how to get a life that inspires you

How to get a life that inspires you

Take a moment right now to take stock of your current life. Are you inspired? Does every aspect of your life align with what you authentically want and value? Do you wake up most days and think: “Pinch me! Is this really my life?”. Or have you been feeling a little less enthused or frustrated with one or more aspects of your life lately? Read on to learn how to get a life that inspires you and how to start the journey today.

how to get a life that inspires you

How to get a life that inspires you

Most people are conditioned to believe they need to achieve things to be successful. That the job will make them happy. Or the relationship. Or more money and wealth. Most people learn to be externally gratified. It’s ingrained in our culture. We learn to feel good about ourselves when we receive external gratification and this happens from a very young age. We feel happy with ourselves when we achieve the A+ grade. Or because we have a certain brand of clothing. Or because we look a certain way, or live in a specific area.

Thinking this way will certainly land you into a life that may look “successful” but isn’t fulfilling. It’s possible to be successful and not fulfilled. This happens when you’re focused on what you need to achieve and not from a place of considering: “What do I want to EXPERIENCE in my life?”

Being fulfilled is an emotional experience. So the best way to build a life that inspires you, one that you love, is to consider what you want from an experiential level versus thinking using your rational mind. Before you go after what you think you want, you want to shut down your rational thinking process (your left brain thinking) and tune into your emotional side (your right brain thinking).

What you can do today to move closer to your dream life…

Step 1: Decide what you want using your right brain thinking processes and your emotions to guide you

The key to building a life you love is to key into your deep desires and passions, and once again, to think from an emotional level by asking the question: “What do I want to experience?”

You can turn your rational thinking processes down by daydreaming. Imagine what you want in all areas of your life. Take some quiet time to think by yourself. Ask yourself “What do I want to experience in my career?…relationships?…physical health?… And then, daydream about what you want. Step into what you think you’d like to experience in your mind. Start to build a framework. Really try to feel what it would be like to be in your future, experiencing what you want.

You’ll get excited. You’ll get moved deeply. You’ll feel emotionally ignited when you start to build a future that inspires you. When you feel excited and moved by something you imagine it’s a signal that this is something you’d really like to experience and a goal you should move towards.

Here’s the incredible thing about visualizing: Your brain doesn’t know the difference between you imagining doing something and actually physically doing it! This means, you could take a bite of a juicy orange fresh from a tree or imagine it and you would salivate. Your brain goes through the same mental processes.

So, seeing a future you want is the first step to deciding what you really want. Once you know in your heart what excites you and a goal you want to move towards then you can do the next most important step.

Step 2: Get rational and realistic about where you are and what you need to do next

Once you’ve imagined and explored what you want (in as specific terms as possible) and you’ve decided on what it is, then you need to get realistic about it. When you think rationally, you’ll pull your left brain thinking processes back into the picture. This is an important part of the process because now you start to see how your dreams could be realized in reality.

At this point, it’s time to consider where you’d like to be in the near future – the goals you’d like to achieve – and contrast it with where you are now. It’s important to evaluate where you are and where you’d like to get to using measurable and specific variables.

For instance, let’s say you want to lose 15 lbs in three months. If you’re 200 lbs now, then within 15 lbs to have met your goal you’d be 185 lbs. Once you have measurements you’ll need to ask yourself: “What structures do I need to put in to realize this goal?”

In this case, perhaps you’d need to enroll in a fitness class or learn new ways to eat.Consider what you need and schedule in times to take the actions that will get you the result you want.

Creating a structure – planning, scheduling work – is critical to achieving what you want with velocity. So write your thoughts down. Start to build a framework. Set aside a bit of time (30 minutes is really all you need) of quiet time to plan and review your plan each week.

Step 3: Take action

Do you spend more time thinking about what you want to achieve or taking the actions to actually get it? Most people get too caught up in introspection – thinking about what they might want or what happened in the past – versus getting into action.

Remember that actions = results. No action = no results!

Once you start taking action towards your dreams – even if it’s a very minor action – you’ll start to get excited and feel amazing. At that point, you’ll feel more energized and compelled to take more actions.

