HOW DO WE LIVE AN EXTRAORDINARY LIFE?

"A ship is safe in the harbour, but that is not what a ship is for" William Shedd


Yesterday's post, was about allowing life to be extraordinary for us. So how do we go about living an extraordinary life, the life of your dreams?


I recently read a book where the author asks this powerful question; "If you were at your own funeral, what would you want your eulogy to be? Now, there is food for thought, a good starting point for this post. How do you want to live your life?


I believe passionately that we should all be striving to lead extraordinary lives. We are not meant to live small, insignificant lives. In fact we cheat ourselves, and others, when we live small.


 Following your dreams does not mean that you are taking the easy road. Far from it. It takes courage to follow your dreams, and when we do, we throw our heart and souls into it. So if it does prove unsuccessful the first time around, the disappointment and hurt can be huge because we have given it our all. However, I will argue, that it is far better to experience this kind of disappointment than that of a life lived small, because that type of disappointment runs much deeper and lasts a lot longer.

So, how does an ordinary person get to live an extraordinary life? How do they fulfill that desire of travelling around the world, building a business of their dreams, volunteering in remote places or even locally? Remember the old adage, that the difference between ordinary and extraordinary is often just a few extra steps


#1. Choices

Know that leading an extraordinary life does not happen by chance, but by the choices that you make. You have the choice to decide how you want your life to be and how you want to live it. You are responsible for your life. No one else.


#2.  Believe in yourself.

Know and believe, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that you deserve to live the life of your dreams. If you believe that you are not worthy of this, or not good enough, you are giving away your power and this will stop before you have even attempted to live an extraordinary life.


#3.  Possibilities & Opportunities

We wake up to them daily, but most people just walk away. Often because they do not recognize them for what they really are, or they are scared. Richard Branson offered great advice when he said "if somebody offers you an opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes, and then learn to do it later".


#4.  Move out of your comfort zone

When you think about your dream, does it take you to beyond excited? Good. We cannot move forward in any area of our life without moving out of our comfort zone, this is no exception. Staying there equals no growth. Know very strongly why you want to build your dream and let it excite you beyond bursting point. This will allow you to keep moving forward when the challenges are mounting and people are telling you that it is not possible. Keep moving forward and know that you will get there.


#5. Be prepared to pay the price

Pauline, a great mentor to me, once said that "successful people do what unsuccessful people are not prepared to do". Know that leading an extraordinary life does not just happen by accident.  It takes work, and often sacrifices to get there, especially in the beginning. moving from ordinary to extraordinary takes work, effort, action, and planning. The rewards will definitely make the journey worthwhile.

Photo courtesy of Ashley Hall at Pearl Wanderings