Building a business is about more than sales, marketing, and flexing on social media. While those things tend to draw attention, they attract the wrong type of clients and are not how you build a sustainable and freedom-focused business.

It takes more than you feel is possible to have enough energy to do the growth work consistently. Successful businesses are more than the laptop lifestyle or all the other misleading things you see in social media ads. It’s more than the cute memes. 

Reaching new revenue milestones and achieving higher growth levels happens when you’re strategic about what you consume, who you connect with, and what you decide to implement. 

If you study any successful leader, you’ll see a person committed to their personal optimization. They spend time, energy, and resources focusing on creating healthy habits. They are the CEO of their life, leading to more focus on the growth of their business. Here are four essential growth strategies every leader should consider adding to their life and business as they’re building an empire. 

1. Be a Boss and Give Off Boss Energy

An entrepreneur tends to wear many hats, especially as you’re in the initial stages of building a business. You’re the salesperson, fulfillment specialist, onboarding team, tech support, and everything in-between. When you’re frantically doing all the work, you’re not giving off boss energy. When you don’t look at ways to leverage yourself, you’re not a CEO.

Finances may not be where you’d like them to be, but there are opportunities to outsource cost-effectively. If you aren’t there with your resources, ask yourself how many sales you’ll need to make today to afford outsourcing options — then, get to work. 

Your energy does all the talking before you ever do. Believe you’re a boss CEO and make decisions from a place of strength. Give off that strong energy that tells potential consumers you are someone they should pay attention to. 

2. Stop Chasing Opportunities 

Have you scrolled social media and seen a post that says something to the effect of, “I’m looking for X expert to help me do Z”? What you’ll notice next are hundreds of “pick me” commenters trying to get business. 

Too often, business leaders chase opportunities. The chasing vibe turns away high-end clients and is revealing. Those “pick me” posts are mainly for attention, and when you show up on one of them, it tells prospects you’re hurting. The chasing chases away business. 

Instead of chasing, nurture, and draw in potential business through solid content marketing and modern visibility strategies. When you show expertise through content, cold prospects want the next steps and invest with you. When you show up powerfully where your ideal consumers are, they want to know more. 

Boss level doesn’t chase. It’s strategic about the strategies and moves that need to happen for consumers to come to you. Think of any successful CEO; you don’t see them chasing. Believe in what’s possible and focus on nurturing instead of pursuing growth opportunities.

“Your big opportunity may be right where you are now.” – Napoleon Hill

3. Continue to Optimize Your Time

If you’re going to do everything it takes to build a business, you’ll need to optimize how you go about that. Your time is a precious resource that should be treated accordingly and have clear boundaries. You’re the CEO — your time should be spent on the high-level growth tasks that build a business over time. Don’t get caught in the busy work because that’s one of the quickest ways to stunt growth. 

The reality is that you probably don’t need more time. What needs to happen with your time is using it more effectively. Take full advantage of the time you do have by saying NO to distractions and focusing. 

4. Charge Based on Value and Deliver 

Charging more for products and services is an area that often frustrates too many business leaders. If you plan to deliver clear value, you can’t be afraid to charge according to that value and by respecting your time. 

Whatever your prices are, it’s a safe bet they’re low — your time is valuable. Often, entrepreneurs think the key to growth is more clients. Your next level of development can come from fewer clients but with higher prices. 

Once you do charge accordingly, make sure you deliver. Too often, entrepreneurs are better at selling than fulfilling. Don’t be that entrepreneur. 

Nothing stops you from living an unlimited life and building a business that creates freedom and financial security. You’ll get there with a strong mindset that’s ready to put in the consistent growth work. Use these four strategies and claim the business you deserve.

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The balance between life and business is an interesting conundrum. There are articles, books, podcasts, and videos that talk about the need for work-life balance. The reality is that the balance has to be specific to your situation, and it’s a lifelong process to attain. Business leaders should be more focused on optimization strategies that create freedom in an enjoyable way.

Your goal isn’t to have your business turn into a job. While at the same time, you’d like your business to create financial freedom and an avenue for you to live an optimized life. The path to achieving your goals happens with the right habits and consistent action daily.

The good news is that you can create a happy life while also building a business that scales. For growth to be a reality, you have to employ growth strategies that are realistic to maintain. Here are three business optimization strategies that create time, freedom, happy life, and help you achieve your success goals.