Taking action is also the fastest way to know if your plan works. Are you doing the right things to get what you want or do you need to change it up? It’s also important that you notice what you’re doing and if it’s working or not. A great strategy always involves reviewing and tweaking. Use action as a metric to rate your progress.

Step 4: Be persistent, stay committed and keep your “eye on the prize”

How do you be persistent? Well, it’s starts with deeply wanting your dream. When you know to 100% that you want to achieve a dream, to experience an aspect of your life in a specific way then it’ll be harder for you not to go after your dream. You’ll feel compelled. Anytime you consider quitting you’ll get more determined.

When you’re working towards achieving a dream and you’re in the process of building, it’s most important you keep yourself motivated by focusing daily on the outcomes you’re committed to achieving. What is it that you want? More importantly, WHY do you want it? What’s the reason you’re doing all this?

It helps to create a “Why List”. Write down all the reasons you want what you want. Make it exhaustive. Do this at the beginning when you decide you want something. Anytime you don’t feel motivated you can go back to your list. You can remind yourself of why you are doing what you’re doing. This will help fuel you into action. It will help you stay focused and committed.

Let’s say you’re working to get a startup off the ground and that the potential of the startup will make a difference for the world and make you millions. But let’s say you find yourself one day feeling really negative about everything you’re day. Maybe you’ve been working on this start up for three years. Maybe you’re uncertain it will ever go the way you want. Well, in that moment it’s critical you reflect on why you’re doing what you’re doing.

What are the reasons you want what you want? Maybe you want millions so you can build a family or be involved in more projects that change the world. Maybe at the point you’re at, you simply like money so you can afford a better way of life? Consider all the whys. Make an exhaustive list. This will help you stay motivated.

We are meant to be inspired by our lives. We are meant to make a difference. We are meant to contribute. Realizing all this starts with you. It’s starts with you being fulfilled. It starts with you saying: “That’s it. I’m living this life and putting my fulfillment first.”

Being inspired is what life’s all about. If you’re not fulfilled or working towards what you want you’re stagnating. Remember that progress = happiness. When you’re moving towards what you want you’ll feel invigorated and fulfilled. Start today. Getting a life that inspires you starts now and it starts with you.

The first action might be just to do Step 1 of this list. Then, keep going. You got this. And your dreams are possible.

Life could be a dream if you let it

There’s a famous song from the 1950s called Sh-Boom by The Chords (and also recorded by The Crew Cuts) and it goes:

Life could be a dream, if only all my precious plans would come true

These lyrics paint a picture of how many people think about their dreams. If only they would suddenly come true. If only my dream life would drop out of the sky one day! If you’re serious about living your dream life this type of mindset won’t help you get what you want. Being intentional and taking action will.

The unfortunate truth about most people’s dreams

Most people are not living their dream life. And this is statistically true. There are many reasons for this. Most people are surrounded by people who have given up on their dreams. And many people live in an environment that doesn’t command their greatness. And they give up when the pathway to achieving what they want isn’t clear.

But, you really CAN have what you want. (Isn’t that what life’s all about anyways?) Life could be a dream if you let it. You never have to settle.

There is a”secret sauce”, a recipe for getting what you want.  It’s simple too. But it takes getting out of your own way and trusting the process.

Life could be a dream if you let it

Life could be a dream if you let it: A five step process to getting what you 

Step 1: Decide what you want. Be clear and specific on what it is and why you want it

As simple as it sounds the first step is to decide what you want. Most people think about things in life they’d like to accomplish without getting specific about it. They think about what they want when they daydream, when their mind wanders. And, they think about achieving things in “one day, some day” timeframes. They don’t get serious about it with themselves.

So, decide what it is you want. This may take exploring your options. What do you want your dream life to look like? Then, once you’ve done enough researching and considering, commit to an idea.

Committing to an idea doesn’t mean it needs to stick forever. Ideas evolve. Dreams evolve. For instance, perhaps you have a dream home you’d like to one day own in Florida. Then one day after you travel to California you decide you’d rather have your dream home be built there.

