At 23, I worked in a job going nowhere. At 25, I'd spent the best part of my early years in a place that didn't inspire me. At 27, I led a lifestyle that left me wanting for more.
By 30, I had changed it all.
In my twenties, I quickly realised I'd given up any control over my life. I only saw longing and regret stretching out before me.
I needed to take the control back.
I knew there was more to life and I wanted to discover my calling at work, home and play. I needed to go out into the wider world and find something different. Discover my true passion. Create the life that I desperately wanted to lead.
I knew I had to search for my life less ordinary.
Ten years on and I know one valuable thing. I couldn't wait for someone else to create the life I wanted for me. I had to go out there and create it for myself.
I also learnt that I could never stop searching, exploring or looking for more so I could constantly grow as a person and achieve the most from my time on this planet.
I think about and work hard to create the life I want to lead every single day.
It's not a one-time decision or sudden flash in the pan.
I didn't move abroad to rest on my laurels once I got there. I didn't find my own tiny piece of paradise to then sit still and kick back. I didn't choose to work the way I do only to tread water without progression. I'm always searching for ways to make life better.
For me, the path to a more meaningful and fulfilling way of life rests on three key elements:
- Location - finding the environment that brings out the best in you, both home and away.
- Lifestyle - being active, healthy, with family and generally outdoors.
- Occupation - the job that lets you live that lifestyle and a way of working that gives you the freedom to lead the life you truly want.
I work on these areas every day to create the life I want to lead. And they are at the core of everything I write about and everything I do.
Location. Lifestyle. Occupation.
L. L. O.
Life. Less. Ordinary.
I look at where I live and whether it's still right for us. Are we connected to, and inspired by, this environment? Can we afford this life without losing our quality of life? Is it right for us longer-term?
I consider lifestyle and challenge whether I'm traveling enough? Am I active? Spending enough time with family? Healthy in body and mind?
I assess my business and how to make it better fit the way I want to work. Do my clients match my life philosophy? Have I created true location independence? Am I writing the kind of content that keeps people coming back for more?
I review, revise and move forward. Search, discover, create.
I've found that unless you're one of the lucky few that always knew what they wanted or were happy to accept their lot in life, you can't afford to sit back.
You have to be curious, open-minded and action-oriented. But, most of all, you have to be brave.
The brave strive for more, push harder, look deeper. The brave don't accept the way things always have been and the way they will always be.
The brave want more.
If you think you've created the perfect life, don't stop there. Adjust the edges, widen the boundaries, broaden the mind.
Never stop searching. Never stop discovering. Never stop creating.
Never stop looking for more.
How do you ensure life is lived the way you want it to be? What do you do to make sure this is the case? Share with me in the comments below.
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