1. Use systems to scale without your constant and direct involvement.

Today’s tools and software allow you to get more done without requiring a lot of your time. The issue becomes the business leader feels as if they have to wear all the hats. Too many leaders handle client onboarding while also managing sales, fulfilling the work, creating content, and everything in between. They are the jack of all trades, and they can never make any progress towards their goals because they have too much going on.

You can create more growth enjoyable when you use software and automation to systematize your efforts.  That can be using software to automate a lot of the client process. It can mean hiring a virtual team to help with various aspects of the business, even if it’s on a project basis. The point is to leverage modern growth options without having to add more responsibility to your plate.

“To be successful in business and in life, spot the possibilities while others look for problems.” – Robina Sharma

2. Focus on revenue over looking successful. 

Growth in life and business happens when there’s real growth. The world of social media gives us flashy images of success that tend to be built on a house of cards. Have you ever noticed that the most successful people in life aren’t flashy and don’t talk about wealth? The ones you see talking about six or seven figures end up being the ones trying to sell you on a program. You have to buy into their flash; otherwise, they won’t sell any of their programs. They’re selling you on a lifestyle.

The goal is to model the old saying, “make power moves in silence.” There is an important aspect of sharing what’s going on with your community, but a part of the growth process happens in private. Your goal should be to generate revenue instead of looking like you’re generating revenue. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks; they’re not paying your bills. Focus on doing the things that grow revenue, and let the results you’re getting for other people do the talking for you. 

3. Only work on the things you want to be doing. 

We spend so much of our time and effort working on what we think we should do in life. It may be societal programming or things our parents have taught us, but we don’t spend enough time doing what we actually want to do.

We create a business model that is not enjoyable to us. We take on clients we know are not a good fit and let too many people cross our boundaries. We wake up every day, look at our schedule, and start to feel dread because our day isn’t filled with the things we want to be doing.

It’s time for us to take a step back and think about how we want to show up and spend our time. The key to growth and a happy life is building a business doing the things that we want to do, which brings us joy. You use a growth model that has all of the elements that help you accomplish your goals.

Stop chasing a false image of success, and things you think will make you successful. Take time to think about the life you’d like to create and the path to get there. Think about the things that will bring you joy, and that’s how you should be spending your time.

You have some thinking to do. It’s time to have an authentic conversation with yourself about what sort of life and business you’d like to be creating. It would help if you did not spend a single moment doing things that don’t bring you joy.

Use these business optimization strategies to figure out what changes need to be made and make those changes. Get consistent in the action you’re taking to build your wealth and create more happiness in your life. Stop chasing a social media image of success and focus on creating success starting from within.

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Many people struggle with getting motivated to start their day off with a sense of mindfulness, calm, groundedness, and ease. There are plenty of reasons why this happens. Some people simply don’t know where to begin. Others may not know what to do or how to start. Still, others may feel too tired to even think about starting something new. Whatever the reason, there are several simple steps you can take to motivate yourself to create a more mindful morning.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a quality of awareness that recognizes the present moment, including thoughts, feelings, sensations, and perceptions. It focuses on the here and now, rather than being caught up in past or future events. Mindfulness helps us to live in the present. It is a skill that can be learned and cultivated over time.

Mindfulness is a term used to describe being aware of one’s thoughts, feelings, sensations, and actions. Mindfulness is the awareness that arises through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and without criticism or judgment. It involves being fully engaged in the here and now, rather than getting lost in thought or daydreaming.

Benefits of a mindful morning ritual

Mindful mornings are a great way to start your day off on a positive note. Being mindful helps you live in the present moment and appreciate all that exists around you. A mindful morning ritual can boost your energy and make you feel calmer and more centered throughout the day. You will be more productive and motivated. Your mind will be primed for positive thinking and creativity.

Being fully aware of where you are right now will allow you to make decisions based on reality rather than emotion. This allows you to act from a place of wisdom rather than fear. Plus, research has associated the regular practice of mindfulness with increased memory, focus and concentration and decreased emotional reactivity.

