This could prove to be a rather vulnerable post, but I think it is important to having a peaceful life – so here we go! First off – true confessions – I’m not a big fan of accountability. There, I said it!
Accountability
Accountability is not always an easy thing. It means you have to answer to someone else – whether good or bad – on a regular basis. If you are doing great, then it’s a lot easier to be accountable. If you have really challenged yourself, and have a good accountability partner or group, it can get messy – especially on days you don’t particularly feel motivated, or just didn’t make the progress you were planning.
The other part of being accountable is that for it to work well, you have to be open and honest with not only yourself, but with the people in your group. That means no more “everything is perfect” looking updates when it really isn’t. It also means you have to open to listening to what your group or mentor is telling you – whether you want to hear it or not. Once again, it’s a whole lot easier to be open and honest when things are going well, but on those days they are not – well, it’s not so easy anymore.
Authenticity is key
So you may be asking how that is important to having a peaceful life. Let me share my thoughts on that very question. Part of having a peaceful life is being authentically you so you can live out the purpose for which you were created. The world around us tries to fit us into these (what they consider) perfect little molds. The issue with that is there is no such thing as a perfect little mold, and you can drive yourself over the edge if you try too hard to fit into one.
By being your open and honest self, you don’t have to try to fit in anywhere except your own mind, body, and spirit. You are no longer bound to another person’s mold. You are willing to listen to their input, but you are not obligated to do anything with it that doesn’t align with your mission or values. You have total freedom to be yourself!
In case you are wondering what I chose to be more accountable about in my life, it was to be more organized. This is what I shared with a mentor and friend, and in a mastermind group I participate in, but there is a lot more to it, “I am going to get back to using my calendar as a planner, and organizing my time more effectively. I’ve allowed myself to get way off track – time to reel it in.”
The part about the calendar is the easy part, the organizing my time more effectively is going to take some work. How do I plan to do it? Here are a few ways –
Social media
If I want to more effectively use my time, I need to free some of it up. SInce my business is an online business that makes this more challenging than expected. I post several times a day and stay in contact with followers and clients online. That requires a good amount of online time. The catch is, I often find myself mindlessly scrolling because I went off in a different direction (saw something sparkly or a squirrel) and all of a sudden it’s been an hour I could have used for something more productive.
To organize my time, I will have to be more mindful to stay on track and not allow myself to get distracted, which leads me to the second point.
Mindfulness
To be more effective, I need to plan and be more mindful of each thing on my schedule. Is it relevant to my purpose? Does it contribute to my over all mission? Is it in alignment with my values? If any of these questions have a “no” or “not really” answer, then it’s time to see if it really is something I should be spending time on.
Mindfulness also includes the discipline of staying focused. I am a natural born day dreamer, so my mind goes off in a whole lot of different directions if I don’t consciously work at keeping it on task. One way I work on this is to actually schedule in some day dream time. It’s important to dream, but too much can lead to your demise.
Decluttering
This one may seem out of place, but it may be one of the most important points. I tend to be a pack rat, and to collect a lot of cool things that mainly take up space, or are duplicates of cool things I already have just in case the first one breaks or something. That means that my home is pretty full (to say the least) and I constantly have to move things to get out them or rearrange for each individual project.
By decluttering and simplifying what is inside my home, I will also be decluttering and simplifying what it takes to complete each task I have to do. I will no longer have to touch things multiple times to complete a project, or rearrange to make room for the next thing. My mind will also have more space to concentrate and focus on what is important.
Wrapping up
So that is my challenge. I plan to share how it’s going on my social media and maybe even on a future blog post, to let you know what I’m learning, and to hold myself accountable to my readers as well.
I’d like to extend the challenge to you as well. If you had the opportunity to improve an area of your life, or to complete one specific goal, what would you choose? Let us know in the comments if you are willing to join in. I can assure you that you will find a more peaceful life in at least one way or even more because of it.
Find your purpose – find your joy!
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Did you find a few more ideas of your own? If so, I’d love to hear about them in the comments, and as always please reach out with your thoughts.
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Email: info@SerenitiesNow.com
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