Welcome to TEA of Life Podcast and Happy New Year. Today is the first episode of season 3, and with the new year and new season, I want to get into the heart and vision for what this coming up this year for us. Our biggest desire is for you to “love your life or change it.” Living the life you love and living your best life can mean so many different things to so many different people.
Along my way, I have met so many people who all have one thing in common, they are not loving this precious life that we have been given the opportunity to live; they are not living their best life. Not only that, but lately I see commercial after commercial “selling” us ways for you to love our life – whether it be through a new online counseling agency, gym memberships, food, medication…basically more items and ways than I can even think about right now.
I want to ask you what are you going to do this year to make your life better because it IS up to you. It is not up to anyone else to change your life. It is not up to anyone else to change your life for you. It’s not up to anyone else to create the life that YOU want to live. It is up to you!
If you’re making a new year’s goal to live the life you love this year, then you need to know that a goal must have 5 components. Your goal must be 1. specific, 2. measurable, 3. It must have a time limit, 4. needs to be written down, and 5. Your goals must be YOUR goals. If other people want you to change, but you don’t; then you won’t change. I don’t have a goal for you to love your life, I have a desire for you to love your life. You need to have the goal for yourself. I can’t form that goal for you. I can only give you a nudge in the right direction through encouragement and presenting some tools that you can use to achieve your goals. If you have a goal this year to change your attitude or situation, YOU are the only person who can achieve that goal. For some, just changing your attitude can change your life. For some, you already have a really good life circumstance, job, family life, or whatever, but you have a really bad attitude about it. Some of you may need to make some changes to the life you’re living, while others of you just need to change your attitude about the life you’re already living.
One thing that I do know is that loving the life that you live is NOT something that can be bought. It’s not something that can happen overnight if you take a magic pill or visit a magic person. Medication and counselors are great when needed. Believe me! I have spent my allotted time with counselors, life coaches, and therapists. I know what it’s like to be depressed, unhappy, overwhelmed, stressed, panicked, and more, but I also know what it’s like to be on the other side of all these things. That’s where I am now, and I want you to be there too! We live in a get-rich-quick society, and along with that, we are also in a get-healed-quick or a quick-fixed society, and neither one of these things can happen overnight.
We have created an Instapot recipe for everything these days; not just food, but what we need are Crockpot recipes for making our life better and learning or choosing to love our life. Yes, there are changes that we can make instantly that will allow us more breathing room, such as boundaries, simplifying or minimizing, but it doesn’t end there. There are still long-term changes that we need to make in order for us to stay that way, so this is where the overnight changes turn into life-long journeys.
Did you know that the chances of you being born as you are 1 in 400 Trillion? Did you hear that?!? The chances of you being you are 1 in 400 Trillion! Let that set in for a moment…
I think that we sometimes take for granted that we are here; that we actually exist. Not only that, but we also take for granted that we are able to process information and communicate with others around us. We don’t merely exist, we are totally alive, and we are meant to live in this totally alive state that we are in.
In this episode, I want to get a little real with some of the struggles that I hear about and talk with others about on an almost daily basis. I want to get down and dirty with the common struggles that I feel are holding people back from living their best life; holding them back from loving their life. I want to talk about these struggles one by one, so I am planning on deeper conversations about each of these in upcoming episodes, so you will need to make sure that you hit that subscribe button so that you can come back and listen in as we dive in deeper and hopefully help encourage you to overcome any of these struggles. You may feel that you are the only one, but rest assured, you are not! As I said, these are ALL, unfortunately, normal struggles among normal people just like you and me.
So, I want to speak to:
The one struggling to make their paycheck last till the end of the month, living the life you love can mean learning how to navigate your finances and make it work.
I want to speak to:
Those who are maxed out with space (either physical or mental); who are living a life full of clutter and unwanted items or stress, or you just simply desire to live a more simple life, living the life you love can mean the information you need to get your space or life in order. It can mean the tools that you need to learn how to simplify your life or surroundings or just the simple encouragement you need to let go.