How to create a mindful morning routine

A mindfulness routine doesn’t have to be complicated or require too much extra time. If you’re looking to create a more mindful morning, try starting small. Start by setting aside just 5 minutes each morning to practice a mindful morning task or technique. Start with one thing at a time. Don’t overwhelm yourself trying to fit everything in right away. Just pick one aspect of your daily routine and see how it goes. Then slowly build from there. Try to add another small thing to your routine to make it more meaningful.

If you are having trouble motivating yourself in the morning, try to remember the last time you felt truly excited about your day. What was it that made you feel like you couldn’t wait to get going? Try to recreate those thoughts and feelings as you go to bed and right when you wake up.

10 ways to make your mornings more mindful

To-do lists can feel a bit overwhelming from time to time. Sometimes it seems like the more you get done, the longer your list gets, and prioritizing what to do can feel like a herculean task. But how many of those items on your to-do list are actually serving you? Rarely do we bother to think about what we could do for ourselves. If you don’t take care of yourself, everything else gets harder. I’ve found five essential things to put on my to-do list that make my days more mindful, productive, and healthy.

1. Get enough quality sleep.

The success in cultivating mindfulness in the morning rests on a foundation of having enough sleep and a nourishing nightly ritual. Waking up rested and refreshed allows you to have the mental clarity, physical energy, and motivation to incorporate mindful moments as you get ready for your day.

2. Wake up early.

Try waking up 5–15 minutes before you need to leave for school or work to create space for more mindfulness in your morning. It will be very difficult to add to your morning routine if you don’t start by adding a bit of extra time. Plus, by not rushing through your morning, you might find yourself feeling more energized, less stressed, and ready to take on the day. If you wake up late, you will create a frantic mental state and an unproductive mindset, which makes it harder to stay focused and calm throughout the rest of the day.

3. Set an intention or goal.

Get clear on what you want to achieve by adding more mindfulness to your morning. Setting some kind of intention, affirmation or goal provides enthusiasm, motivation and to get out of bed and start your day on the right foot.

4. Do something slowly with your full attention.

The quickest and easiest way to add some mindfulness to your morning is to hack your existing routine. You can practice mindful awareness as you make your bed, brush your teeth, drink a cup of coffee or tea, or eat your breakfast. Whatever task you choose, work on slowing down, focusing all of attention on your breath, body movements and other senses as you do this task.

5. Move your body.

Carve out at least a few minutes to move your body every single morning, especially if you work a desk job. Go for a walk, do a 10-minute yoga sequence, attend a full hour-long class at your local studio… it doesn’t matter how you do it, just get up and get moving. Regular movement can help you maintain a healthy weight, fight off heart disease, maintain low levels of cholesterol, keep your blood sugar down, and so much more.

6. Take a breather.

Adding five to ten minutes of meditation to your morning routine is ideal, but even taking time throughout the day to focus on your breath can be extremely powerful in helping you reduce stress and manage anxiety. Next time you are in a long line at the grocery store or stuck in traffic, rather than stressing about the wait, use the pause as an opportunity to connect to your breath. Even if you are having a busy morning, taking time for a few deep breaths can make all the difference between being able to handle whatever comes next with ease versus getting overwhelmed. You can experiment with the different types of yogic breathing exercises to bring more energy or inner-calm to the start of your day.

7. Practice gratitude.

Gratitude has been scientifically proven to lead to healthier relationships, better physical health, better psychological health, higher empathy, lower aggression, better sleep, higher self-esteem, and more mental strength. So whether you start keeping a gratitude journal or just pause for a moment in the morning to remind yourself what you are grateful for, gratitude should absolutely be on your daily to-do list.

8. Spend time in contemplation.

How often do you sit down with no other agenda than to sit and contemplate? We are always moving, doing, and acting, often with little or no time spent considering why. By giving yourself just five minutes to sit with your thoughts, you can bring intention to everything you do. Ask yourself questions like, “What do I need?” and “Are my thoughts and actions helpful?” When you contemplate questions like these, you clear the way for more meaningful and focused behaviors.

9. Embrace silence.

Recent studies have shown that silence can be incredibly beneficial for our brains and bodies. By adding silence to our morning routine, we are giving our brain some much needed TLC. I like to wake up before the rest of my household every morning and sit with a cup of tea and a journal, just contemplating in silence and writing anything down that might pop up. I know others who prefer to sit in silence for a few minutes before going to bed. Even just showering in silence instead of playing music can be a worthwhile change to try. Adding just a bit of quiet time to your morning can make all the difference to your day!

