Taking Control of your life

Here are a few techniques that I personally have implemented into my life to ensure I am taking advantage of my day, 1) Make a "to do" list. It doesn't have to be long. Write 3-5 things down each day that you want to accomplish. Don't go to bed until you finish that list. Hold your self accountable to the agreement you made with yourself.

Make these 3-5 things something that will benefit you in the progression of becoming the person you want to be. For example, listening or reading about a certain topic you are interested in, spending a certain amount of time practicing a skill you want to improve on, or something around the house that needs to get finished.

2) Before you go to bed for the night. In a journal, diary or even on a piece of paper, write down 10 things you are grateful for in your life. Bringing awareness to gratitude for the things in your life brings a sense of appreciation, gratefulness and joy. When you become more aware of gratitude and specially gratitude towards your life, you start to appreciate this experience even more and realize how amazing this experience is. You start to become extremely grateful for the people you have in your life, friends, family and loved ones, you will start to appreciate the small things even more.

3) Take time to meditate. Meditation comes in a variety of forms. Go to a yoga class, sit in nature and listen, cut the grass, sit in silence and focus on your breath. Taking time to mediate is important. We are constantly on the go with our careers, and taking care of our families. The majority of people have no problem working out their bodies to make them stronger and more fit, but we as a society tend to forget that we must also workout our minds, declutter them, shut your thinking off for a period of time and look internally. How am I feeling today? Is everything ok? Why am I stressed? and where is that coming from ? This is also a very important practice for individuals working in the emergency service industry or for anyone who has experienced trauma. If we don't take time to talk to our friends, vent, go over a situation that bothers us, if we decide to push those feelings down then those feelings of sadness, heartache, confusion will end up manifesting themselves throughout the body in different ways. They will manifest themselves in nightmares, depression, flashbacks and so on. It is our bodies way of trying to get rid of those emotions that have been pushed down. So take time to talk with friends, get those heavy feelings off your chest, look internally, listen to what the body needs and it will take care of you.

4) Stress. When you hear the word stress, it is usually used when speaking about something negative. The stress I am referring to, is a physical stress, Exercise in particular. Exercise is such an amazing tool to help you deal with and become more well adapt to deal with everyday issues. When you push yourself outside your comfort zone during a workout, it is hard, it hurts, you sweat and you can't wait to be done. Well, when you expose yourself to a high level of stress during a workout, then those things that used to stress you out during the day, don't really seem to bad anymore. This is because you pushed yourself to such a high level of stress that you become immune to any lesser stress. Another example of the use of stress is the military, Navy Seals train at such an intense level because what they experience in training usually is much more difficult and mentally challenging then what they will encounter during war. So, start to push yourself a little harder each day then what you're used to, this will increase your ability to deal with stress.

5) Extreme Ownership. This is something I am still working on, This idea comes from a book I read called Extreme ownership- By Jocko Willink. Extreme ownership means taking ownership of everything you do and say. Its no ones fault except your own, sticking to timelines, making plans and sticking with them, making a mistake and owning up to it are all examples of extreme ownership. It can be intimidating at first, but when you finally take ownership of your life, you realize that you can now do whatever you set your mind to, Because where you are currently in your life, is due to the choices or lack there of that you have made. So, get out there, chase down your goals, accomplish your dreams and take ownership of your life and all that it has to offer! I hope you enjoyed some of the tips above. Have a good day and positive vibes sent out to all. Dust