This is something that is easily confusing for people. I have helped a lot of people live a better life and this is something that comes up often, and the wrong definition or view of acceptance can cause us to get stuck in a life of mediocrity. Acceptance is about recognizing where you are, and where you want to be.

There are two points of life that guide us to making the most of our life.

The first one is your future self. Where do you see yourself in 10, 15, or 20 years from now? We all have dreams and vision of how we want our life to turn out, and it’s our future self that provides our drive for that better life and helps guide us down certain paths. Regret usually comes from not listening or paying attention to your future self, as you’ve mentioned about your fear.

The second point of life is where you are right now. Are you in a place to go after some of your dreams or visions? If you are great! Go for it. However, sometimes we aren’t in the best position to go after our dreams, whether it be because of finances, health, or maybe we just aren’t ready to take that next step. This is where acceptance is important. You have to accept where you are now, mentally, physically, and emotionally, to be able to work towards some of those dreams you have.

Without acceptance of where you are, you can start to feel hopeless of ever having the chance to reach your dreams. But by acknowledging where you are and where you want to be, and accepting your circumstances, you can start to work towards solutions to achieve the dreams and life you want.

What drives me is to fulfill the purpose of my life, the reason why I’m on this planet. What is your passion? What is something that you love to do, that you lose track of time when you are doing it? What speaks to your heart? It can be a “little” thing or not. If you are totally clueless then get out in the world and try different things. Service work, volunteer, acting classes, travel to a developing country, try out different places of worship, whatever… find out what you find yourself engaged in.

Gandhi said, “Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.”

Jasmine that was a great reply. Thanks for the view. I liked it!

Rainbowfish,

I can understand your lack of drive. Although it may seem like it’s an overdose of living in the now, I believe it is more likely that you don’t have a strong enough “why”. Whenever we think of our future and goals there is always a reason why we want to achieve them.

If your why is not strong enough, your energy to achieve the goal will not be there. You have to find the “why that makes you cry.” When we think about our goals and dreams our initial why will usually be something very general. But as we continue to ask why that initial answer is important you will drill deeper into what you are really after. Keep asking yourself why until you hit those deep emotions, the ones that get you passionate about your change.

Once that happens, you can successfully start to work on creating a goal statement to help you get there. There are 5 parts to a goal statement, and meditating on these will help with getting the answers you are looking for. They are:

1. Decide what you want and state it in detail and in a positive tense. Avoid negative words. For example, instead of saying, “I want to lose weight,” rephrase it to, “I want to have 2% body fat within 9 months.”

2. Imagine your life as you have already achieved your goal. Depending on your goal, you might be able to do some research, and if not, you can use your imagination. What will you be like? Who will you be with? What will you be doing?

3. Plan goals that you can achieve on your own. Although help may come, it should really be a bonus. By creating goals you can achieve on your own, you are more able to accomplish them without an excuse of someone else dropping the ball.

4. Savor the best of your current situation. Take all of the good moments in your current life, and add them to what you are looking for in your goal. This makes sure you don’t lose parts of your life that you currently enjoy and continues to keep you in a positive mindset while you are working towards your goal.

5. Check for potential dangers. Will your goal create any consequences? Are you a better person? Is your goal healthy and balanced? Does it empower you or create limitations?

This may take some time, but after you do this exercise you may find that some goals you thought were worthwhile to pursue may not fit with where you actually want your life to go. You may even have to start working towards your goal before this becomes apparent. But if you continue to do this exercise on a regular basis you will start to feel empowered and motivated.

Hey RF

Life is all about evolving so no stress.

I read a nice article today, which differentiates contentment from complacency well. Contentment encourages you to continue your creativity and self growth as teachings in life school never end. Complacency makes you arrogant and stunts your personal or professional growth as it makes you feel that you have done it all and their is nothing more to learn. Hmmmmmmm.

So the trick is to keep growing lifelong in either direction, it seems. Lol

Have a great week ahead and loads of smiles.

Jasmine