How to begin living an extraordinary, happier & more fulfilled life?

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How to begin living an extraordinary, happier & more fulfilled life?

"You have everything you need for complete peace and total happiness right now."
 - Wayne W. Dyer

"The only thing that will stop you from fulfilling your dreams is you." - Tom Bradley

"Just as light brightens darkness, discovering inner fulfillment can eliminate any disorder or discomfort. This is truly the key to creating balance and harmony in everything you do." - Deepak Chopra

An extraordinary life means excellence, fulfillment, and abundance in every important area.






· Your health is vibrant and energetic.

· Your relationships with family, friends and others are healthy, deep and full of love.

· Your financial life is secure and you live within means.

· Your career or job is fulfilling and inspiring.

· Your character is solid, dependable and true.

  
We need to take into consideration that some people are financially successful but lack deep meaningful relationships. Others have fulfilling relationships but poor physical health. Some are in excellent physical shape but fail to obtain career and financial success…  So how can we achieve fulfillment and success in all the important areas of life?

Self-knowledge is the greatest knowledge that you will ever acquire. Why? Because your ability to fulfill your unique internal drive will determine your ability to fulfill your potential, which in turn determines the quality of your life.

The questions below are designed to help to know yourself more deeply and find what is truly important to you. We all have an unexpressed potential; the exercises are specifically designed to help you find yours.

1. What do I absolutely love in life?
List anything that you love about the world and the people in your life. Think about any activities that get you excited and enthusiastic and make you feel most alive. This can be absolutely anything: music, sports, cooking, teaching others, learning, people, watching movies—anything. Within your love for these things lies deep passion.

2. What are my greatest accomplishments in life so far?
List all of the moments that you are proud of as well as the times that you’ve succeeded. To have accomplished these, you would have used some of your key strengths. See if you can identify why you succeeded. Also, list any activities, hobbies, or anything else that you do that you complete with ease. Within these lie greatest strengths.

3. What would I stand for if I knew no one would judge me?
List everything that you would do if you weren’t afraid, even your wildest dreams. This will help you discover your greatest values.

4. If my life had absolutely no limits and I could have it all and do whatever I wanted, what would I choose to have and what would I choose to do?
Describe your ideal lifestyle. List what you would do throughout the day if you knew that you were bound to be successful, what kind of person you would be, how much money you would earn, and where you would live.

This question allows you to realize who you would truly want to be if there were no limits. By aligning with this you can begin working towards the life that you truly want to create. Know that you wouldn’t have a desire if you didn’t also have the ability to fulfill it.

5. What would I do if I had one billion dollars?
List everything that you would really love to do if you had all the money in the world. Okay, so you would probably travel the world, buy a house or two, and give some money to your family. Then what would you do with your time?

This question helps you to think without limitations. When we are able to remove limitations and boundaries, we can discover what we really want to do.

6. Who do I admire most in the world?
List your greatest inspirations and the qualities that you admire about these people. Think about what really inspires you in this world. What you admire about others is also a quality that is in you. Know that you admire someone because they have similar qualities to you.

Taking the time to answer these question will change your life. The more that you can implement your passions, strengths, values, desires, and motivations into your days, the happier your life will become!

Dr Martin Seligman’s positive psychology theory of well-being states, that in order to live a happier more meaningful and fulfilled life one has to incorporate the five essential elements that should be in place for us to experience lasting well-being. Well-being Theory can be remembered with the acronym PERMA:

1. Positive Emotion (P)

For us to experience well-being, we need positive emotion in our lives. Any positive emotion like peace, gratitude, satisfaction, pleasure, inspiration, hope, curiosity, or love falls into this category – and the message is that it's really important to enjoy yourself in the here and now, just as long as the other elements of PERMA are in place. Positive experiences can be created in order to experience more positive emotions.

2. Engagement (E)

 When we're truly engaged in a situation, task, or project, we experience a state of flow: time seems to stop, we lose our sense of self, and we concentrate intensely on the present. This feels really good! The more we experience this type of engagement, the more likely we are to experience well-being.

 3. Positive Relationships (R)
As humans, we are "social beings," and good relationships are core to our well-being. Time-and-again, we see that people who have meaningful, positive relationships with others, specifically with family and friends are happier than those who do not. Relationships really do matter!

4. Meaning (M)

Meaning comes from serving a cause bigger than ourselves. Whether this is a specific deity or religion, or a cause that helps humanity in some way, we all need meaning in our lives to have a sense of well-being.

5. Accomplishment/Achievement (A)

Many of us strive to better ourselves in some way, whether we're seeking to master a skill, achieve a valuable goal, or win in some competitive event. As such, accomplishment is another important thing that contributes to our ability to flourish. Goal setting is key in this regard!

Well-being Theory can be remembered with the acronym PERMA:

1. Positive Emotions

2. Engagement (or flow)

3. Relationships/social connections

4. Meaning (and purpose)

Discovering the deep wisdom of self-knowledge will ensure that your life is far more meaningful and fulfilling.  Maybe this is what Einstein meant when he said “Information is not knowledge.”
The most valuable knowledge that you will ever discover is, and always will be, within.

"You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love." - Henry Drummond


Live well!

Marie Joshua

Wellness Practitioner & Psychological Counsellor


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