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30DLBL Day 6 – What Are Your Life Goals?

Celes — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 08:39:59 +0000

Today is Day 6 of Live A Better Life in 30 Days Challenge (View past 30DLBL tasks). If you have not signed up, do so here. Check #30DLBL on Twitter for latest news on the challenge.

In the past few days, I’ve been receiving a lot of wonderful feedback on 30DLBL from participants. I’ve also been reading the 30DLBL journals by participants (check them out if you haven’t). Many have told me how just doing the tasks from the first few days have already made them feel lighter, clearer, awakened, more focused and more proactive about life. They already feel motivated about what’s ahead of them, vs. previously. It’s amazing just witnessing and hearing about their changes.

I love how we have so many diverse participants, as young as teens, to students, working professionals, parents, families, the retired, to even in their 60s. No matter who or where we are, we can always live a better, richer, and fuller life, and that’s truly what it means to grow – to always be moving forward and outgrowing what we have.

If you haven’t, I encourage all of you to check out the comments (Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5) and join in. When you openly share your thoughts, you clarify your thinking process, and you get more insights than before. Some of you may be introverts who want to work on being more confident/communicative, and this is a great first step to do that. By sharing, everyone will benefit and learn. Once again, there are new comments for Days 1-5 even while it’s Day 6 now, so feel free to post your comments for each day where you finish them.

For others who are actively participating already, I invite you to check out others’ comments and also share your thoughts with them too. Interact and get to know the other participants. Offer your opinion and help where you can. We’re all doing this together. I’m beginning to see a community forming here for 30DLBL, and I really can’t tell you how excited I am about this.

30DLBL is for the 30 days of September – but these 30 tasks are really lifetime tasks that will bring you value every time you do it. I designed 30DLBL in a way that will make it applicable to all of us, no matter who we are or where we are. The principles and concepts are universal and timeless in helping us live better lives. Depending on how the challenge goes, I’m planning to release a 30DLBL official guidebook (ebook and possibly hard copy) after this challenge, with all the days’ tasks, added worksheets, new reflection templates, improvements from the current run, for you to do again in your own time and place. Stay tuned for it.

In Day 2, we set our ideal lives. What we asked ourselves “What would I do if I can never, ever fail? What would I do if I have unlimited resources, time or networks?” Many of us uncovered dreams that we never knew we had, or dreams we had put away at some point in time. Many of us felt inspired, reawakened when we uncovered our dreams. Some of us were moved into tears writing our biggest dreams and reconnecting with our real selves. Guess what? Your dreams have been yours for the taking all along. You have the power to do whatever you want, to achieve whatever you want. It starts with first integrating them into our life plan. Today, we’ll be setting our life goals.

Day 6 – Your Life Goals

Today’s task will take about 1 hour.

“In life, as in football, you won’t go far unless you know where the goalposts are.” – Arnold H. Glasgow

“The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.” – Bill Copeland (101 Most Inspiring Quotes of All Time)

The difference between dreams and goals are that goals are dreams with deadlines. I’ve written before on the importance of goals and why we should set them. (Read 6 Important Reasons Why You Should Set Goals. Below is a short excerpt.)

Goal setting is the first step towards living your ideal life. It marks your first point towards success. It is what put your life into real action mode. Without this step, the other steps of goal achievement cannot take place.

Have you ever encountered people who have a passive approach towards life? They don’t set any goals and they just live life on a meandering, day-to-day basis. You see them 1 year, 3 years, 5 years from now, and their lives are largely the same, save for a few changes that are really more the result of others’ actions and desires rather than their own.

When you set goals, you..