I want to speak to:
The overwhelmed mom, living the life you love can mean receiving the encouragement you need to discipline your children; to know that it’s ok to tell them no, or to simply learn that it’s ok to take time for yourself.
To the purposeless, living the life you love can simply mean living intentionally.
To the seasoned mom who is suddenly finding her home is a little quieter than she once knew, living the life you love can mean finding a new purpose or passion.
To the first-time mom who hasn’t slept in days (or weeks), living the life you love can mean learning how to manage a new baby, a home, and yourself all at the same time.
To the dad who is desperate to spend more time with his family, living the life you love can mean learning how to work smarter and knowing that there’s more to this life than a large paycheck.
To the mom struggling to keep her house clean and food on the table, living the life you love can mean having a clear space, laundry done, and margin for pre-planning meals.
To the daughter who’s been told that she isn’t good enough, pretty enough; smart enough, living the life you love can mean you knowing that YOU ARE ENOUGH and living in that truth.
To the brokenhearted, living the life you love can mean learning to love again.
To the sick and tired who want to no longer be sick and tired, living the life you love can mean taking steps toward and receiving the encouragement and accountability that you need to live a healthier lifestyle.
To the overwhelmed, living the life you love can simply mean learning the word no, decluttering your mind and surroundings, or just learning how to form a daily routine.
To the dream-seekers, living the life you love can mean getting a little push toward fulfilling your God-given dream.
To the passion-seekers, living the life you love can mean remembering that forgotten dream or the encouragement you need to find a new one.
To those living with an incurable disease or disability, living the life you love can mean getting the encouragement that you need in order to love your life in spite of. (Allison Hodges)
To the jobless or for the one who currently hates their job, living the life you love can mean having the freedom to pursue your dream job.
To those who feel violated, living the life you love can mean learning boundaries and no longer allowing others to cross the line.
To those living in fear, living the life you love can mean living with bravery or fearlessness.
To you, who are lonely, living the life you love can mean finding friendship, learning how to be a friend, or learning how to become the person you would like to date.
To the person living with regret, living the life you love can mean living a life with joy and relief.
To those living in a situation that they cannot change, living the life you love can mean choosing to love your life right where it’s at; choosing to make the best of the worst situation.
To those who need to stop and breathe, living the life you love can simply mean knowing that it’s ok to take a step back; to meditate throughout the day and take control of your thoughts.
Oh! We can all use a little more of that last one, can’t we??? Can. You. Imagine a life full of breathing room???
So, I want to ask you…
What is standing in the way of you living the life that YOU love? Did I cover your situation or circumstance here on this list, or is there something else standing in your way? If I were to write a sentence for you that said, “For the ________________, living the life YOU love can mean _________________________________.” What words would YOU put in YOUR blanks?
If one or some of these are you or someone you know, then you need to make sure that you tune in to my podcast, and tell your friend to tune in too.
My burden is for you who feel like you are stuck with no escape, and my desire is to give you an escape plan. In the weeks to come, I want to talk about what it means to live in freedom and to create the life YOU love to live. I want to give you the tools and encouragement that you need in order for you to take the steps in creating and living a life that YOU love – a happier, more fulfilled life.
I don’t believe that we were EVER meant to live a life of anguish. We were NEVER meant to live a life of misery. We were not created for it. I believe, with everything in me, that God desires for us is to live our life in full: full of love, full of hope, full of grace, full of intention, full of laughter, full of freedom – freedom like you have NEVER known or experienced before! I believe that God’s original desire for us has never changed.
If this is you…if you feel that you are at your wit’s end and don’t know where to turn, I want to invite you on a journey with me to discovering your BEST life – the life you love to live. In the week’s to come, I want to dive into ways of getting past the obstacles standing in your way, and I want to give you the tools and encouragement that you need to start living the life you love. So, make sure that you hit that subscribe button and come back for more on living your best life. You get one chance to make this life great, and you can start today… Right. This. Minute.
