Living Well Through Small Steps

It might take a moment to decide how to answer that. Most of the time, I feel like I do live well. For me, living well means finding a way to be true to the things that I value most: leading a life of simplicity, being satisfied with enough, embracing the natural world and empowering those whose paths intersect with my own. It means being able to adapt to the misfortunes and troubles of a human life, living fully in each moment, and holding a sense of joy at my center. Resiliency, along with a joyful presence, allows me to be fully alive, fully engaged in the ordinary days, and fully able to be the person I am called to be.

Caring for myself, creation, and others allows me to live as a whole person – mind, body and spirit. Wellness is multi-dimensional and requires alignment of all facets of wellbeing, from mental and physical health, to financial fitness, to enjoying fulfilling work and relationships. Being intentional about these areas helps us to live fully: As a joyful, resilient people that can achieve wholeness in the midst of a chaotic, fractured world.

Consider this: What is most important to you in regards to your wellbeing? What might you need to do differently to keep working toward being full of joyful presence and living well?

The following questions can be helpful in figuring out a plan to move toward making whole-person wellbeing a reality:

What’s working now in my health and wellbeing?

It can be tempting to go straight to what feels wrong with your lifestyle, or what isn’t working right now. As you begin thinking about what you might want to do differently, take some time to reflect on and acknowledge what you are doing well already.

What’s my vision for change? What is making change important?

Identify what is causing you to desire something different in the first place. It is one thing to say, “I want to lose weight.” It is another to say, “I am at a healthy weight and have a renewed sense of self, increased my energy and am able to participate fully in my life with confidence and ease.” When you figure out what is making you want to do something differently, your choices are fueled by inspiration, and your intent becomes reality.

What strengths can I bring to my change process?

Everyone has unique qualities and strengths – think about what you do well and what allows you to be successful. Maybe you have a knack for remembering people’s names and thrive on challenges. Maybe you are detail oriented and like structure. Maybe you are an empathetic listener and need alone time to think. Whatever makes you you is something that can be identified and drawn on to set the stage for success. When you know what you do well, you have a foundation on which to build.

What are my greatest challenges to changing, and how can I work around them?

Most of us have things that get in the way of moving forward with our desired changes. Make a list of the challenges that might get in the way and identify possible ways to work around them. There are no wrong or out of bounds ideas.

What are my first priorities for change?

Figure out what needs to come first. Maybe you want to lose weight to increase your energy, but you aren’t sleeping well at night and tend to stay up too late which makes choosing healthy food and getting any exercise that much more challenging. Perhaps your first priority will be to avoid screen time after 9pm and spend your last waking hour in dim lighting, doing something peaceful to ensure a refreshing night’s rest. Getting to the root issue is essential to lasting success.

How ready, confident and committed am I to taking the first steps toward my vision?

Setting realistic goals and backing up those goals with firm commitment is a cornerstone of moving in the direction you wish to go. Do whatever it takes to build confidence in yourself, even if it means starting with a five minute walk, once a week, or smiling at the person stuck in traffic next to you. Every success has to start somewhere.

What will I do this week?

It’s up to you. No one else can decide what you need to live well, and no one can live for you. What are you going to do for yourself, as you awaken to your own abundance through taking small steps?

If you’d like more support in diving into these questions and crafting a plan to live well, our professional, human coaches are ready to help.