10. Practice kindness and compassion.

Being compassionate for yourself or another person can be a form of mindfulness. The first step of compassion and kindness is attuning to the feelings of yourself or another person. The more present you can become to these feelings, the more understanding, acceptance, tenderness, kindness, and love you can bring towards your expression of compassion.

Practice every day

I created this list as a framework. It has a few general ideas of ways to improve your day every day, but don’t become obsessed with trying to follow this (or any) to-do list. Every day is different and we are all imperfect beings, so take it day by day and minute by minute. While I think this to-do list can be extremely powerful if practiced every day, the real goal is to learn to take care of yourself and carve out a little bit of time every morning to do things that make you a happier and healthier person.

What activities or practices would you add to this list? How has creating a mindful morning routine improved your life? Share them in the comments below!

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If you took a good hard look in the mirror and thought about your life, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? For too many people, the reality is that you’re not spending your time the way you want to. Too much of your agenda is driven by outside circumstances.

If you thought about what made you happy and how much of that you were incorporating into your life right now, the thought would frustrate you. Successful leadership happens from a place of freedom and the ability to spend your time on what you want to be doing.

If you looked at your goals, how many are what you truly want? If you’re not experiencing the kind of success and growth you’d like in your life, the reality is that your daily choices are keeping you from that place.

If it’s your goal to optimize your growth, which in turn creates more of it and leads to getting more done, it’s time to look at the daily choices you’re making. It’s time to get honest about whether or not you’re making decisions from a place of self-prioritization.

Here are three daily choices that help you pursue growth in a way that aligns with your vision, purpose and the things you want to do. Here’s how to have happier life experiences. 

1. Adjust your schedule to be proactive versus reactionary

Too often, we don’t end up spending the time we’d like to on our goals, dreams, and the things that create freedom. This misalignment happens because we’re living life reactionary. We’re trying to catch up to items on our to-do list, and as we’re doing the work, new demands come in.

When we think about our schedule and what we have to do, we’re always behind instead of being proactive. Successful leaders have figured out that if they’re going to accomplish more and create freedom, their schedule must be optimized and full of power moves.

One of the keys to exponential growth is setting a schedule from a place of self-prioritization and not letting outside circumstances influence your schedule. You create a routine and a schedule that is proactive and allows you to work in focused blocks.

Being proactive means you set boundaries in your schedule, with outside circumstances, and with yourself — to stay focused. Stop living life feeling as if you’re always trying to catch up. Take a breath, look at what makes sense, and create a schedule that allows you to feel like you’re the CEO of your life.

“It is not the length of life, but the depth of life.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

2. Find an optimized daily routine that works for you

YouTube is littered with “day in the life” videos and “how I start my morning” content. If you looked at those videos, you’d probably be shocked at the number of views, comments, and engagement. These videos are so successful because people are desperately searching for a routine that could work for them.

A lot of those videos tend to be staged, but the idea behind them has some merit. While a specific routine worked for somebody else, it doesn’t mean that routine would be the best fit for your life, archetype, and how your body operates.

To foster optimized growth, you have to find a routine that works for you. That routine might be waking up early in the morning, working later at night, working in two-hour blocks, or everything in between. The key to a powerful routine that allows you to get more done is knowing yourself. This growth starts from a place of self-awareness.

To get more done, accomplish your goals, and live a freedom-based lifestyle, you have to find an optimized routine that allows you to work, play, and live life in a way that makes sense for your architect.

Your success will not necessarily come from modeling the success of somebody else. We’re all human beings and have different goals, ambitions, and archetypes. Successful leaders figure out what schedule and routine work best for them, and they implement it consistently. That’s the key — once you’ve found what works for you, consistency will be the way you create growth.

3. Break up the constant work with pleasure

If the Instagram memes were to be believed, the hustle 24-7 lifestyle is the only way to success. Let me let you in on a little secret — it’s not. Too many leaders are chasing an image of success that burns them out and frustrates them towards the process. If you’re all work with no pleasure built into your life — what’s the point?

Work in a focused way and get more done, but you should also incorporate moments of fun and pleasure. You can create a routine that has you working for a specific time, and the reward for that focused work is pleasure. That pleasure could be watching a fascinating YouTube video, watching TV, playing video games, reading a book, or listening to a podcast.