Dreams and plans can change. You’re the creator after all, but start somewhere. Decide to go after something in one area of your life today. Be specific, down to the last detail about what you want. When you are specific it helps you measure your progress.

You’ll also need to consider a measurable timeframe for when you could achieve what you want.

Step 2: Chart a course between where you are now and where you want

Once you know in specific terms what you want and how long it will likely take you to get it, it’s easy to plan the most logical actions. Start small. It’s about incremental progress. Be resourceful. What programs/people can you tap into that you already know exist and are around you? If you don’t know where to start where can you go find out (ahem, Google might be a good place to start)

Step 3: Take action

The next thing to do is take action. This is the hardest step for most people. Why? Because people are creatures of habit. We get used to ways of doing things and we have trouble breaking out of the box. Second, we let fear overcome us. Doing things differently can be scary.

How do you overcome biological tendencies for fear and your habitual nature? Become the master of them by learning how you operate. This’ll give you control over the mental barriers that take you out.

Step 4: Evaluate and recalibrate

When you start taking actions you’ll start producing results. The results you produce – good or bad – are a feedback mechanism for your progress in relation to what you want. Sometimes you take an action and learn you have to steer your ship in a completely new direction. Sometimes you validate that you’re on the right track. Pay attention to what you do. Be intentional. Be strategic and you’ll get what you want faster.

Step 5: Just keep going

Persistence! When you haven’t gotten what you want, keep going. Keep going till you get it. No matter how stupid you feel. No matter how alone you feel. Keep going! You’ll get there. Be patient and persistent.

So with that, here are the lyrics of the song called “Sh-boom” and famously known by its famous lyric as Life Could Be a Dream:

Life Could Be a Dream Lyrics – “Sh-Boom”

Life could be a dream, life could be a dream
Do, do, do, do, sh-boom

Life could be a dream (sh-boom)
If I could take you up in paradise up above (sh-boom)
If you would tell me I'm the only one that you love
Life could be a dream, sweetheart
Hello, hello again, sh-boom and hopin' we'll meet again

Bom ba,
Hey nonny ding dong, alang alang alanga
Oh oh oh oh dip, a dibby dobby dip

Oh, life could be a dream (sh-boom)
If only all my precious plans would come true (sh-boom)
If you would let me spend my whole life lovin' you (sh-boom)
Life could be a dream, sweetheart (do do do do sh-boom)

Every time I look at you
Something's on my mind
If you do what I want you to
Baby, we'd be so fine!

Oh, life could be a dream (sh-boom)
If I could take you up in paradise up above (sh-boom)
And tell me darling I'm the only one that you love
Life could be a dream, sweetheart
Hello, hello again, sh-boom and hopin' we'll meet again

Bom ba,
Hey nonny ding dong, alanga langala langala langala
Oh oh dip, a dibby dobby dip
Oh, life could be a dream, life could be a dream sweetheart

Do do do do sh-boom
Do do do do sh-boom
Do do do do sh-boom
Do do do do sh-boom
Za be ba da
Dip da de da dip ba di
Woah oh
Zo be ba be be ba bi
Woah
Zo be ba be be ba

Oh, life could be a dream (sh-boom)
If I could take you up in paradise up above (sh-boom)
And tell me darling I'm the only one that you love
Life could be a dream, sweetheart
Hello, hello again, sh-boom and hopin' we'll meet again

Oh, life could be a dream (sh-boom)
If I could take you up in paradise up above (sh-boom)
And tell me darling I'm the only one that you love
Life could be a dream, sweetheart
Hello, hello again, sh-boom and hopin' we'll meet again

Bom ba
Hey nonny ding dong, alangala langala langala langala (sh-boom)
Oh oh dip a dibby dobby dip
Life could be a dream
Life could be a dream
Do do do do sh-boom

Other versions of Sh-Boom – Life could be a dream

Here are the bands that recorded Sh-Boom (Life could be a dream):

Related articles

How to achieve your dreams

How to achieve your dreams

Statistically speaking, most people have consistent dreams for accomplishments they’d like to achieve, over and over, year after year, but they never pursue those dreams. They never take action on the things they really want in life.

