Living The Good Life: Secrets to a 5 star life!

Life can be difficult, strenuous, and downright hard sometimes, but there’s a sincere beauty about life that captivates me each day I wake up. In my years of living I have experience some difficult times that have made life challenging for me and my family. Sometimes I have wanted to just throw in the towel and run away from the life. And then there are times that I begin to reflect on the twist and turns of my life and I feel so thankful to be apart of this crazy thing. This week I wanted all of us to do some soul searching. Whether you’re going through a tough time or having the time of your life, I’m sure that you will find something useful in this post. Now buckle up and get ready to start living a bolder, freer, and more beautiful life right now!

1.     Be Mindful – Mindfulness is something I was introduced to when my daughter was exploring ways to de-stress from a challenging time in her life. After seeing how much peace mindfulness brought her I started to try it myself. Mindfulness is simply committing to being in that exact moment fully, without hesitation, or giving into thoughts that will come. It’s saying“ I’m here now and that’s all I will be is here”. I started practicing mindfulness and noticed the beauty of life around me. I began to by gaze at birds and the sky on my morning walks, or simply enjoying the crisp air of a new morning. I was committed and totally in tune. with life and myself. I couldn’t get enough of being in the present moment, and I have a feeling when you try it you will soon see that mindfulness is a necessary part of life. So go for it. Mindfully walk, eat, play, whatever just do it! Whatever you’re doing do it totally with no regards to anything else. I’m sure you’ll start seeing the change that you need to see very quickly.

2.     Say Yes! – Now parents I know you’re probably looking at me like, “I say yes every single day”, but I don’t mean saying yes to your children, spouse, or boss.  I mean saying yes to the things that scare you. Like saying yes to take a backpacking trip in Europe, skydiving, dancing, karaoke... WHATEVER. Simply saying yes is easy for some and difficult for others. For me, I’ve noticed that saying yes has open the door for me with my work and my personal relationships. I have seen the benefits of letting my guard down and saying yes more even when it scares me, even when I’m trembling. As long as I am safe and it’s within boundaries saying yes is sometimes exactly what you need to kick off a full life.

3.     Practice Gratitude – It is easy to say that you are grateful in an environment that encourages it, but what about the times when you’re not feeling so grateful. That’s when I would encourage you to do it even more.I find that when I’m angry or just upset that practicing gratefulness gives my attitude a 180. How could I be mad at life when I’ve got somewhere to live, a great loving husband, beautiful children, and so much more. Practicing gratitude has to become a staple in your life.  Each day when you wake up write down what you're grateful for, or say them out loud in prayer. I personally love doing this on days I just struggle getting up. How can I be mad at going to work when so many people want to work. That makes me kick the covers off and get to what I need to do! Just try it, please. You'll love it. 

4. Find Your Tribe -  Finding your tribe is a MUST if you're looking to find a good life. You can have all the riches, all the money, all the fame, but feel so lonely inside without someone to share it with. I strongly encourage finding a like community that loves you, cares for you, and shares a common interest with you. Sometimes that might not be family, and sometimes it is, but whoever it is find them, love them, and keep them close. If you're looking to find your people I strongly suggest getting involved in the community, joining a meet up group, or going to a church event. You never know who you might find that is just like you and looking for their tribe too!  

I am confident that these four tips will have you in know time appreciating life even more than before. You’ll begin to see the changes that you want in your life, and hopefully you will notice a change in your heart even more. Now get out there and go get it!

-Patrice