Only you know what pleasure means for you, but the goal is to train your brain to look forward to a reward for all of your hard work. Dan Miller is quoted as saying that when people look at his life, he doesn’t want them to be able to differentiate between whether he’s working or playing. It all mixes.

You’re working hard on your goals and creating a better version of yourself. You want to create a life that gives you flexibility and freedom. That life should be filled with an abundance of pleasure alongside hard work. Remember why you’re doing this, and remember that you have to take care of yourself first. Human beings are designed to appreciate pleasure.

The success, growth, and accomplishment you seek are possible when you optimize your daily choices and create a life from a place of what you want to be doing. Stop chasing someone else’s image of success, and don’t be influenced by the unseen pictures on social media of what it means to be successful.

If you’re going to have the necessary strength and energy to accomplish your goals and create a successful life, it has to come from an optimized place. Take care of yourself first and foremost. Drive towards the vision of success that you want to attain.

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If you spent time studying greatness and the leaders who went before us and created success, you’d see a group of individuals that came to understand the power of a strong mindset.  The word “mindset” is described as “a mental attitude or inclination” by Merriam-Webster. It’s one of the leading indicators of creating success, accomplishing goals, and living a fulfilled life.

If you can’t visualize your goals, you’ll have a difficult time taking action. If your mindset is not one of “this is already done, I just need to put in the work to get there.” If you don’t have that mindset, you’ll always wait for the other shoe to drop every time you experience success in life.

Having a relentless mindset is more than a meme on Facebook or a cute Instagram quote picture. It’s a religion. It’s a way of life that leads to healthy habits you implement every day as you take action despite unexpected circumstances and moments when giving up feels easier.

Everywhere you look, there’s no shortage of people that are searching for ways to live a happier life, have better relationships, lose weight, create more financial freedom, and improve their lives. What’s missing is understanding the importance of their mindset and doing to work to become stronger mentally. A relentless mindset is one of the key ingredients in creating sustainable change. 

Today’s access to information gives us a vivid picture of how your mindset can help you accomplish goals while putting in the work to help you become the best versions of yourself. Create these relentless success-focused mindsets to beat fear and live out success. 

“No matter what, people grow. If you chose not to grow, you’re staying in a small box with a small mindset. People who win go outside of that box. It’s very simple when you look at it.” – Kevin Hart

Invest resources into knowing yourself better than you know anything

The journey to success starts with self-awareness. Learning and knowing yourself is a crucial ingredient for creating personal growth. If you don’t understand what makes you move or not move, you won’t know whether to push, rest, or move on. You listen to your limiting beliefs when you can’t distinguish the difference. You end up thinking they’re the truth because you don’t know enough about yourself to understand this is the time to be real with yourself. 

Without finely tuned self-awareness, you won’t know what success path to follow that leads to accomplishing your goals. A lack of self-awareness means you won’t see the tripwires to avoid and what would help you overcome unexpected challenges. Take as much time as it takes to learn more about yourself and develop a better appreciation of what makes you unique. Invest resources into mental health professionals, hire coaches, watch videos, read books, listen to podcasts, read articles, and become a Ph.D. level in knowing who you are. 

You are your most extraordinary life project to accomplish. Take your self-awareness journey seriously and learn more about yourself every day.

Make consistency in taking action your only choice

Creating relentless mindsets takes consistent action and a daily commitment to healthy habits in every area of your life. However, consistency has to be long term and relentlessly pursued. Success can’t be something you do while it feels good — it has to be a lifestyle. 

If you want to beat fear and imposter syndrome, being consistent should be the only option you’ll give yourself even if life gets hard. You decide to wake up and commit to physical movement. You make the understanding of energy-based healthy nutrition choices a priority. You have a plan for your days, weeks, and months based on accomplishing your goals in a specific amount of time. You stay away from energy-drainers that you know will sabotage your journey to consistency. 

You relentlessly take actions day in, day out, and make it your mindset and lifestyle instead of viewing it as things you’re trying to change in your life. You become and stay relentless in the commitment to excellence. 

Love yourself and mean it

You may think you understand self-care, but consuming content on the topic and implementing self-love principles are two different mindsets. Taking care of yourself gives you the mental bandwidth and energy to create a relentless success-hungry routine. Treat your relationship with yourself as the most valuable relationship in your life. 