Get clarity on your end vision. It makes you crystallize and articulate the desires floating in your mind. It ensures that you are channeling your time, energy and efforts into things that really matter to you. It makes you live more consciously.
Are driven to move forward. Your goals are a representation of your inner desires; desires which motivate you in life. The point when you set goals marks one the points when you are most connected with your source of motivation. It is when your motivation is at its peak. Having goals at your side serve as constant reminders of your motivational sources. They are the fuel which drive you forward and keep you going when the going gets tough.
Have laser focus. Goals give you a single focal point to place your attention in. Whereas your purpose gives you a broad, directional focus to move your life in, goals gives you laser focus on what exactly to spend your time and energy on. Think of your time, energy and efforts as input, and results as the output. A goal acts as your funnel which guides and channels those inputs effectively into your desired output.
Become accountable. Having goals makes you accountable. Rather than just talking about what you want all the time and not do anything concrete about them, you are now obligated to take action. Setting a specific goal gives you clarity on whether you are living up against what you committed yourself to do when you first set your goal.
Are the best you can be. Goals help you achieve your highest potential. Without goals, you subject yourself to the natural, default set of actions that keep you feel safe and comfortable every day. But this familiarity is the nemesis of growth. It prevents you from growing. It does not enable you to become the best person you can be. It denies you from tapping into all that potential inside of you.
Get to live your best life. Goals with specific measures and deadlines ensure we are maximizing our output and experiences during our time here. Having defined your mission statement, your goals will ensure you get the best out of your purpose.

Look at the date today. What is it? Today, we are going to be the architect of our future. Today, we’re going to define what we want for ourselves for our future ahead.

Your Task

Part 1: Assessing Your Present (20 min)

Before we set goals, first let’s have a snapshot of how your life is now. Start on a new page of your 30DLBL workbook. On top, write “My Present Self on ___________” (where the blank is today’s date)

On Day 1, we did the life wheel to assess your present via scoring it on a scale of 1-10/10. Now, I’d like you to describe how your life is in the 10 categories of your life. (refer to life wheel)
Be as detailed as possible and cover every category.
How do you feel about each category? Are you satisfied with it? What if you are to remain with this forever? Will you want that?

Now with your present identified, it’s time to envision your future.

Part 2: What Are Your Biggest Life Goals? (40 min)

Start on a new page of your workbook. On top, write “My Life Goals”

Set your life goals. What do you want to do in your life?
- Look at your ideal life. What are your biggest goals and dreams? If you can never fail, what would you do? Crystallize your dreams into goals.
- Look at your mission statement. What does it mean to live the truest to your mission? What are the goals you should be setting?
- What if you were to live forever? What would you want to try? What would you want to do? What would you want to achieve?
Magnify your goals! This is the mind boggling part that throws some of my 1-1 clients in a mind warp. Magnify your original goals by 2x, 3x or even more depending on how far you can stretch yourself. How will you feel if you achieve these goals instead? Will you feel even happier? Ecstatic? Like it’s unimaginable? Surreal? Mind boggling? Indescribable? Which one do you prefer – 2x, 3x or 10x of your original goal, or the original goal? If it’s the former, how about setting these as your goals instead? Why do you want to sell yourself short for? Go for as much as you can – there are no limits on what you can achieve!
Be as specific as you can! Remember, the more specific you are, the better. Think of it as shooting a dartboard – You can’t hit the bullseye if you can’t see the markings. Similarly, you can’t get to your goal if you’re not clear on it to begin with. Ask yourself what exactly you want, then go from there. Keep writing until it’s very clear and vivid. Example:
- “I want to be very rich” can be – “I want to earn $20k passive income a month, with $200k savings in my bank account”
- “I want to be a successful writer” can be – “I want to be the #1 renowned writer in the world with 5 best sellers on Literary and Romance Novels in New York Times and Business Week”
- “I want to have a happy family” can be – “I want to married to a great wife, 2 kids, one boy and one girl, living in Amsterdam”
Ensure your goals cover all 10 key categories of your life wheel

Read the 10 principles of goal setting to ensure your goals are in line with the principles.

Part 3: Break down into 5, 3, 1 Year Goals

After you are done, download this life goals worksheet and print it out. This is a template to fill in your 5, 3, 1 year goals.

5 year goals. Fill in the 1st column with your 5 year goals from above. With your ideal future in mind above, what do you want to achieve in 5 years? If the column is not enough (probably not!), print out as many copies as you need.
Break down into 3 year goals. From your 5 year goals, do a break down and identify what you need to achieve in 3 years to make them happen.
Break down into 1 year goals. Now, break them down further. Set your 1 year goals.

