Are you guilty of letting other people’s moods directly impact how YOU feel?
Are the rules you live by your own?
When do you feel best about yourself?
What makes you feel loved or happy?
Does it take a sunny vacation day on the beach for you to feel great?
Take control of your life. Have confidence you will drum your own beat, hum to the tune of life playing in your head, and stop waiting for someone else to set the tone for your life.
By identifying a few ways to tie positive emotions to your actions, you will super charge your happiness, transform your life, and take matters into your own hands.
#1 Define Your Marketing Message
Treat yourself like a fortune 50 brand! Create a mission statement and a USP—your unique selling position.
What is the purpose of YOUR life? And why would anyone care? Fill in these blanks (A favorite Tony Robbins exercise)…
The purpose of my life is to do THIS for you and impact WHOM/WHAT.
An example of an empowering statement is as simple as…
“The purpose of my life is to enjoy love and create magical moments for myself and all those around me.”
By taking the time to know what you stand for, no matter if you are at work, with your family or home alone, you’ll do what you said you wanted and ensure others share the benefit. This puts your focus less on playing the role of perfect parent, partner or performer at work, and places importance on who YOU are in any moment, no matter what “role” you might play.
#2 Hum and Drum
Choose a theme song. Put it on your computer, or add it to your ringer, but own it. Mine is Chantilly Lace. Anytime I go into any uncertain situation, I simply hum mine or sometimes even sign it aloud. (You can even create a little jig with it.) Have fun.
You’ll be surprised how even the ring of the phone with your power-boosting song will give you a lift by making you smile.
You will get a great deal of clarity by giving attention to what you are feeling, and acknowledging you need help. By playing this tune silently in your head you bring awareness to the issue, allowing yourself to get clear with what YOU need to do to transform the situation into meaningful moments.
#3 Daydream On Paper
You don’t need 4 days, 50 magazines, 3 books and a professional creative eye to build a vision board.
Try these simple steps.
1. Answer one question a week—“If this was the most amazing week you ever had, what would happen?”
2. Enjoy yourself. It’s easy to keep a simple word document with a single image to keep yourself on track with what’s most important to you. Try placing your one pager in different areas in your home, but by simply putting it on paper you will be one step closer to making it a reality.
3. Create a screen saver with your image and a simple line of text. Even if it’s so crazy you don’t believe it could ever happen, just start by telling yourself, “I believe I could do x.”
Let me share a quick inspirational story with you, proving this WORKS.
My son was 8 when we went to Vegas. He became focused on winning a giant basketball out of one of those crane machines. It’s virtually impossible, but he asked me if I thought creating a vision board would help. Since we were on vacation, he had to do it in a word document by finding an image online and adding a sentence to the image as it related to his desire. His 6-year-old sister watched and decided she wanted in on the action. The next night we went to the “rip-off machine” and went for it. Not only did he get his ball on the first try, his sister got hers on the last try. Talk about a magical moment for us, and all the people around us, as we jumped around laughing and hugging, “It works!”
#4 Be An Award Winning Actor or Actress
Fake it until you make it. It’s super fun to become a celebrity for a day. Play the role as if Oscar was waiting for you. Blaze through difficult or boring situations by asking yourself, “What would Alyssa Milano do?” It feels silly, but it’s also fun. Letting others in on your game can also get the whole family into it. Adding laughter and silliness to your life will be a game changer. Even choosing to see yourself as a character in a movie or TV show the actor plays, will get you out of your box, help you think differently, and open your eyes to how magical YOU truly can be.
#5 Become a Karaoke Car Star
Jamming in your car is a super easy way to shift your energy and change your state. Creating a play list of old songs from your younger days will put the fun moments of your childhood back into your day. Belt out tunes like Kelly Clarkson, singing like you are on your very own American Idol stage to crank up your energy, turning you into a tsunami of endless possibilities.
If you were a rock star, who would you be? For a few minutes a day, on your way to and from work or just running errands, own their persona and sing their songs.
You can even try jamming with your kids and getting them in on the fun. Let their laughter and spirit move you. (If you are truly brave, get the attention of a neighboring car and let their stares, smiles and even eye rolling inspire you!)
#6 Give An Award Winning Pep Talk To You
Get in front of a mirror and tell YOU exactly why you are great. Pump up your future by telling you what you are capable of and remind you of the fantastic accomplishments you have had and will have, in an award-inspiring scene. (Think Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men—“you can’t handle the truth,” or Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday—the locker room scene.)
No limits to what you can do exist with this exercise. Be aggressive with you, but be compassionate, give yourself the pep talk you’ve been longing to hear from a boss, friend or even a lover. Believe what you tell yourself as you use your entire body to emphasize each point. Again, go for the Oscar, get your blood pumping, and know there is nothing you can’t do when you believe you have what it takes to get it done.
These tricks might seem basic or corny, but I challenge you to try them and tell me if they worked. How did you feel after you did them?
Quick fixes aren’t easy to believe in, but sometimes just taking control of everyday moments will make the bigger things fall into place and build your confidence to know the big picture is yours to draw.
What other tricks can you do to live like no one is watching?
Lori Taylor