Aspire Magazine: Inspiration for a Woman's Soul.(TM) Oct/Nov2019 Aspire Magazine | Page 27
3.
John Lennon said, “Life is what happens
to you while you’re busy making other
plans.” Whether we are traveling or in
our own community at home, planning
everything out can often stifle our
creative expression. Life can’t surprise
us; there are no wow moments to be
experienced when you have everything
planned out. Instead of trying to control
everything, relax a little and leave room
for surprises.
We put so much pressure on ourselves
to have everything figured out. While
traveling, my itinerary was carefully
planned down to the hour. About two
weeks into my trip, I recognized how
limiting that was. So I let go of the structure
and dived deeper into each moment. It
led to so many amazing experiences
that never would have happened if I was
sticking to a plan. This doesn’t just apply
to travel. It is about every area of your
life. Where are you over-planning? We
try to control our life because we feel out
of control in certain areas. But when we
let life take us where it wants to go and
we trust the journey, we can experience
so much more fulfillment and joy. The
universe has a plan so much greater
than your own.
Choose Passion and Purpose
The power of feeling connected to
something larger than yourself is also
about a sense of purpose. You have a
purpose and it doesn’t always look like
one thing. So often we think we need to
do one job or have one clear mission,
but your life is a tapestry of experiences
and options. Instead of focusing so
much on purpose, just live more on
purpose and let your passion lead you.
5.
Play More
We live in a society in which people
wear exhaustion as a badge, trying one
up each other with how busy they are. In
fact, we don’t know how to rest or play
and we feel guilty when we take time to
enjoy the simple things. When was the
last time you did something just for fun?
Although I had a website called Play
with the World for years, I hardly ever
played. I loved what I did so much, and
my writing and coaching felt like play, but
no matter how much I enjoyed it, it was
work. It occurred to me that working all
the time, no matter how much I love it,
couldn’t be good. I was shutting myself
off from the rest of my life. All work and
no play will keep us trapped in a bubble,
with the rest of the world passing us by.
Furthermore, we are layered beings,
and we can’t get fulfillment from just one
place. Wanting to find all my joy in my
work is unbalanced, so I set out to do
more playful things, take part in activities
that I love, and by bringing play into my
life I expanded my world.
What do you love to do? Do more of it!
© 2019. An Excerpt from Joy Seeker: Let Go of What’s Holding
You Back So You Can Live the Life You Were Made For .
Shannon Kaiser - Shannon is the bestselling author of five books on the
psychology of happiness and fulfillment, including the #1 bestseller,
The Self-Love Experiment and Adventures for Your Soul and new book Joy
Seeker. As an international life coach, speaker and retreat leader, she
empowers people to trust and believe in themselves so they can live
their highest potential. She’s been named a top 100 Women to Watch
in wellness by mindbodygreen and “your-go-to happiness booster”
by Health magazine. She has also been recognized as a Must-Follow
Instagram Account for Inspiration by Entrepreneur magazine and a
Top Facebook Account for Daily Motivation by mindbodygreen. Visit
her website at playwiththeworld.com and connect with her on social
media @ShannonKaiserWrites.
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4.
Plan Less So You Can Live More