Some of the happiest (and often most ‘successful’) people I know are also the most focused and deliberate about how they spend their time and whom they surround themselves with.
Deliberate de·lib·er·ate/diˈlibərit/
Adjective: Done consciously and intentionally; “a deliberate attempt to provoke change.”
Success and happiness is different for everyone, but on a core level it’s about doing the things you love, experiencing self growth and adding value or enriching the lives around you.
About a year and half ago my Fiancé and I knew we wanted to travel and live abroad before we had any real responsibilities (such as a family or possibly a mortgage).
Weeks before we left on our trip of a lifetime we had sold nearly all of our earthly possessions, saved thousands of dollars and mapped out a trip spanning 3 countries.
What happened between the initial idea and actually stepping foot on a plane were a series of focused, deliberate actions. To be sure, we had our fair share of friends and family that thought we were absolutely nuts. Many feared the thought of moving somewhere new and starting from scratch. We however knew what wanted and made it happen.
So many people I meet are content with being…. content. Ok with the job they hate, fine with living in a city or community they don’t feel a apart of, on and on and on.
Being focused and deliberate is not about overnight changes. It is about setting goals and working along a path to do the things you want to do. This usually means making small progress each day towards your ambitions or larger goals.
It’s also not just about ditching the job you loathe. It’s about the people in your life, the activities you’d like to spend more time doing and the personal growth you’d like see inside yourself.
If you took 10 minutes and mapped out how you spend your typical day how would you feel about how you spend your time on this rock? Could you be happier if you spent more time with family, writing, making music, rock climbing, learning, (insert something you love to do but don’t do often enough)?
I’m addicted to travel because every time I go somewhere new I learn a tremendous amount about myself and I experience a strengthening of my relationship with my partner. We’re now committed to traveling as often as we can and make it a priority in our lives. We don’t push it off or relegate it to next year. We’re deliberate about it and make it happen.
Start small, set goals and make progress everyday to ensure you do the things you love. Surround yourself with positive people that add value to your life (and quickly ditch those that don’t). Get started on a new business, hobby or skill.
Above all else, be deliberate.