Living A Life By Design
Tips & tricks on how to create a life by design so that you can live with energy, focus, & passion.
A little introduction…
Hello, my friend. I am so happy our paths crossed! I have been passionate about helping others my entire life. I thrive the most when I’m getting to serve others in various ways.
I am a woman who has big goals. Really big. Everyone knows that when you have big goals you must figure out a system that works for you, and then have the discipline to follow it. (P.S. No one is born with discipline. You must learn it!) I am blessed to say that I have found a system, and have acquired the discipline to follow it! (Well, MOST of the time. No one’s perfect 😉 ) This is possible because I have a huge vision for my life & refuse to settle for mediocrity.
First off – if you don’t have a passion or feel like you don’t have a purpose in life, I want you to think about what you love to do. Something you would do even if you were never going to get paid from it. Now be creative about ways you could potentially get paid for doing that thing. Example: You love painting. Maybe you could teach a painting class. / You love reading. Maybe you could learn to write. / You love fitness. Maybe you could become a personal trainer. / You love cleaning. Maybe you could start a blog about all of your cleaning tips, and/or start your own cleaning business!
Okay, so let’s get to it!
Living A Life By Design Tips & Tricks
1) Decide that you are NOT OKAY with always staying “comfortable”.
What does comfortable look like to you right now? By that I mean – what’s become your normal? The stuff you really dislike, but has somehow fallen into your lifestyle.
Staying at a job you hate? Living paycheck to paycheck? Living in an overweight or underweight body? Loving your job, but working way too many hours?
Changing these things starts with the DECISION to make a change.
You must DECIDE that you were made for more. Made for a life of happiness, love, & passion.
Without this decision you WILL NOT see any lasting change or have the motivation to keep pursuing your dream life during difficult times.
2) Write down your “Why”.
Your why is one of the most important things in your life & in your journey to creating a life by design.
I want you to dream BIG & think BIG. What will this life by design give you? Afford you? What change will you be able to make on the world? On your family tree? On your kids’ lives?
Here are some examples of what your life by design can give/get you:
A career you LOVE & thrive off of.
More time with your kids.
More time with your spouse.
Being excited to go to work, whether that’s from home or in an office.
Living prosperously & ditching the paycheck to paycheck lifestyle.
GIVING more money to charities & causes that YOU believe in.
More vacations.
A healthier body.
A body you LOVE.
Better relationships.
Better marriage.
Adopting a child.
Having more pets.
Moving across the globe.
Traveling across the globe.
Eating out when & where you want to!
Taking that luxury cruise vacation that you always had to turn down.
Driving a car you love & are proud of.
Starting the business/company that you have been putting on the back burner.
Owning a home.
Renting a luxury apartment in the nicest part of town.
Relaxing more often.
Being more active.
SHOPPING.
Buying organic groceries.
Investing for retirement.
Building schools.
Building orphanages.
Building churches.
Living with energy, passion, grace, & love!
A BETTER YOU.
Ladies & Gentlemen… THE LIST GOES ON.
It goes on to match & fit your hearts’ greatest desires! That is the beauty of it all!
We were born to create a life we are proud of & love. Not to be in debt, tired, & always feel sorry for ourselves.
Think about this: if you have the ability & resources to read this, you have more ability & more resources than MANY other people on this planet. Be grateful for that.
It’s NEVER too late. You can start now. You MUST start now! Let the fact that you manifested this article into your life be your sign. This can be enough!
& it starts with you.
3) Decide that you are not okay with being a slacker.
Tony Robbins always says – “It’s not a matter of recourses, but a matter of resourcefulness.”
We can truly make anything happen, we just have to have the determination & discipline to actually do it.
& there comes the genius in Nike’s “Just Do It”.
It really is as simple as that.
It won’t always be easy. Actually, it usually won’t be easy, but it will always be simple.
Think about it: it’s so simple to go to the gym, but not always easy. It’s so simple to eat a healthy meal, but not always easy. It’s so simple to make that phone call, but not always easy. It’s so simple to read a book that you know will teach you something or inspire you to work on your business, but not always easy or convenient. It’s so simple to work on your passion project for an hour, but not always easy.
These things take discipline. & discipline has to come from within you. You’ve got to mentally pick yourself up & JUST DO IT. Never wait for “motivation”.
You have created bad habits in the same way that you have & can create GOOD habits.
Examples of habits & how to make them good:
When you want to grab a snack, grab tea, fruit, dark chocolate, nuts, a protein shake, or some other healthy option instead of a sugary dessert.
When you want to skip the gym, commit to taking a 10 minute walk. You will either want to walk more, do another form of exercise, or at the very least you still got in a 10 minute walk.