The pursuit of creating success should be you taking care of yourself first and foremost and giving yourself what you need to feel good. Success happens when you show up powerful through consistent self-care routines that take care of your mind, body, and spirit. You can’t always be on. 

Never stop doing what makes you feel good about yourself, your goals, and what you can accomplish. Creating a relentless mindset comes from a place of putting yourself first and then thinking about helping others. 

“I think anything is possible if you have the mindset and the will and desire to do it and put the time in.” – Roger Clemens

Become a 1% success-seeker

Creating success means you level up in every area of your life in more than words. You don’t spend time posting on social media about what you’re going to do — you make big moves and let your action do the talking. You shift what you’ll accept. 

A success-based mindset means you set the boundaries with everyone and don’t let people or situations cross those boundaries. You keep a circle of high-level, achieving leaders that crave growth. You have regular self-performance reviews. You create healthy habits to make sure you’re on track. You have accountability. 

1% success happens when you work in silence and let your results tell the world where you’re going in life. The success you seek is born in the mindset you’re building every day with each decision. Make your journey to success the most remarkable project and focus in your life. Be relentless in becoming your best you.

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Creating a vision of the future is a process that begins with your identifying what’s most important to you. 

It begins with describing the life you want without sparing the details.

To create a vision in words, you first need to see one in your mind.

And to do that, you need to know exactly what you want to see in every area of your life. 

The nine steps described below can help you overcome your hesitation and finally articulate a vision that’s 100% yours. 

What Is a Vision for Life? 

Your vision for the future has to do with every area of your life. Describe what you want for each of those areas, and you can then sum up your vision in a brief vision statement.

It’s similar to a mission statement but with a crucial difference: mission statements focus on the present — what you’re doing now to realize your personal or professional mission.

Your vision focuses on the future. 

Start by listing each of the categories and brainstorming what you want for each: 

• Relationships — a loving and compatible partner; good relationships with your children; close friends who are always there for you (and vice-versa).
• Health — physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health; an enjoyable and effective fitness routine; optimal nutrition; an empathetic/challenging therapist.
• Self-Care — taking time every day to meet your own needs.
• Career — getting started, building your brand, advancing in your chosen field.
• Finances — paying off debt, saving for retirement, setting aside money for travel.
• Home — buying a house, making DIY home repairs, finding an apartment you love.
• Education — college degree, reading, online courses, certifications, internships.
• Recreation — travel and adventure, hobbies, new challenges, vacation plans.
• Community — volunteering; supporting causes you believe in; joining protests.

Think of the categories you could expand on for a whole life vision board or a series of boards focusing on specific areas of your life. Expand on every one of them. 

9 Steps to Create A Vision for the Future 

With all the categories to consider for your overall vision, the prospect of summing it all up in one statement can seem impossible or reductive.

The following nine steps can help you work through the process and create a statement covering all the bases. 

1. Deepen Your Self-Knowledge

Get to know yourself and your deepest desires better. Otherwise, you’re likely to repeat the visions you’ve heard others express and adopt them as your own. 

They sound admirable enough, after all. Maybe that’s what you (should) want, too. 

As you grow, your vision will likely change — partly because you have a better grasp of who you are and what you want and partly because you’ve learned to think for yourself. You’ve decided to stop basing your life on other people’s values and priorities.

Your identity, your life, and your vision are yours and no one else’s. 

2. Ask Yourself the Right Questions

Make a list of questions related to the categories listed above, using the following examples as a starting point: 

• Relationships — How do you see your closest relationships? What changes do you want to see? What seems impossible right now but still highly desirable?
• Health —What health challenges are you facing? Who will help you face them? What progress do you want to see?
• Career — What is your dream career, and why? Where do you want to be with your career 3/5/10 years from now? What do you need to get there?

Ask yourself each question and answer it truthfully. 

3. Review Your Past

What can you learn from your past and your present to help you build your vision for the future? 

What opportunities have you passed up because you feared the consequences of failure or because you knew it didn’t match your life or habits, and you feared the cost? 

What choices have you made that have taken you in directions you didn’t want to go? And what have you learned from your experiences? 

You can take responsibility for your choices without torturing yourself for them. How do past decisions relate to your habits? And what will you do differently from now on? 

