

The fact is that flying is safer than driving.

There is a one in 11-million chance of being in an airplane accident.

Airplanes undergo extensive safety testing.

I know flying scares me, but I believe I will be fine, and the plane will not crash.

I will be calm and at peace because I know the pilots are highly trained and experienced.

I am safe.

I also watch the DVD “Does Flying Ever Make You Nervous?” several times in preparation for the flight. YouTube videos are a fantastic resource too. To identify a few, many mental health professionals, medical doctors, and nutritionists volunteer helpful information and excellent pathways to a healthier and purposeful life. Anything that interests you is just a search away on YouTube.

This same technique can be used to overcome other fears, improve yourself, your relationships, career goals, build confidence, and bring life to the recurring vision your mind goes to when you daydream. The possibilities are endless.

I never forgot the words of a previous boss. He was in his early forties when he told me: “You know, when I think about my life, I regret that it has mostly been spent in boredom and discontent.” Millions of adults and children around the world didn’t get another year. How fortunate are those that did.

What will you accomplish with the gift of the new year?

If you were inspired by this post, you might also find Chained Elephants and How I Earned The Nickname Tough Cookie interesting to read, just click on either title.

Wishing you and those you love a fearless, fun, healthy, peaceful, and Happy New Year! Marilyn

Howard Schultz defined “wise courage” perfectly in his quote below:

Tough Cookie Tip: Start today and fail forward. There will never be a perfect time to begin your dream or conquer your fears. Make your mistakes, learn from them, and keep trying. The day will come when you will be thrilled and rewarded because you didn’t give up. That alone makes you successful and a Champion over Fear!

Copyright © 2022-2024 Marilyn K Fuller. All Rights Reserved.

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