It's a minimalist Monday edition of Optimal Living Daily episode 1291. 5 ways to start living the life of your dreams by Hari Berzins and the tiny guide to motivation by Tammy Strobel of RowdyKittens.com and I'm Dustin Malek. Happy Monday. Welcome back to Optimal Living Daily or the OLD podcast, OLD podcast, where I read you from some of the best blogs I can find and get permission from, mostly covering personal development and minimalism on this show.
We cover a bunch of other topics in the Optimal Living Daily podcast network, which includes four other shows. Definitely subscribe to those if you like this one. Just search for Optimal Living Daily wherever you're hearing this. All five should pop up.
I have two posts today, one from a guest author and the other from Tammy on Rowdy Kittens. So with that, let's get right to it and start optimizing your life. 5 ways to start living the life of your dreams by Hari Berzins with RowdyKittens.com No matter what you dream of, the key to living your dream is to start today. It might be a long, slow walk, but you have to start walking and keep walking.
Small steps will get you there. In August of 2008, my husband Carl and I lost our restaurant and then our home. As we shaped a new life out of the dust, we dreamed of debt-free home ownership and a simple home setting life in the mountains. The odds were against us.
We lived in a rental in Florida. We had $300. The whole idea of building without a mortgage seemed revolutionary since no one I knew had ever owned a home without a mortgage. In spite of the odds and the difficulty, we set out on our path.
It has been a slow walk, sometimes through mud, but we keep walking. Along the way, we've learned some valuable strategies to make things happen. I wanted to share some of them with you. Number one, practice gratitude.
Lots of folks are talking gratitude these days and for good reason. Taking the time to practice gratitude helps train your brain to look for the positive. I'm sure you've noticed that what you focus on expands, so focusing on gratitude makes sense. Start with gratitude for this journey.
Getting where you're going is a process and having the choice to consciously create your own pathway is a right not all humans know. I keep a section of my journal reserved for my gratitude lists. I aim to write at least five things in my data list each day. It's a fun section of my journal because I can look back at the moments of my life in the context of my gratitude.
It's amazing to find that some of the hardest moments hold the deepest blessings. Number two, maintain a regular practice. But what is a practice? Natalie Goldberg, one of my favorite writing teachers, says, quote, a practice is something you choose to do on a regular basis with no vision of an outcome.
The aim is not improvement, not getting somewhere. You do it because you do it. You have an opportunity to meet your own mind, to examine what it does, its plays, and shenanigans, end quote. Your practice might be walking, writing, yoga, meditation, stretching, biking, jogging, whatever works for you.
Commit to practicing on a regular basis. It is this bedrock of self-care from which you will grow your dream. Number three, explore your relationship with money. The task is simple to start.
Track your spending every single penny. Really looking at your spending habits is empowering. If it terrifies you, chances are you will learn a ton about yourself through this exercise. You can use a simple notepad to jot down everything you spend, or choose an app like my favorite, YNAB.
Once you have your data, notice how it adds up. Is your spending aligned with your goals? Number four, start clearing the excess. Expose the truth of who you are by letting go of clutter.
You can start today. Think of it as weeding. Pull the weeds to the intentional and unexpected can grow. Start small, you don't have to clear your clutter overnight.
Give yourself permission to go slow, but do work on it every day. How many minutes can you give the task? Start with a shelf, a drawer, a counter, and then do the next shelf. You will feel excited, renewed, and younger.
Keep going. Number five, clarify your dream. You need to create your roadmap, but you need to know where you're going. One of the most powerful ways to bring focus to the elusive images in my mind is to collage.
Grab a stack of 10 magazines from your recycling center, and rip out words and images that speak to you, even if you can't explain why. Then glue these words and images onto a poster. Hang your poster where you will see it, and notice how the images start to make sense. Use these insights to write a detailed description of your dream.
Now go back to gratitude. When pieces of your dream come into focus and then into your life, notice. The biggest lesson I've learned from the experience of rebuilding an intentional life out of the dust of a failed business and lost home, is that the journey is the dream. Sure, we dream of living on a sweet little homestead and growing our own food, but now that we've reached this milestone, I know there will be the next one.
My ultimate dream is to look back on my life and know I've enjoyed my journey. I hope you are enjoying yours. The Tiny Guide to Motivation by Tammy Strobel of RowdyKittens.com We all have days when motivation is hard to locate, where we don't feel creative or very inspired to keep going. I don't claim to have all the answers.
However, I have learned a lot about how to stay motivated since I left my day job earlier this year. So let's talk a little bit about what motivation is and how you can harness it. What is motivation? According to the dictionary, motivation is, quote, the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way, the general desire or willingness of someone to do something, end quote.
Without motivation, you're stuck. Stuck with all kinds of nasty feelings including despair, denial, and fear. If you're anything like me, you probably call your lack of motivation or stuckness by many metaphors. Like the world is passing me by.
I'm frozen, blocked, trapped, enslaved. You can make a choice to get unstuck. All you need is a little motivation. How to find motivation.
Whenever I start feeling unmotivated, I think about the big picture. And if my motivation level is really, really low, then I go volunteer. If I can't help myself, then I can use my time to help others. Other things that help me stay motivated include inspirational books and blogs, taking photographs, working with creative people, exercise, knitting, not watching TV, fulfilling a promise, rewards.
Finding motivation isn't as hard as it seems. There are so many mediums you can pull from to keep you going. But how can you stay motivated over the long run? When you start feeling stuck and unmotivated, remember these simple tips.
1. Work on projects you love. 2. Break out of your routine.
3. Be the change you want to see in the world. 4. Continually evaluate your successes and failures.
5. Share your knowledge with others. 6. Follow your own advice.
7. Cultivate gratitude. 8. Use your privilege for good.
9. Invest in yourself. And 10. Embrace challenges life throws at you.
Now it's time to take action. If you're having a hard time staying motivated, set aside a few hours and write down your goals. Why? Setting goals is a key part of staying motivated.
Setting a goal will give you something to strive towards. For example, in my early 20s I decided I would overcome my eating disorder. It was my main goal and focus for many years. By seeking the help I needed in volunteering with others, I was empowered and motivated to stay healthy.
To stay motivated is essential to complete your goals and you can do that by taking one tiny step every day. Some goals take longer to meet others and that's okay. Once you meet goal X, you'll feel a sense of mastery, accomplishment, and be empowered to help others do the same. You just listened to the post titled 5 Ways to Start Living the Life of Your Dreams by Hari Berzins and The Tiny Guide to Motivation by James Trouble of RoddyKittens.com At Desjard & Insurance, we know that when you own a nail salon, everything needs to be perfect from tip to toe.
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If you want to track your income and expenses, I do recommend YNAV like suggested by Hari Berzins. You can get an extended trial at oldpodcast.com slash track. Now leave it at that. Hope your week is off to a great start.
Thank you for being here and listening to me and for subscribing to the show. I'll be back tomorrow reading to you where your optimal life awaits.