Stop Living Your Life on Repeat...Start Moving Forward With Confidence

  This idea prompted me to realize that what we focus on will grow...good or bad. The problem today is that we are marketed to and sold "quick fixes" and "so-called solutions" to life's problems. 

The truth is that no one can fix you but you 

 But if you are like I was for most of my life, you spend more time focusing on the problems rather than the experience. 

 I have found that many people only appreciate the experience in hindsight after we have weathered the storm. 

But what if that didn't have to be the case?

What if we didn't have to wait until a medical emergency or the death of a loved one to appreciate life and what it is trying to teach us?

Until you learn the lesson, life will continue to give you the test

 It was once said that many people live to be 90 years but most will live 1 year 90 times. 

As a healthcare professional and from personal experience, I can attest to the validity of this statement. 

So how do we ensure that we don't fall into this trap and start learning from the lessons that life hands us each day?

5 Daily Strategies to Stop Living Life on Repeat

1. Practice Gratitude:  Gratitude allows for us to shift our focus from the problems to the possibilities. With gratitude, we can focus on what we do have opposed to what we don't. So instead of scrolling on social media first thing in the morning, take a minute to write down someone or something you are grateful for. Begin and end your day with gratitude for the next 30 days and let me know how different your life looks. Remember, when we change the way we look at things the things we look at begin to change. It all begins with perspective.

2. Stop People Pleasing: According to a study, 49% of people identify as a "people pleaser." Now this is not something to brag about so I would imagine that this statistic is much higher. As someone who was a people pleaser for the majority of my life due to a traumatic childhood, I can tell you that it wasn't until I took a life stance that "I don't owe anyone anything" that I realized if I can't help me, then I am incapable of helping anyone. If this is you, I encourage you to create a life stance that you will commit to living by. Remember, you owe it to yourself and no one else. 

3. Create a Vision, Values, and Goals for key areas of your life: Creating a life stance can be a powerful tool, creating a vision, values, and goals, is what keeps you in the game when things get squirrely. The only way I can assume roles and responsibilities that are above my pay grade is to be very decisive and that comes from having a clear vision, values, and goals. Only when you get clear on these can you operate at a high level for a sustained period of time. 

4. Learn to Forgive: The hate that you carry will eventually weigh you down and kill any chance of success. Bitterness is a burden that prevents us from truly experiencing life to the fullest. The crazy part is that those who have wronged you don't even care. I have learned that resentment is a poison that consumes us from the inside out and eventually leads to living a life of regret. Remember that forgiveness is not letting the person off the hook for wronging you, it's letting go of the hope that things could have been different. Let go of this hope and free yourself from the turmoil. 

5. Dial in Your Discipline: Discipline is the great equalizer. You don't have to be the smartest or most talented to win, but you do have to be disciplined. Discipline is simply the ability to give yourself a command and follow through regardless of how you feel. Remember that motivation will only get you so far and discipline is what carries you to the finish line.