4. Let Your Imagination Run Wild (and Take Notes)

Give yourself permission to daydream and imagine your life as you want it to be. 

Even if some parts of it seem impossible or out of your reach, there’s no telling what solutions you might think of if you’ll just allow yourself to dream. If you still ache for something lacking in your life, giving up on it won’t make the ache fade away. 

If anything, it just goes deeper and affects more of your life until you decide to do something about it. Daydreaming about what you want gets your mind working on how to get there. Don’t forget to take notes. 

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5. Plan Backwards

Once you know what you want your future to look like, you can plan for the present by asking yourself what needs to change and how you’ll change them. 

List the things in your present that you don’t want to see in your future. List the things in your future that you don’t see in your present. Then outline the changes you need to make and the habits you’ll need to build to make those changes stick. 

6. Choose New Habits

Decide what new habits you want to build to replace those holding you back and keeping your mind in a perpetual fog. 

With those new habits come new thoughts — ideas you haven’t thought of before. This is the power of good habits; what you do influences how you think. Your patterns of acting influence your habits of thinking. 

Choose those that will get you closer to your vision.  

7. Create a Vision Board

You can create a large one to hang up in your home or workspace or use a journal or scrapbook to create something more portable. The point is to make a physical and visible representation of what you want to see in your future (as well as your present). 

Every vision board should reflect what you want, not what you think you should want. 

If you’d rather create something you can access on your phone or tablet, you can also create a vision board on a website or using an app. 

8. Find Inspiration in the Visions of Others

Look to examples of other’s visions and pay attention to your internal responses to each. Retain what resonates; disregard what doesn’t. 

And don’t forget to talk to the people you want to keep in your life to get their insights on your life in the present and what they’d like to see in your future. 

Ask them about their own personal visions, too. What could you do to help them create their own visions for the future?

While drawing inspiration from them, you might also inspire them to take more consistent action toward their own goals. 

9. Sum Up Your Vision

Take what you’ve written so far about your vision for the future, and sum it up in a brief but powerful statement. 

If you write stories, think about how you put yourself in your main characters’ heads and write dialogue by essentially taking dictation for the voices you hear. 

Imagine one of your characters is having an epiphany and finally articulating what they genuinely want — with a few well-chosen words. 

Sample Statement of a Vision of the Future

If you’re not sure how to sum up the results of the steps described above, reading some examples of personal vision statements, like the ones in this post, can bring it all together. 

Here’s one example to get you started: 

“ Although I value my introverted nature, I intend to experience more human connections in my life. I recognize the value of stretching myself and interacting with more people.

To this end, I am setting the goals of joining a book club and hosting dinner parties twice a year.” 

Ready to Create Your Life Vision?

Now that you know how to create a vision for the future, what will you do today to get closer to articulating your own? What will you do to get closer to it?

You are responsible for the path you’re on right now. Take a hard look at where that path is leading you and ask yourself if that’s where you want to be. 

If it’s not, look at where you do want to be, and find out what it will take to get there. 

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There’s no denying it, life is stressful. From the second you rise out of bed in the morning, to the second you collapse back into bed at night, stress is unavoidable. Some days, the stressors are big and seem to consume our entire day. Other days, the stressors seem to be small, but they make us feel like we’re climbing a mountain just to get through our day. Yoga is great for your daily life, whether you need relief from stress or are looking to maintain a calm, clear-minded state. Yet there are times when you need a bit more inner-peace on your mat! We’ve found eight easy ways to help you create and deepen a sense of equilibrium and tranquility for the days when you need a bit more calm.

What is equilibrium and tranquility?

Equilibrium and tranquility are often two buzzwords that come up in yoga, but what do they mean and why are they important? It’s easy to interpret these terms as just referring to relaxation, but in fact these are the goals of all yoga. Equilibrium, or samatvam, is a state of balance in which a person is not overly active, or overly passive, and is able to maintain a calm focus on a task. Tranquility is defined as the state of being at peace. Both equilibrium and tranquility are needed to maintain a healthy body and mind, and to live a fulfilling, happy life. A general yoga practice is a great way to cultivate the mental qualities of equilibrium, equanimity and tranquility, as it balances the body, mind, and spirit. Yoga also contains specific techniques to guide both our bodies and our minds into a deeper state of harmony, inner peace and oneness with the world around us.

