Life! By Design_ 6 Steps to an Extraordinary You - Laura Morton [54]
My clients love simple formulas. They want answers and long-lasting results. So, check this out. The basic principle behind living By Design is:
the right attitude + the right action + the right structure = an extraordinary life!
Easy enough, right? Well, if it were really easy, everyone would be doing it. How many people do you know who practice this? I suspect not many. The good news is you are well on your way to becoming one of them.
Are you ready?
If feelings determine your attitude, then your attitude determines the actions you take, or don’t take—which, by the way, is also an action. It’s the choice to do nothing at all. Your actions determine the kind of life you live. This process is a continuous circle. It’s a cycle that works both By Design and by default. But from this point forward, I focus on helping you make the transition to By Design.
Living By Design can be achieved through the six-step plan I developed to help my clients live an extraordinary life. Its universal appeal and success, based on its incredible and rapid results, have helped tens of thousands of people make a positive shift in their lives. And although I know you’ll be thrilled with the constructive changes you’ll see in your own life, the plan does require commitment, discipline, and a willingness to change. Let me be perfectly candid: It’s not easy and it takes hard work, dedication, and perseverance. But if you’re willing to power through to the next level in your life, I promise that the results will astound you.
The first three steps were created to help you plan what you want. The next three steps are ways to attract what you want into your life. Although it may seem selfish at first to say, “I’m choosing to have my life be this way,” achieving your vision will benefit everyone around you. It will be like tossing a pebble into a lake, creating a ripple of positive benefits for everyone. Put aside your doubt, your cynicism that you’ve read books like this before and nothing changed. Let go of all your negativity and become open to the possibilities. Are you ready to get started?
Step 1: Wake up from your coma—become aware of the areas in your life that need attention.
Step 1 is as simple as saying, “Hello, my name is (your name here) and I have been living by default.” As discussed in Phase I, becoming aware is all about discovering the things that make you feel uncomfortable and addressing them. It’s time to wake up and realize that your past actions are what put you in your self-induced coma in the first place. Those actions have taken away your power and put you into a victim mind-set, where you feel as if you have absolutely no control over your life. When you wake up from your coma, you will begin to regain that control.
When I ask clients to write down their three main goals, without fail they respond with wanting to improve their relationships, health, and finances. I discovered a long time ago that most people won’t address the other issues in their life if their finances aren’t satisfactory. Financial stress is the number one cause of relationship failure. When you’re making money, you feel good and you’re creative, expressive, and open. When your actions are inspired, you’re making a difference in the world. When you’re making a difference, you make more money. It’s a positive cycle that epitomizes living By Design. Conversely, when you’re not making money, all of those inspired actions tend to dry up. You get stuck, become frozen with fear, and resist change. This is a perfect example of how one core area being in default can negatively affect all the others. Although most people start with the first three categories—career, intimate relationships, and finances—I always try to reiterate that the remaining four—physical health, spirituality, contribution/giving