The other day I started thinking about what it means to live an exceptional life.
To me, you live an exceptional life by living your authentic life.
To me, you live an exceptional life by living your authentic life.
To me, living an exceptional life means living a life doing the things that bring me joy.
And that means ignoring the things other people think I should be doing if they don't bring me joy.
It is about looking at each opportunity that comes along and deciding if it will make me happy.
It is about doing the things that will make me happy and passing on the things that won't.
Taking time for me, not being bullied or shamed into doing things that don't feel right, embracing my uniqueness.
A mediocre life is one filled with other people's priorities. A life filled with things that you feel like you have to do but don't want to do. A job you aren't passionate about. Helping out with things you don't care about. Thinking that taking time for yourself is selfish.
One example of my life going from mediocre to exceptional was when I started homeschooling my two daughters. I let go of everyone's "shoulds" about what they should know to be successful in life, about how they should experience middle school conflict to learn how to navigate society as a grown up, about how they should go to school so they have a normal life. I let go of the shoulds and realized that would brought us joy was studying things that we love, being together as a family, having downtime to explore our interests, and having a social life that comes after school hours. I embraced what brought us joy and let go of the opinions of others. Moving into my authentic happiness was exceptional!
One example of my life going from mediocre to exceptional was when I started homeschooling my two daughters. I let go of everyone's "shoulds" about what they should know to be successful in life, about how they should experience middle school conflict to learn how to navigate society as a grown up, about how they should go to school so they have a normal life. I let go of the shoulds and realized that would brought us joy was studying things that we love, being together as a family, having downtime to explore our interests, and having a social life that comes after school hours. I embraced what brought us joy and let go of the opinions of others. Moving into my authentic happiness was exceptional!
Living an exceptional life is about knowing what genuinely makes you happy and brings you joy and filling your life with those things.
Know what you love and do it!
Know what you love and do it!
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To me, living an exceptional life is about continually growing in areas that are interesting and important to me.
It is about making room for learning and exploring.
It is about, in each moment, becoming a better version of myself.
Reading books, taking classes, being interested, being observant.
A mediocre life is stagnant. Conversations filled with nothing but gossip. Hours of pointless TV. Never trying anything new.
I went from mediocre to exceptional when I started learning again. After college ended, so I thought did learning. I just did my job, went to the gym, watched TV, and went out with friends. But in my thirties I realized my life was pretty empty. And I started picking up books about things. Astrology, gardening, art, alternative education. Then I found classes and podcasts. And I found a tribe of people who love to learn about the things that spark me and had started having opinions and conversations that mattered. Feeding and nurturing my authentic self was exceptional!
I went from mediocre to exceptional when I started learning again. After college ended, so I thought did learning. I just did my job, went to the gym, watched TV, and went out with friends. But in my thirties I realized my life was pretty empty. And I started picking up books about things. Astrology, gardening, art, alternative education. Then I found classes and podcasts. And I found a tribe of people who love to learn about the things that spark me and had started having opinions and conversations that mattered. Feeding and nurturing my authentic self was exceptional!
Living an exceptional life is about being observant and determined in order to let your greatest and truest self develop.
Know who you are and keep going deeper!
Know who you are and keep going deeper!
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To me, living an exceptional life means caring about things much greater than myself.
It is about being a steward of kindness and compassion and connection,
Taking care of the earth, helping people live without fear, giving what I can to make someone's life easier.
A mediocre life is being focused on only what's good for you. Thinking that giving to someone less fortunate is being taken advantage of. Turning your back on the suffering inflicted on others. Looking for the opportunities that give you more than you need.
For years I worried only about what was good for me. But when I became a parent that changed. Not only did I start thinking about what was good for my kids, but kids everywhere. I couldn't imagine kids who were not as safe as mine, who did not sleep in comfy beds like mine, who did not get fed when they were hungry like mine, who did not have stories read to them or art supplies or shoes that fit or parents who loved them. I found a purpose greater than myself. And I began looking for ways, both big and small, to make a difference of the lives of others. Feeling my authentic connection to every other soul on the planet was exceptional.
For years I worried only about what was good for me. But when I became a parent that changed. Not only did I start thinking about what was good for my kids, but kids everywhere. I couldn't imagine kids who were not as safe as mine, who did not sleep in comfy beds like mine, who did not get fed when they were hungry like mine, who did not have stories read to them or art supplies or shoes that fit or parents who loved them. I found a purpose greater than myself. And I began looking for ways, both big and small, to make a difference of the lives of others. Feeling my authentic connection to every other soul on the planet was exceptional.
Living an exceptional life is about loving others.
Know that we are all connected and by raising others up, you raise yourself up.
Know that we are all connected and by raising others up, you raise yourself up.
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To me, an exceptional life is one filled with authentic happiness, learning, and kindness.
Choose exceptional.
I choose exceptional!
ReplyDeleteLove this blog post Elyse. Especially this line: "To me, living an exceptional life is about continually growing in areas that are interesting and important to me."