How to Get Clear on the Life You Want to Lead
Imagine this: you wake up each morning excited to take on the day’s challenges, confident that you’re equipped to tackle whatever comes your way. You feel alive and at ease, calm and at peace – living in alignment with the unique skills, priorities, and passions that make you, you.
Perhaps this vision is far from your current reality, but you have the power to shift and adapt. By developing practices that support your priorities as well as your personal boundaries, you can cultivate a new approach to each day that reveals opportunity in place of monotony.
1. Find a quiet place without distractions.
To get started, carve out space for introspection and reflection. Look for a quiet place in your home and find a comfortable seated position, perhaps on a pillow or cushion for support. Set a timer for 20 minutes and put your phone on silent to avoid any disruptions.
This practice is designed to help you tune inward, rather than be bombarded by the external distractions that compete for your attention on a daily basis. Your intuition will grow stronger with each completion, and you’ll find the practice becomes easier each time you give yourself the opportunity to listen to your inner voice.
2. Meditate with an intention in mind.
Consider preparing for your meditation with breathwork to focus the mind and relax the body. Simply deepening your inhales and exhales, connecting with your breath from your low belly to the top of the chest, can be an easy place to start. As you become more comfortable with this practice, you can try more complex breathwork techniques such as Kapalabhati and Anuloma Viloma to cleanse and calm the mind in preparation for meditation.
Next, settle into relaxed stillness, lifting through the spine and drawing your shoulders down and back to open the chest and mind to receive whatever thoughts may flow. Allow your thoughts to focus on present moment sensation – such as the feeling of the air on your skin or fabric beneath your hands – throughout your meditation whenever you feel your awareness begin to wander. Use a question or prompt to focus your attention, such as “What do I want to prioritize?” or “What brings me joy?” and notice what arises without judgment.
3. Journal your thoughts and emotions in free form.
After your timer signals the 20 minutes is up, spend time writing in free form what came up during your meditation. Consider using a notebook or journal solely designated for your musings, as it can be powerful to follow as your thoughts evolve into action as you progress in this journey of self-exploration and transformation.
Don’t concern yourself with the structure of your writing, as this exercise serves as a cathartic release – expressing fears, dreams, and everything in-between that may get lost in the noise that accompanies life in the modern world. Notice how different thoughts that arose affected your physical body, creating tension or softness, and include in your outpouring of expression. Write down anything that came up, as we often have thoughts that can serve as stagnant energy blocking the energy flow to our heart center if they aren’t processed, expressed, and released.
4. Define clear priorities to guide your choices.
Next, reflect on the output of your meditation and journaling exercise. Consider how you can translate your musings into actionable priorities that support you emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
For example, highlight the people and places that brought you joy and underline the activities or pursuits that you want to prioritize. Contemplate how you can intentionally weave these into your life more often and more deeply. By nurturing the areas of your life that foster joy and fulfill your sense of purpose, you can cultivate a mindset of abundance and gratitude that supports resilience even in seasons of change.
5. Honor your personal boundaries.
Remember that your priorities can shift over time as you continue to grow and evolve, so give yourself space to meditate and reflect frequently. Respect this time as you would respect a commitment with a friend or loved one.
As you continue to deepen your practice of introspection, notice what thoughts or activities create anxiety or tension in the mind or body. Set boundaries that protect your energy and recognize that you have the power to choose how to spend your time, with whom, and where. Find peace in your power of choice and let your intuition be your guide. With every introspective practice, know that you are strengthening your connection to your intuition, your inner voice.
Will you choose to listen?
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Looking for more like this? Download my Daily Journal Prompts: Intro Guide to Reflection + Introspection.