By Have you lost touch with yourself?
It’s so easy to get caught up in noise every single day. We commute to and from work — or work from homee for more hours than we should. We rush about in meetings, trying to meet the tightest deadlines — all without stopping to take a breath and ask: Is this really what I want? Do I plan my day/week so I can get what I want? Am I serving my purpose and working towards my goals too? Am I practising some self-care with myself?
These ten questions will help you develop clarity of mind, body and spirit.
What is my intent for today?
Have I taken the time to plan out your day or week ahead? If I work full time, what tasks are essential. What about if I have a side hustle? When will I fit the crucial things into the day, and how long do I have to work on them.
When I set out my intentions on Sunday, I tweak them as the week progresses. It’s always a rough estimation — but at least it gives me a starting point. Enhancing productivity requires knowledge of what you want to do. So I have mini competitions to see if I can get the task done earlier to have some free time left for the things I love.
Is what I’m doing serving a purpose and why?
Every day, I aim to do something that is serving my purpose. What is an intention you might as? It’s something that I’m aiming for which will hit a target or goal. If, for example, I want to lose weight, my purpose is to exercise, eat well and stay hydrated daily. I want to do this to lose weight and feel better. There are steps required along the process of weight loss to succeed. That’s just one example of a purpose. Have you thought of your own?
What is it that you truly desire right now? It can be one main thing or several little ones leading up to a significant achievement.
Am I happy right now?
There is a simple answer to this one. It’s either a yes or no. Think about this because sometimes we might say “no,” but perhaps there is a significant event or occurrence in our lives making us unhappy.We will always have these situations plaguing our mindset. Look past that and see your life as a whole.
Are you happy right now?
Life isn’t about being a motivational bunny, but having goals and setpoints geared towards happiness is a great place to start.
I must say, I have my up and down moments — mainly because at this present moment, my mum has pancreatic cancer. This plays on my heartstrings every single day. I do my best to get past it — but there will be times when I’m hyper-emotional or just plain miserable.
Overall, I’m happy, but this one thing is causing me a lot of sadness. Perhaps you are similar. Life will always give us something to learn from, and they aren’t always pleasant situations.
What makes me happy?
Do you know what makes you happy?
Take out a pen and paper listing all the things that make you happy.
It could be summer sunshine, margaritas, nights in the pool, days spent rock climbing. Write down as many as possible.
Or maybe you want to be your boss too eventually?
How many of those items on your list are you doing? If you find yourself wondering when you last did something that made you happy — well, you need to re-visit this list big time.
Make it a point to do something that makes you happy every day. It can be a small thing, like a great cup of coffee (one of my happiness essentials), or maybe burning essential oils.
What is making me unhappy right now?
Sometimes we focus so much on what makes us happy, but we don’t bring enough awareness to what doesn’t light our fire.
Writing this down isn’t about being negative, so much as to bring attention to the things that cause some sadness in your life.
It’s ok to write down the truth. Maybe you hate your job or dislike certain people you have to mix with regularly. I have found acknowledging how we feel makes a difference in our lives. We feel lighter, and it creates space to find a way out of it.
What are five things I can do every day which increases my motivation?
Motivation and positivity require some work every day.
Successful people know that the key to sustaining their mindset is filling it with abundance. Here are some examples of what I do to ignite my motivation:
- Listen to motivational audiobooks
- Listening to motivational speakers on YouTube
- Reading motivational quotes
- Speaking to someone who inspires you
Every day, I make sure I listen to something that triggers that fire in me, infiltrating my mind with positive thoughts, and increasing my self-belief.
Our brain becomes lazy and accepts whatever we give it. It’s so easy to let those negative beliefs and that chitter-chatter take hold. Once that conversation starts — it’s hard to stop it!
Sometimes you can’t do anything at all — but infuse some positivity in the space. Do so often, and you will find it more accessible as you practice.
What am I going to do in my break today?
I always like to plan mini-lunch vacations. It’s the one time in the day where I get to enjoy something active. It breaks up the monotony of sitting on my backside.Going for a walk — even for 15 minutes makes a world of difference. I start to get the blood moving, become a lot more relaxed and get to feel the sunshine on my skin. What I love most about my walks is it’s the time I get ‘Space’ to think about my goals, my dreams and visualise.
What food can I eat that will nourish me?
No junk food is allowed in this one. What foods can you nourish your body with that will help provide energy, stamina and a steady mood during the day?
It may be tempting to indulge in a treat or two — but stop and think about how these small pleasures every day will add up to your overall lifestyle goal. Having a treat once a week is great — but indulging every single day is a recipe for disaster.
Instead, focus on the foods that will provide you with what you need regularly — and save the treats for special moments.
What three things can I say to someone that will increase their self-worth?
First, as we progress throughout the day, sometimes we forget that others could need a hand or a person to chat with.
All it takes to make someone else feel good is to acknowledge they exist and genuinely show interest in them. Don’t just make contact because you need something.
It’s easy to do this regularly when you work. But step back and think about this person (and all people mind you) They have their insecurities, problems and inadequacies. Unfortunately, not everyone knows how to overcome them. So instead, be a role model for these people.
Did I call a loved one today to have a chat?
The reason why I touch on this point is that life is too precious and fleeting. No one knows what tomorrow will bring — but only hope it’s better than what it was yesterday.
It doesn’t take much time or effort to pick up the phone, call your parents, go and visit them, or maybe take them somewhere special.
What about a sibling or another relative that could be on their own?
Taking this one step to show you still care for them will make their day fill with sunshine. The most memorable part of this is that your heart will fill with love too.
If you can, try to spend the week contemplating these questions.
Most of us go through life being unhappy yet not knowing why. As a result, we forget the little things in life often impact our souls.
The answer to everything is inside yourself, and it’s a matter of uncovering those very things buried underneath. So how do we bring up these answers if we never take the time to ask the right questions every day?