When you want to say “I’ll make the call tomorrow”, use Mel Robbins’ technique and count down 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and MAKE THE CALL, or use Nike’s motto & JUST DO IT.
What we are doing here is changing your brain’s way of thinking. See, you’ve been on autopilot doing the same things & making the same decisions for so long that it just feels natural.
It feels natural to eat unhealthy, skip your workout, procrastinate the call, because that’s what you are used to.
You have the power, right now, to start making smarter decisions.
One small step at a time.
That’s what creating a life by design is about.
Taking small actions daily that will ultimately give you the life you crave & deserve.
4) Just begin.
It really is that simple. Don’t make it any more difficult than it has to be. <3
Here are some questions to ask yourself. Write down your answers in bulletin or paragraph form so that you can begin to see what your custom life by design looks like. (P.S. no one’s journey is perfect. There will be many bumps in the road, & some things may change. This is just to give you an idea & help you see the bigger picture.) 🙂
Do I love my job?
Do I want to work from home?
Do I want a different job?
Do I want more time freedom?
Do I want to travel more?
How do I want to impact the world?
Do I want to impact only my life, only my family’s lives, only my city, only my country, or the entire world? (Never be too afraid to dream big. Feel the fear & dream big anyway.)
Am I truly happy with my body?
Do I want to be healthier?
What do I really love to do/talk about?
Do I want to stay in this city, or would I rather move to a different one?
What does my perfect day look like?
Do I want to wake up earlier?
Do I want to have a family?
What kind of relationship with my spouse do I desire?
How much “free time” do I want to have?
How many hours per week do I want to work?
How do I want others to see me? (P.S. you must really BE that person for them to truly see you that way. There are no shortcuts. 😉 )
If I could completely transform my life, right now, what would it look like? What would I look like? How would I be dressed? How much energy would I have?
Now, start taking every small step possible to create that life.
It is yours, you just have to have the courage to make it happen.
5) Be kind & loving to yourself, while being brutally honest with yourself about who you need to become to create this life.
Self-love plays a huge role. Without it, you will never feel satisfied with your progress.
– You’ll lose weight & never think it’s enough.
– You’ll start a successful business & never think it’s enough.
– You’ll get your dream home & never think it’s enough.
You get the point.
Be kind enough to yourself to recognize your achievement, yet honest enough to see what area of your life needs growth.
Some of my top tips for learning to love yourself through the process of it all:
Look at yourself in the mirror & say kind things. It’s nice to add your name, too, although this may feel awkward at first. It’s just you, right? 😉
Things like: “Emily, I love you.” “Emily, I approve of you.” “Emily, you are beautiful.” “Emily, you have a beautiful heart.” “Emily, you have a beautiful body & it is working in your favor.”
The book “You Can Heal Your Life” by Louise Hay was a complete game changer for me & how I view myself. Thank you, Louise. I wish you were alive so that I could kiss you because of how grateful I am.
Stop continuously letting yourself down. Take the power. Teach your subconscious that you’re the kind of person who does what they say they’re going to do, not someone who always backs out. This takes time. Be patient with yourself, but don’t give too much slack.
Create a “miracle morning” for yourself. The book “Miracle Morning” by Hal Elrod is fabulous.
My miracle morning looks something like this: Drink water & maybe tea, light a candle, incense, or vaporizer, sit in silence with deep breathing, “2 chairs” aka have a chat with God (2 Chairs by Bob Beaudine is another great book), read a devotional & pray (I love devotionals “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young & “100 Days to Brave” by Annie F. Downs), journal my current thoughts & maybe some things I’m grateful for, say affirmations with feeling & emotion, visualize my ideal life & successes, read 5 pages of inspiration & 5 pages of knowledge, plan out the day ahead of me, what are my top priorities?
Constantly read books that are feeding you good information on your body, forgiveness, God, how to love yourself, etc.
Some of my book recommendations are: “The Body Book” by Cameron Diaz, “Body Love” by Kelly LeVeque, “The Self-Love Experiment” by Shannon Kaiser, “The Four Agreements” by don Miguel Ruiz, “As a Man Thinketh” by James Allen, “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert, “Unf*ck Yourself” by Gary John Bishop, “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne, “Think Better, Live Better” by Joel Osteen, “Girl, Wash Your Face” by Rachel Hollis, “Medical Medium” by Anthony William just to name a few.
This guide was created to help you get on the right track to living a life by design.
I want you to KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that you can do this.
You are strong, beautiful, worthy, & capable of creating your best life.
I am so excited to share this journey with you, & to be a recourse for you.
I would love to have a part in your journey! Send me an email, DM, or comment & tell me what steps you’re going to take today to start creating your life by design. <3
All my love,
Emily xoxo
