Don’t you wish you had a little voice inside that would guide you through life? “Turn at this junction, avoid that traffic jam, and steer clear to a better life decision.” Well I believe we do have an inner GPS if we take the time to create our own map of the life we truly want for ourselves. First you have to spend time asking yourself some questions about your destination. If you don’t know where you are going, how are you going to get there?
About 25 years ago, I was given an exercise to write my own obituary. It has been my guide in life. However, I am not locked into it, I have re-written it a few times! Who do I want to be at the end of my life? What are my values, strengths, and goals? How do I want my life to reflect those things? How would I like to be remembered?
I learned I am not a person that values accumulating things. My relationships have the highest value to me; my family, my friends, and my community. I looked at my life goals and thought – the only thing holding me back from doing these things is me. That is not to say I have done all that is on my list, I have many things yet to do and when my list gets shorter, I usually add a few more.
A fun way to create this life road map can be by creating a “vision board” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVkxoHou-BU . Get about 10 visually inspiring magazines, glue, a poster board, scissors, great music, a great photo of you! This is a fun thing to do on your own or with a friend. Cut out pictures that evoke a strong emotion – something that you feel you want more of in your life. Once you have a pile of great photos to fill a poster board, glue them to the board and add the great photo of you at the center. Put the vision board someplace where you can look at it everyday for about five minutes and think about what each image means to your life. You can update it as you travel through life but at least now you have a road map!
(Aspiring to be a) Joy Spreader
