You might think responding to life is difficult in these strange times.

Most people react to the circumstances and situations of their present-day life, allowing them to determine their present and their future.  It doesn’t have to be that way.

Living our lives by design or default is a choice.

Choosing to respond to life, means you are making conscious and intentional decisions about how you want to live and be, regardless of the circumstances and situations.  These are facts, yes, they exist and I am not in any way dismissing them, for they are very real.

What I am recommending is to acknowledge them, deal with them to the best of your ability, but do not let them dictate your life to you.  Do not lose sight of your vision of your best self, the person who wants to excel in a specific field, or sport.  The person who wants to influence great change in a specialised sector, an organisation, in people’s lives or in a country. The person who wants to be more creative, free-spirited, artistic, a writer or someone who lives freely in nature – the possibilities are endless and the potential for greatness, your greatness, is huge.

“Live the life you want, not the life others want for you!”

Knowing what you want in life is one thing, taking the required action to achieve it, is another.  This takes imagination, intention, courage, risk-taking and a strong sense of self.

As you move forward, your past experiences will ‘come to visit’! Acknowledge them, take from them only the good and use that good to drive you forward.  For sure old habits die hard, but the important thing is to identify the habit and then change it.  It is said it takes 21 days to change a habit, so decide to change it in terms of how you think, act and behave in the present day. Don’t allow either your past experiences, your bad habits or your past conditioning to cause you to stay stuck in the past – that was then, this is now!

Dream BIG!  Don’t let fear get in the way of your dreams.  Fear of being successful can be as debilitating as fear of failure.  It’s often said, the only thing to fear is fear itself! The only way to deal with fear is to face it – what is causing it, is it something within you based on past experiences or your fear of the unknown.  Focus your energy on those things you can influence rather than those things you have no control over.  Learn how to increase positive emotions. According to research by Barbara Fredrickson, positivity broadens our perspective – we literally have a wider view, which offers us more options.  The more you practice positivity, the more it builds, creating a resilience that allows you to function better.

Whatever your current circumstances, acknowledge them as just that.  A part of your life, not your entire life!  Choose to live your life by design, intentionally and with purpose.

Connect with me for a quick chat if you would like to know more about how to take the next steps in living your life with intent, regardless of the circumstances: charley@charleyswords.com

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