Most people settle for a comfortable, okay, good life, not an extraordinary one. Which means, that most people never experience feeling truly fulfilled. Most people aren’t sucking the juice out of life they are taking a sip.

Why do you think this statistically true? Why are 70% of Americans living lives they are kind of, sometimes, inspired by?

The most basic answer to that question is this: Most people don’t believe they can have what they want. Not believing messes up the whole pathway to achieving what they dream about. There are a few reasons why this happens:

  1. Most people are conditioned at a young age to believe that you can’t “have it all”. Some people even learn that if they do want it all they’re greedy. It’s the “you can’t have your cake and eat it too” principle.
  2. Most people are surrounded by people that are living comfortable, decent, average lives. They start to shape what’s possible for them by what’s possible for others. Their own bar in life then gets determined by the people closest to them.
  3. Most people relate to their future from their now. They look at what they want and if it’s a far cry from what they have they often decide it’s too hard. Or maybe they go after their dream for a while but when they fail a few times they decide they aren’t good enough and settle instead.

We all deeply desire to achieve what we want in all areas of our lives. Problem is, most people squash their own desires because of the three points above.

This means, YOU are the only thing in the way of you not realizing your dreams! Bottom: If you don’t believe you can, you won’t take action. It’s that simple.

So how do you cultivate your belief muscle? How do you go from not believing in yourself to believing?

How to achieve your dreams

Honor your little voice. Everyone has a little voice in their head. Some call it the Universe. Some call it their authentic self. Some call it their higher consciousness. Some call it God. If you listen, you’ll hear your little voice speaking to you. It’s always directing you to what you want and need to do.

Honor that voice. If you don’t, you’ll create resistance against what you authentically, instinctively want and know is right for you. Think of your relationship to your inner voice like an elastic band. The more you pull away, the more resistance you create. Not honoring what you authentically want is a recipe for struggling to feel fulfilled and at peace with your life.

Incremental progress. Set small goals for yourself that are easy for you to achieve. If you want to lose 30 lbs for instance, focus on what you need to do in week one, such as: Buy workout clothes, a gym membership and go to the gym once. When you accomplish something simple acknowledge yourself for making progress. Accomplishment precedes accomplishment. Start small and you’ll gain momentum to keep going.

Own your failures. In anything you’re trying to achieve you will likely fail in some way. It’s more likely that’ll you’ll experience failure than not (especially when going after giant dreams). So, if you want to achieve a big dream you have to make friends with failure. The simplest way, is to use failure as a metric. When you fail you’ll learn what not to do and that will get you closer to what you need to do to produce the outcome you want.

Learn from each failure and you’re good. Anytime you fail ask yourself: What do I need to do next time to achieve the outcome I want?

Surround yourself with growth environments and people. You are strongly influenced by the people and environments you put yourself in. You will unconsciously take on their behaviors and set your bar to their level. Instead, set your bar by people you admire. Model their behaviors. And bring other people to your level if they have a low bar for themselves.

Obsess about your passions. Sometimes you’ll decide you need to lay a dream to rest because you realize it isn’t for you anymore. That’s fine and part of the process. It comes with growth. But, there will be dreams you have and things you want that speak to you and don’t go away! Listen to what these are. They point to your passions and the gifts you have to share with the world.

When you discover what you love, want to learn more about, excel at, and want to share with others, get obsessed. You’ll start to see more pathways opening up that you need to follow. There’s a brain region that allows you to key into aspects of your physical environment that you decide your passionate about learning more about.

Willingness to work for the dream for the sake of the dream. You have to want the dream so bad that you want to work for the dream even when you can’t see how to get there or if you ever will. That’s the kind of attitude it takes to get there. The good news is, if you have this kind of mindset you will eventually get there. It’s predictable. If you take action and you’re strategic you’ll inevitably win!

Personally, I’m grateful and blessed to have learned very early on in life of the personal power I carry and that I am able to make my wildest dreams come true. This has come with much struggle and adversity. But through it all, most importantly, I’ve learned that there is no way else to live but to go after your dreams. Life sparkles when you do. And who doesn’t want to wake up every day to a life that sparkles and a feeling of deep fulfillment and gratitude?