Are you living Your Best Life?

While flipping through an Oprah Magazine, I came across this question, and it has stuck with me ever since. Periodically, I ask myself this, and periodically, I realize that I always fall short of living my Best Life. Why is that?

So I thought to myself: First of all, what is my BEST LIFE? This is a crucial question to ask of oneself, as it differs for each individual, but I am summing it up for me as – a life filled with balance, health, happiness, dreams, spirituality, great relationships, giving back to the world and making a connection with my soul. It could be completely different for you. All this is lovely, but it still seems so vague, doesn’t it? I am the type of person who needs to know that the things I am striving for are actually ATTAINABLE, that I can take those things and break them down into SMALLER PARTS, and accomplish those tasks to lead me to the ULTIMATE GOAL.

So, being the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People addict that I am, I start with Putting First Things First. This is Habit #3 of the 7 Habits, and one that I use the most, besides Seeking First to Understand, Then to be Understood. Putting first things first for me combines a couple of the other Habits that Stephen Covey talks about, namely, Be Proactive & Begin with the End in Mind. These two habits combined with Habit #3, is what he calls, the Private Victory – the essence of character growth and self-mastery. The reason I go back to this often is obvious – it is hard work to master one’s self, and requires a strong commitment to personal growth, which I don’t always have.

But that’s okay, because most of us are the same way, having to return over and over again, and to start anew. The great thing is that we CAN START AGAIN!!  Don’t worry about what others think of you (easy to say, hard to do), but seriously, you will notice that once you start to care less about what other people think of you, a whole new world is open to you – to explore, to try new things, new looks, new surroundings. You also realize that, in all honesty, people don’t really think of you that often! I don’t mean that you are insignificant, I just mean, that they are busy with their own lives and their own shortcomings that they are hoping no one will notice, so they really don’t have time to think of you.

Both Oprah and Stephen Covey arrive at the same conclusion: Living your BEST LIFE starts with being your best self – feeling good, looking good, finding a sense of balance and purpose. You cannot be successful with other people if you are not successful with yourself.

Here are some examples of people who consistently win their private victories:

Proactive people take responsibility for their own lives. They determine their own agendas and how they will follow them. They choose how to respond to what happens to them. Basically, not being reactive to any given situation.

People who consistently practice beginning with the end in mind, use a clear, personal vision, correct principles, and a deep sense of personal meaning to achieve their goals and accomplish their tasks effectively.

Those who put first things first exercise discipline, and plan and then execute by using their priorities to guide them along. They focus on being balanced and being productive, and develop a method that works for them, in order to reach their goals. Because they spend a significant amount of time, planning and preparing, they find that they are not always in the putting out the fire mode, which can be very draining!

If you need some help getting started, or just need some inspiration, here is a link to building your personal mission statement:

Build Your Personal Misson Statement

I have always loved Benjamin Franklin’s list of values and have used it often to create and re-create my mission statements, at different stages of my life. If you would like to read them, you may also find them very helpful:

Benjamin Franklin’s List of Values

There is no reason on earth why you cannot live your BEST LIFE!! Start TODAY. Start NOW.  If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and greet the next chance with a smile. You can do it!