Living An Inspired Life Full of Joy

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“I’ve just been told that my chronic list making is stopping me from living an inspired life. What do you think?” Oh, my!  Laura’s comment stopped me in my tracks. I, personally, make a lot of lists but I love the idea of living an inspired life. Do I have to choose one or the other?

Laura had just come from an MJB Seminar and was overflowing with enthusiasm. The thought process behind list making is that “You are trying to alter your day to be something specific rather than just listening to your heart and let it lead your day inspired.”

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What is an inspired life?

What is an inspired life, anyway? I believe it is one that you live with passion. You find the purpose or calling of your life and follow your heart. You cannot wait for all the stars to line up or for everything to be perfect before you embark on this journey.  There will always be one more thing to do, so you have to just start. It’s OK to start small, but I do encourage you to dream BIG.

An inspired life has limitless possibilities and is overflowing with JOY. You just need to open your mind and your heart to the potential. You purposefully tell yourself, “I choose to live an inspired life full of JOY.” As hard as it is to do, we must shift from having a “mind full” of stuff to living in a “mindful” attitude.

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Make space for inspiration in your life.

But how do we shift our lives to add more inspiration and spark? Here’s a short list of some ideas to try:

• Know your passion. What is it that drives you? What makes you want to get up in the morning and conquer the world?

• Smile more often. Not only does a smile brighten your own moods, it is also good for the person receiving the smile.

• Listen to your heart. It knows the way. Let your heart guide you on your own inspired and JOYful path.

• Get out in nature and engage with the wildlife and the plants. It’s refreshing to observe the magnificent world around us.

• Be true to yourself. Live your life for you, not for what others think you should be doing.

• Declutter your life and home. Becoming a minimalist opens up space for you to be mindful about the important things in your life.

• Be thankful every day. Gratitude is the foundation of JOY. Develop the habit of saying “thank you often.

• Choose JOY! Every day, make a conscious effort to choose to be JOYful.

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To make a list or not…..

But, we still have not solved the list-making dilemma. It is easy to make long lists of everything we need to do and places we need to go. There’s grocery lists and honey-do lists. The ultimate list-maker has a list of their lists. Whew! It is definitely overwhelming. To that extent, I must agree with MJB Seminars that list-making is stifling the possibility of living an inspired life. There is no room for creativity or passion. We miss the small moments in life that, one day, we will wish we had cherished.

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Perhaps the lesson here is, don’t drown yourself with lots of lists and details. Take time to engage your brain and move out of your comfort zone.  Mitch with MJB says, “You can’t have comfort and growth at the same time.” Try setting weekly goals and reassessing them instead of writing down every task.

Empower yourself by knowing your vision and your purpose. Follow your creative inspiration and see where it takes you.  Wayne Dwyer said, “Inspiration doesn’t come from completing tasks or meeting goals.” Let’s give ourselves permission to go with the flow of the day. Visualize what an inspired life would look like to you. Listen to your inspired voice. Then take action.

The true sign that you are living an inspired life is that you are feeling JOYful while following your passion.

Taking time to dream, explore, and discover; that’s Living the Inspired Life full of JOY!      

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Here’s another article you will enjoy reading –
5 Simple Keys to Happiness and Joy

Hey, one more thing…
I’d love to have you join my Circle of Friends Newsletter and get joyful inspiration delivered right to your inbox once a month.
The link is below.
And… welcome!

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