It’s easy to get bogged down by the grind of daily life. There is so much to do and so little time to do it all it may seem the days fly by with little joy, ending in unsatisfying exhaustion. The spark of joy to jump out of bed has been long missing. Sometimes it seems the meaning of it all has gone missing. The good news is you can shift in a new direction, take ownership of your choices and begin making changes for a more fulfilling life. While it’s wise to seek professional help from a licensed therapist if you’re experiencing clinical depression, it’s possible that you can achieve a more fulfilling experience by consciously choosing to let go of some habits that are keeping you held back and actively choose to engage in new positive habits.
4 Ways to Make Changes for a More Fulfilling Life
1. Release the Fear of Failure.
Many people find themselves restricted by fear of failure. But the truth of the matter is you’ll never get anywhere if you don’t take a risk. In my work coaching and mentoring therapists and helping professionals through the process of building a private practice, facing the fear of failure is one of the biggest blocks we have to work to overcome.
To start, consider that there is actually no such thing as failure. What if trial and error is the actual path to creating a more fulfilling life? Release the idea of failure altogether and instead know if you try something and it doesn’t work it’s simply information showing you that way isn’t the way and try another way.
2. Stop Fooling Yourself.
Pink Cloud Syndrome in recovery is a term heard in Alcoholics Anonymous. It’s when someone who is beginning a healing journey beyond addiction has a false and often grandiose idea that now everything is all rosy. We tend to fool ourselves into believing everything is just fine when actually there is work to be done. And the kind of work you need to be doing requires an honest look at the reality of the circumstances of your life with full accountability.
Take off the rose-colored glasses, and look closely at what you are thinking, feeling, believing and doing in your life. Stop blaming others for where you find yourself and your life. You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge. But once you identify what is not working, you’re more equipped to make changes for a more fulfilling life.
3. Punt the Procrastination Habit.
Procrastination has more of an impact on the quality of your life than you likely realize. I like to tell therapists whom I help in the process of building their private practices and careers that procrastination is simply a farce word for avoiding the things you most need to do. And most of the time it’s rooted in fear.
I’m a big believer in Mark Twain’s suggestion that if you eat a frog first thing in he morning, the rest of the day will be a piece of cake. In other words, it’s a good idea to do the dreaded tasks early in the day so they won’t be hanging over your head. In many ways procrastinating is a form of self-sabotage. Make a commitment to stop procrastinating and get whatever you’re dreading done. You feel more accomplished and empowered.
4. Consider the Company you Keep.
If you want to create more fulfilling experiences, then you need to think about cutting negativity from your life .Give solid consideration to the quality of your social connections. Take an inventory of who you are spending time with and whether they are encouraging you to make changes for a more fulfilling life or if they are holding you back with negative talk and discouraging words. You don’t need to cut people out but you might seek out more people who will cheer you on and show genuine interest in your dreams and interests.
You might start by tracking where you went, who you spent time with and how you felt when you were there. I recently went to lunch with colleagues and during the conversation noticed that one person listened intently and had an encouraging, hopeful word for each person as they shared. Another of my colleagues seemed to gravitate to find the negative, the problem in every topic we discussed. This realization helped me decide who I want to spend more time with because I consciously choose to surround myself with hopeful, positive people. You can do the same.
For coaching support, please contact me so we can discuss how I can help you make changes for a more fulfilling life!