Out with the Old and in With the New!
For so long we've agreed to measure our lives based on what others have told us equaled happiness and fulfillment.
Imagine someone telling YOU what would make YOU happy!
Imagine some one having the slightest idea of what you value or what you consider satisfying.
The truth is the only person who can define that for you ...is you!
I do believe, in general, we can agree that happiness and fulfillment would include the ability to experience joy, satisfaction, a degree of effortlessness and certainly a sense that we have in some way achieved our potential.
Maybe we're happy because we aced a class or we baked the perfect soufflé or maybe just maybe, we're feeling a sense of fulfillment because, at the end of the day, we felt like we had helped someone. We knew we could do it and we did!
So, the question is how do you create an entire lifestyle that will bring you joy, happiness and fulfillment? To find the answer to that question we have to start at the beginning.
First Things First - Perspective
We have to decide from where we will view this concept of happiness and fulfillment.
We need perspective!
Perspective n. a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view.
So let me ask you this.... Does happiness just exist?
I mean, do you stand around and happiness finds you or do you create happiness?
Think about it. Did we create the perfect soufflé or did it magically appear?
If you said you created it, then you're ready to discover the secret about happiness and fulfillment and how to achieve it!
Historically, when we think of the word, "create", we think of painters, writers, designers, engineers and the like. We don't necessarily think of moms and teachers and managers.
There are the creatives and then there is the rest of us, right?
Well, today that all changes.
Imagine the idea that creating your schedules, your budget, your plans, your goals, etc. could elevate your ability to achieve happiness simply by viewing that ability to create from the proper perspective.
Today you discover that perspective.
There is one word that can change your life and your ability to create the happiness and fulfillment for which you have always yearned.
The Word That Can Help You Create A Fulfilling Lifestyle
“artist: (ärˈtĭst)n. a person whose work shows exceptional creative ability or skill.”
You see, ARTISTS are not confined to painting and sculpting. ARTISTS are free to use their exceptional creative thought, talent and skill in any endeavor that calls them. Some of the greatest ARTISTS in the world can be called farmers, athletes, parents and teachers. Their canvases can be wheat fields, ball fields, families and students; but their work is as moving and as beautiful as any masterpiece.
So, to the degree that you do anything exceptionally well... YOU are an ARTIST!
Think about what you do in your life on a daily basis. Think about the great care you take to make others happy, the time you devote to the smallest details in your work, or your commitment as a volunteer or a mentor.
Think about all the things you create every single day; time, energy, problems and solutions. You create communication, possibilities and endless moments of joy.
Do you see the connection? Fine artists create pieces of fine art but ARTISTS create exceptional lives.
When you transcend the everyday livingness of life by tapping into that wonderful thing that is you (we’ll go into the 5 steps that will show you how to do that in my next blog), a whole new world opens up; a world filled with magic, promise and beauty. A world where you instantly recognize that you have something unique, something special, something of great value to offer the world. In case you missed it, that something is You.
It is at this moment that you have found your own personal path to fulfillment.
Everything has changed because you now see life as you. Your choices are meaningful because they have direction and your days are brighter because they have purpose. Life is filled with hope, energy, opportunities and the understanding that the only way to achieve fulfillment is to pour that which is powerful, beautiful and exceptional about you into it.
It is the life you have always known was possible.
So, do you now see how being an ARTIST has everything to do with living a happy, successful, and fulfilling life?
Creating Your Fulfilling Lifestyle
Something no-one seems to talk about is the fact that you get to decide the way in which you live your life. It's true! How you choose to live is a choice and each choice you make evolves into your lifestyle.
It's not just about your choices regarding your clothes or your car or your school or your line of work. Your lifestyle starts with your choices about who you are at the core. What you feel you can accomplish. How you believe you can help. What kind of life you want to live.
So, if you want to live a life of happiness and fulfillment you have to create it.
Do you see where this is going? The ability to create is what gives us the freedom to find happiness and fulfillment because, well, in the end we don't actually find it do we...we create it!
What kind of ARTIST are YOU?
The beauty of this question is that there isn't just one answer. When you embrace the idea of artistry as a lifestyle, you are recognizing that any and all areas of your life can be elevated.
You, as a parent. You, as as a volunteer. You, as a communicator. You, as a teacher. You, as a business owner. The common denominator is you.
Yes, life is filled with pitfalls and what seems like insurmountable problems and we can find ourselves sometimes overwhelmed by it all. But as we shift our perspective towards living life with artistry, we recognize that it is in the achieving of artistry that elevates us to become better problem solvers (more on that later) and most importantly we recognize that artistry moves us toward a more spiritual existence. Our connection to God is strengthened and our love for each other grows.
Be the ARTIST.
You don't have to focus on changing your whole world. The world will change when you focus on tapping into what is unique about you because everything that is beautiful about life starts with you.
You are an ARTIST. We see it.
Get Activated!
In our next blog we will reveal the 5 STEPS to set you on the path to become the ARTIST you know you can be! These are the rules of artistry that you can follow to achieve your goals of creating your most adventurous, amazing and beautiful life!
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With great love and admiration,
Annie K Laven