Living an unconscious life is rough.
There’s more suffering, struggle, and self-sabotage.
There’s less health, energy, and meaning.
Life design opens up a new way of living. It’s not golden all the time, but generally, life is a whole lot better when you design your life the way you want it to be.
Here are four ways my life is better because I design a life I love every year.
I am kind to my body. Most of the time.
Before designing my life I filled my body with crappy food that made me feel tired and heavy. I assumed if my body could digest it I should eat it. Fast food, heaps of sugar, food dye, processed foods, and plenty of ice cream were part of my weekly diet.
Now? Green juice is a ritual, processed food has faded out of my diet, and I’ve traded waxy fake chocolate for organic chocolate infused with super foods. I notice how food makes my body feel and I consciously choose to eat food that adds energy to my life.
My criteria for relationships is more sophisticated.
Before I designed my life I would hang out with people to be polite, because I felt obligated, or because it was convenient.
Now? My sacred yes and honoring no guide who I enter into relationship with. My relationships are more fulfilling, loving, interesting, vulnerable, conscious, and authentic.
My boundaries are stronger and clearer.
Before I designed my life I used to put up with a lot. People pleasing, self-sacrifice, rescuing, and settling was my comfort zone.
Now? I take responsibility for the places in my life that feel messy and I set boundaries to clean them up. I no longer accept what doesn’t work. I firmly and lovingly make the changes I needed to make in order to live a life I love.
It became easier to love, respect, and accept myself.
Before I designed my life I was terrible to myself. I would say nasty things about myself by engaging in harsh perfectionism, little rejections would shake me to the core, and I constantly felt not good enough.
Now? My inner critic is less critical, I treat myself with more compassion, I’m fond of my imperfections, rejection is less shattering, and {most of the time} I feel good enough.
This doesn’t mean my life is always a breeze, my relationships are always awesome, I’m always kind to myself, and I always choose love over fear.
Occasionally, I have dark days, but they are not my everyday reality any more.
When I think back to the way I used to live, I wonder what I was doing? But, I couldn’t have done better because I didn’t know better. I didn’t know the truth of my soul.
Now? I do.
Photo credit : Stefan Makwana captured the love