Yoga Tips for Equilibrium and Tranquility

The very translation of Hatha Yoga implies balance. “Ha” refers to sun, “tha” to moon, and yoga means “to yoke” or “to join.” When we create equality between the opposites within (solar/lunar, hot/cold, hard/soft), we experience balance. While this state of equilibrium and tranquility is inherent in yoga, we can also take steps to further promote and cultivate these qualities in our practice. On the days you need a boost of tranquility, add one or more of the following exercises to your regular routine.

Nadi shodhana

Alternate nostril breathing is one of the most effective methods to center yourself. Try it after an argument, before a presentation, or anytime you feel anxious. By clearing and balancing the solar (pingala) and lunar (ida) energy pathways, this pranayama practice creates feelings of harmony and peace. Try starting or ending your asana practice with 1-3 minutes with this calming breath.

Mantra

One of the quickest ways to gather scattered energies is through the repetition of a mantra. Mantras can be practiced silently or aloud, with or without a mala, though those who use a mala find that over time it becomes charged with intent, imparting a sense of well-being the moment the beads are touched. The mantra So-hum (“I am that”) is simple and powerful as it cultivates an inner awareness of being in the present. After several cycles of breath, the mantra may become hamsa, known as the White Swan Meditation. You can chant mantras at the start of your practice to calm and center the mind. You can also incorporate mantras to keep you present and focused while holding yoga poses.

Mudra

The most familiar mudras use the hands and fingers to close pranic pathways, allowing energy to re-circulate through the body. Anjali mudra, the gesture of prayer, balances through the equal pressure of the right and left palms. For Bhairava mudra, rest your hands on your lap, right over left, palms up. Though this mudra is named for the fierce aspect of Shiva, it’s so simple and natural that it’s ideal for meditation or pranayama…or for a discreet energetic tune-up, perhaps while you’re seated on an airplane or at a conference table. In the feminine version, Bhairavi, the left hand is on top. As your awareness becomes more refined, notice the different feeling-tone between the two variations.

Balance poses

Attempting Vrksasana (Tree Pose) or Virabhadrasana III (Warrior III) teaches us very quickly that it’s virtually impossible to balance externally without first balancing within. Through the one-pointed focus of drishti, the mind stills. As the mind stills, the breath calms, and then the body becomes the teacher. In this way, we practice the niyama of svadhyaya within asana. Svadhyaya is usually translated as self-study, or the study of scripture and balance poses in particular can help us understand one of the seemingly contradictory themes of yoga, the inaction within action (Bhagavad Gita 4:18). Experiment with one of these practices the next time you feel off-kilter. Like Goldilocks, you’ll discover that between “too hard” and “too soft,” there’s a middle way that’s just right.

Calming poses

Some of the most calming yoga poses to relieve stress are the simplest ones, yet they can provide a powerful boost of tranquility to a sequence. You can find peace and tranquility by practicing calming forward bending poses like Child’s pose, Wide-Legged Forward Bend pose and Forward Fold pose. Hip stretches and heart opening poses are also helpful to promote peace and calm. Practice more of these types of poses and notice which ones create the most tranquility in your practice.

Yoga nidra

Yoga nidra is a Sanskrit term that translates roughly to “yogic sleep”, but it is not the same as the sleep we go through at night. It’s essentially a guided meditation designed to allow “conscious awareness of the inner space of your being” that is similar to Shavasana pose. It is a deep state of relaxation that is like hypnosis that can be added to the end of an asana practice or used independently to promote tranquility.

Soothing music

Playing some soothing yoga music during your practice is an easy way to help you get into the zone and return you to a place of balance and calmness. You can find yoga music that is especially designed for yoga practice to can help you reach higher states of calm and focus. It’s also fine to play any type of music that helps you attain a state of peace and calm.

Tranquil environment

Practicing in a calm and tranquil environment will boost your equanimity and also support all of the above techniques. Be mindful of the decor and environment when you choose to practice at a yoga studio. If you practice at home, take time to set up a soothing and tranquil yoga space. Choose a sunny and quiet room or corner in your house, and fill it with plants, yoga props, cozy pillows and blankets.

What are some of your tried-and-true methods for regaining your center and finding equilibrium?

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