Inspiration for a joyful and creative life

If you haven’t already heard about or seen this ebook, What Matters Now,  by Seth Godin, you may want to check it out.

There are 70 big thinkers with a bit of wisdom.  “From bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert to brilliant tech thinker Kevin Kelly, from publisher Tim O’Reilly to radio host Dave Ramsey, there are some important people riffing about important ideas here.”

Your ideas are just as important.  It is an interesting conversation that you just might want to join.

It is a free download available here:

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/files/what-matters-now-2.pdf

There are usually some darn good reasons why you don’t have what you want.

See if any of these reasons sound familiar to you.

1. It will be too hard.
You may have convinced yourself that there is no way what you want will be easy to accomplish.

2. I can’t afford it.
You don’t have the money now and you don’t see it happening anytime soon.

3. I don’t deserve it.
This one has many layers.  Maybe you don’t feel like you aren’t good enough.  Maybe you see others who don’t have as much as you, so why should you be happy and not them.

4. It will take too long.
You know to get what you want won’t happen overnight.  Maybe you think you should have started earlier and that it’s too late now.

5. I don’t have any support.
You feel like you have to do it alone and that no one understands what you want or even why.

6. No one has ever done it before.
You don’t even know if it’s possible because as far as you know, it’s never been done.  Or maybe it’s against the “rules” in your family or tradition.

7. I don’t have the time.
You may be working full time, taking care of a family or aging parents, and feel like there is not enough time left for your own wants and desires.

8. I don’t have the energy.
Perhaps you have a little time you could carve out but you are mentally and/or physically exhausted by the time you take care of everything and everyone else.

9. I’m not good enough.
You don’t feel like your work or what you have to offer is everything it could be so you’ll either wait until you get better or maybe you’ve resigned yourself that you will never be ready.

10. Someone has already done it.
Maybe you see other people doing what you’d like to do but have convinced yourself they are much more talented or knowledgeable so there is no room for what you have to offer.

At one time or another, I have used all of these reasons and more.

Sometimes it can be hard to look at our reasoning and what we believe about ourselves only to realize that our own beliefs are holding us back or keeping us stuck.

It’s much easier to feel like there are forces beyond our control that are keeping us from what we want.

In the next several weeks, we will look at each of these reasons to see if we can change some of our self defeating beliefs.

Do any of these reasons ring true for you?
What else would you add to this list?

Do you wish you had more money or time?

Is it possible to make creative choices and begin to shape your days into the life you wish you could have? Yes! Your life is a series of choices you get to make.

If you look at the heart of what you want and what it would mean to you, you might find there are more ways to get the essence of what you desire.

What does it mean to you?

Maybe you feel like if you had more money* or time your life would be complete. You could take a closer look to define what having more money means to you. Would it mean freedom? Freedom to work at a different career, freedom to travel or peace of mind? Would it give you a sense of value or self esteem? Would it give you more time with your kids, spouse, or friends?

How could you start to get the benefits now?

If you want to spend more time with your family, you might declare Friday nights as family night where you take turns choosing the activity or make it movie night, complete with popcorn. Or could you give up TV for an evening and just talk, play games, or work on a project together?

If you want more time for a creative pursuit, you might take a half hour before everyone gets up or a half hour before dinner each night to work a little at a time on it.

Maybe you’d just like more time. I needed help with lots of the little details of my business and personal life that seemed to be piling up. I wanted to make sure I still have time to relax and that I’m not always having to do something.  I hired an awesome personal assistant. She is able to help me a few hours a week and it’s wonderful.   She is a friend and neighbor so it is very convenient.  I’ve also had good luck in the past hiring someone through Craig’s List.

Do you want to travel more but can’t afford it? What could you give up that doesn’t give you as much satisfaction? Or better yet, brainstorm some ways you could be paid to travel.

What is the essence of your desires?

If you begin to look at why you want something, you may discover that you can make creative and positive choices that will give you the essence of what you want. What else could you do to create those outcomes and enjoy the benefits now?  

Reflect on your choices

The end of the year is always a great time to reflect on the choices you made this year.

What were some of the best moments?

What do you wish you had more time for?

What creative choices can you make for next year?

You may also want to look at the post Are Too Many Choices A Good Thing?

*P.S. I am working on something that will be ready soon that will help you to save and create money for the things that are important to you.  Sign up on the mailing list so you won’t miss out when it is ready to release!