I believe that life is a journey of self-discovery and as you discover more of yourself you also begin to understand the world around you.

But what does it take to live that journey fully, to commit to living your best life? Here are my top ten steps to living your best life. They have been selected from my own experience and from studying the lives of my role models.

1.  Become a decision maker – That first decision to DO something that will change your circumstances is the first step to living your best life.

When I decided that I wanted more from my life and I was willing to open up to the possibilities around me, I felt free to make decisions and take responsibility for the outcomes in my life.

2.  Set goals that put you into action – These are not flimsy or whimsical goals; they are result driven goals with specific outcomes by specific times. They are SMART goals (or RUMBA!)

3.  Take one step at a time – However big or small the goal you set chunk it down to make it manageable. This is the difference between being motivated and being overwhelmed!

Create your 6 month, 1 year, 3-year goals and then work backwards from that date to create a list of daily actions you can take towards achieving them.

4.  Review where you are now – All the goal-setting and action won’t mean a thing if you don’t check where you’re at. Are you on target? Have they done what you said you’d do? Does anything need to change? If everything is on track it motivates and if not, it provides opportunities for changes/edits to the next steps.

I review my goals and action steps once per month. I get great pleasure ticking off the things I have achieved and also identifying the steps that might no longer be necessary or fitting.

5.  Use your time wisely. It’s not about cramming the diary full of ‘stuff to do’, it’s about prioritising what needs to be done to achieve the goal and doing one thing at a time. Completion of a task is far more rewarding than having 12 tasks half done!

By reviewing my goals monthly I can more easily prioritise what I need to do next. Getting into the habit of doing one task at a time has been a challenge for me but it has also brought me the best results.

6.  Understand that good is good enough. If you spend all your time trying to perfect everything you would never get anything completed… or very little. The need to draw a line under a task and move on is essential. Seeking perfection slows you down and often creates unfounded doubts in your mind.

7.  Know that the magic is outside your comfort zone! Understand that the box you have been put in by yourself or by others will never help you grow and develop. Look beyond those boundaries for opportunities that will stretch you, that will afford you the chance to go beyond what you already know about yourself.

Deliberately set yourself a challenge each week or month, something you know that will cause you to feel a degree of fear. By consistently doing things just outside your comfort zone you stretch the boundary and the zone becomes larger, demonstrating your capability to do so much more than you initially thought.

8.  You aren’t looking for complicated ways of living life you are likely to be seeking simple solutions so simplify what you do! Avoid over analysing every little thing and stop making the possible look impossible.

9.  Appreciate that making mistakes is part of the journey. Instead of beating yourself up, learn from them and take those lessons forward with you, remaining optimistic and positive.

10. Surround yourself with the right people, like-minded friends, associates, mentors and coaches. They will support you, encourage you and provide the great energy you want to have around you.

Finally, live life fully, appreciating all that is important; security, relationships, family, work, pastimes, gratitude and giving back. It is not about working 24/7; it is about building a life that fulfils your human needs;

• Physiological (water, oxygen, rest, shelter)
• Safety & Security (stability, protection, some boundaries)
• Love & Belonging (relationships, friends, children, partners, community)
• Esteem (higher esteem – self-respect such as confidence, competence, achievement and freedom. Then lower esteem – respect of others such as appreciation, attention and recognition)
• Self-actualization (Looking beyond yourself, contribution, helping others, giving back)

Are you ready to live your best life?

Live Blissfully!

YvonneB