Can you ever truly be happy if you don’t know who you are and what you want? After spending countless hours on work, responsibilities at home and basic survival needs, how much time do you allot towards self discovery? How would you feel if at the end of your life you look back and realize that 90% of your time was wasted on things that don’t even matter to you now?
The first step to living life on your own terms is to identify what your core values are and to prioritize them. For example, my core values are 1) Freedom 2) Purpose 3) Growth. Knowing my core values gives me a tool to utilize when making life decisions. Years ago I made a big decision to become self-employed. It hasn’t always been easy, but I love it. It satisfies all of my core values. Therefore I am continually willing to embrace the risk. Someone else may prefer to work for a company because security is one of their top values and so that’s the right choice for them. The key is to know your priorities so that you choose wisely and authentically.
There’s no “one size fits all” when it comes to core values. Your lifestyle should be a reflection of your personal values. That’s why it’s crucial to take the time to discover who you are and what you want. Otherwise you will likely find yourself living life by default, by someone else’s priorities: your parents, your partner or society.
The next step is to question every piece of your life to see if it fits into your core values. Leave no stone unturned. Living life on your own terms requires looking deeply within to separate what’s genuinely you and what’s societal programming. Do you really want to work all those extra hours in order to pay for a fancier car? Or is there an unconscious belief that a fancier car = societal approval = self esteem = happiness? When in reality, perhaps working less hours = less stress and more freedom = happiness.
Having the courage to let go of what doesn’t truly belong in your life will free up space to create a new, more fulfilling life experience. All the energy that was getting drained on inauthentic activities will become available for you to harness for your health, wellbeing and happiness. It will open the door to greater passion, purpose and confidence from being the navigator of your unique life journey.