Creating the Life You Want – It Starts With a Sketch

I had planned on sharing something else, but today I took the kids shopping. And I am SO exhausted. Seriously drained. And I realized tonight that I seriously do not like shopping. I also realized that many of the things I write about are not things that I’ve mastered, but things that I really need to pay attention to myself. So I’m taking that cue and going over another section of my e-book, hoping that I’ll take my own advice and give myself some TLC.

Build Meaningful Relationships

We are relational creatures. Doing life alone is not something that we were created for. For me, the biggest identifier of a successful person is not the amount of money in their bank account, but the number of meaningful relationships in their life. The most important thing for me this year is building relationships – in fact, I even dubbed it The Year of Building Relationships. I’m serious about this one.

Not only have I focused on building relationships with local friends, but I’ve looked online as well.There are so many people that I admire online and I know that if we lived close to each other, we’d be really good friends. So I’ve made it a point to get out of my comfort mediocrity zone and contact those people. I’ve done it through Twitter, Facebook and commenting on their websites. And I am so glad I’ve done that.

I’ve met some amazing people in person and am talking with more and more online every day. I did nothing more than reaching out and letting them know that I was there, gaining a lot from their information.

As for local friends, they’re really important, too. It’s cool to Skype with someone, but sometimes you just want to sit back and have a beer with a friend and shoot the breeze while you watch your kids play.

I’ve got a secret, though. They won’t flock toward you until you make the first move. Unless they’re reading this guide .

Everyone is busy and sometimes they just need to a nudge, like being invited over for dinner. And then they need to be asked out to coffee. Then you might let them know you’re going to the park and would enjoy their company. Building relationships with others is just like building a new habit – one contact probably won’t get you where you want to go.

Consistently take action.

Building these relationships will be especially helpful when you hit that point where you want to give up and go back to the way it was before. Don’t. Instead, tell your friends. They’re there to build you up and help you stay accountable.

And you know the saying, “It’s not what you know, but who you know”? It’s true. Linking arms with others and helping each other will catapult you both toward success and a life where you live your passion every day.

Action Step:

Who do you admire? Whose writing inspires you or makes you laugh? Surely there’s someone out there that’s made you say, “I bet we would be great friends if we knew each other!” Well, contact them. Send an email or tweet at them and let them know that you appreciate what they do.

If they have a blog, leave helpful comments so that they begin to recognize you. Retweet their stuff on twitter. Be helpful – not annoying. Connect with someone today that motivates and inspires you.

Locally, think of people you know that you’d like to get to know better. It could be from church, work or library story time. Approach them and ask if they’d like to join you for coffee or come over for dinner. Then, find out more about them.

Make it about them, not about you. If you have a hard time with that kind of stuff, check out Dale Carnegie’s, How to Win Friends and Influence People. This is a must read if you ever want to interact with anyone, anywhere.

Create Something Every Day

Creativity is a wonderful thing. The more creative you are, the more creative you become. When you intentionally apply your creativity every day, you find that it becomes easier and easier to do. And what good does that do? It opens your brain up to more creative solutions. You begin looking at things and thinking, “Hmmm, I think there is a better way.”

Creating on a consistent basis will also help your focus. Have you ever noticed how hard it is to check your email or read a new website without jumping over to Facebook and then another website? When you create something that you really enjoy, be it writing, painting or making something with your hands, you naturally focus on what you are doing because you love it.

Creating this habit will help you to focus in other areas of life, too, allowing you to be more productive and less frazzled.

Action Step:

You’re not creative you say? Well, I wasn’t either. Start with a drawing – my favorite is sketching a layout of my tiny dream house. Maybe you have a blog and want to write more regularly – this could be a profitable habit. Or you could paint, crochet, cook, sew, build, design, anything. Take a cooking or pottery class.

The possibilities are endless. When you find something you love to do, keep doing it. And then find a way to use your creativity to benefit someone else. Just start today and make a point to create something every day, no matter how small.

Ah, yes, I need to start creating something every day again. I think I’ll go sketch out my tiny house and go to bed. And Christmas is coming up…

If you’d like to read this e-book in its entirety right now, you can by following this link. It’s a free gift for joining my newsletter.

Go out and take action today.

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