I can't count the number of times I see people who struggle to articulate what they want out of life. When confronted with specifics on what they want or their goals I receive these blank stares or this vague statement about success and happiness.
I'm not going to lie. I'm frustrated when I hear these countless statements. Many times people feel hopeless and confused. The sheer amount of despair can leave them in a cycle of chronic depression. The fact of the matter is that being around depressed people is hard. They can drain normally happy people to the point that they can no longer be a support system for them for any significant amount of time. Which lead lost and confused individuals to congregate with themselves.
Imagine how unhealthy it is to be surrounded and connected to others who also have little hope and very small dreams.
If you find yourself in that exact position there is hope.
You know that old trick that if your in a maze all you need to do is put your hand against a wall and trace it until you find the end of the maze? Not the most efficient use of time, but we're not going for expedient. We're going for a simple plan that won't leave you in the same position you were in before. Measurable steps of change.
Step 1 of the glow life theory: put your hand against the wall.
This is taking time out of your life to stop being busy and start focusing on the little things. I've suggested people wake up earlier, or turn off the television, or sit in their car before their next destination and just take time to feel and reflect. A journal or a tracking app can help. A ritual like meditation or praying are also good. But over time it'll help you pinpoint a direction.
What does this look like? It looks like you have been praying or journaling or mediating or whatever way you reconnected with yourself, but that re-connection lead you to a realization that you may have known or just know realizing. Keep your hand on that thing. As an illustration lets say its parenting. You realized that you don't want to be the same parent to your children as your parent was to you. In this case your realize you're constantly fussing at your kids because you want them to be excellent and have a better future, you're choosing a career that allows you to spend more time at home but it doesn't have a great financial or benefits package so you struggle to make ends meet sometimes, you're only friends are other parents whose kids are peers with your kids. You've created this sphere of your life surrounded by the main fear of failing as a parent.
Step 2 of the glow life theory: start walking with your hand against the wall.
Now's the hard part of the plan...take a step. This part will look different for each person. Going back to the parenting example. A step for one person is to check out a couple of parenting books from the local library. A step for another person maybe seeing a counselor to start healing from past hurts so they can move forward. A step for a different person maybe to get a support group to help with raising your children so the pressure isn't so much on one person. It doesn't matter what the step is, you are walking.
Keep walking with your hand on that focus. The walking shouldn't change until your outside the maze of that focus. Going back to the parenting example. Let's say you take 6 months of low cost counseling and you're in a better place as a person, you've read a few books and your able to better manage your expectations and frustrations, you even found a few social groups that your kids love that you also approve of. You feel you are in a better place mentally. You may even say your rocking this parenting thing right now. Great! Your out of the maze of parenting. You may still need to go back periodically to test the waters on your feelings, but for the most part you should go back to your praying time and start pinpointing your next focus.
That's it. That's the super extra hard difficult impossible strategy that I have developed for having a Glorious Life.
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