As you fill in all 3 columns, you should see a progression from your 1 year, 3 year and 5 year goals. You can also draw the rows across the columns if you want to categorize the goals into the 10 categories so you can clearly see how each goal progresses in the 1-3-5 year time frame. I set the template as 3 basic columns so you have room to customize it. How about 10 year goals? Thinking about our goals in terms of 10 years can give us a whole new level of perspective and clarity. I didn’t put that in the exercise as (a) it might not be constructive if someone’s is in a fluctuating life stage (b) some might find it tough to project 5 years ahead, much less 10 years (c) 5 years is a long enough lead time to achieve majority of our goals. That said, if you find it beneficial to project 10 years ahead, please do so! Tomorrow, we’ll discuss more on our 1 year goals and achieving them.

Day 6 of Your 30 Day Action Plan

Refer to the 30DLBL actions you set for Day 6 and get into action with them today . See if you can start plan ahead for Day 7, 8, 9, and 10 and make sure they’re on track too.

Share Your Life Goals

Share your life goals in the comments area with others. What are your life goals? Why did you set these goals? What do they represent to you? What does it mean to you if you achieve them?

Once you are done, move on to Day 7, which is…

Image © Shutterstock, Image ©

30DLBL Day 5 – Discovering Your Values

Celes — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 10:04:55 +0000

Today is Day 5 of Live A Better Life in 30 Days Challenge (View past 30DLBL tasks). If you have not signed up, do so here. Check #30DLBL on Twitter for latest news on the challenge.

Yesterday, we worked on discovering and setting our mission statement. Many of you set your very own statements for your life for the first time. Some of you clarified and refined on statements you set from the past. Some of you feedback that it’s the hardest task to date. Some of you faced blockages and resistance while doing it.

Resistances, doubts and fears that you may have experienced in Days 1-4 tasks represent things that were not explored previously. Don’t feel daunted by them; rather, understand them and why they’re there. These doubts/fears have been there all along. Running or hiding from them isn’t going to make them disappear. If you can understand them and why they’re there, you can then work through them and finally gain power over them.

The most important thing is to realize that while you are given a day for each task, they are not one day nor one-stop tasks. Things like defining your ideal life, creating your vision board and setting your mission statement are all ongoing processes, to be discovered again and again, to be refined over time, and to be renewed as you grow and evolve as a person. 30DLBL is merely a start; a trigger point to get you thinking about these things, things which you normally don’t do on a regular day. 30DLBL is a platform for you to apply these concepts, theories that you may have read at TPEB earlier or self-help books, but never really took action to apply them. This is to help you get an initial idea/draft, then work on from there. It’s a starting point for many more great things to come.

Believe it or not, there are still new participants joining even today, starting with Day 1 and working from there. While we’re at Day 5 now, feel free to go back to your tasks from Day 1-4, review them and refine them further. I’ve created a 30DLBL overview page that lists all tasks to date and participants’ blogs for DLB. Continue to post your comments on previous days’ tasks too. There are new comments in Days 1/2/3 posts even today and I’m still reading/replying to them.

Comments for all 30DLBL posts/tasks will be closed when the challenge is over, so make use of this opportunity and tap into the community resources and help now while the challenge is going on. As you leave your comments/results, share your thoughts freely and engage with other participants every day in the comments, you are also leaving your own mark permanently in this big movement to live a better life at the end of the 30 days.

Day 5 has pushed back by 12 hours (GMT +8, 6pm) to help others follow along. For Days 6-10, I’ll be publishing each post 2 hours earlier, such that by Day 11 it’ll be up by GMT +8, 6am as it should be. Put aside time every day to follow through on the tasks and by the end of the 30 days you might just find something new for yourself.

On other 30DLBL related news, I just found out 30DLBL is featured on Grand Forks Herald newspaper (Minnesota), thanks to reader Qin Tang who is a community blogger there. It’s fantastic and more power to us and everyone taking part!

Today is Day 5 – are you ready? Yesterday, you set your mission statement, and that helps you to be clear of what you want to make out of your life. It’s the direction and focus to move in. The next step now is to identify what you stand for, as a person. Today, we’ll be working on setting your values.

Day 5 – Identifying Your Values

Today’s task will take about an hour.

Do you know what your values are?

Values are the qualities we deem most important to us. For example, integrity, responsibility and honesty are values to most people. Diligence is a dominant value of Asian culture. Compassion is clearly a value for Mother Theresa. Success and excellence are values of achievers like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.

By setting your mission statement, it sets in place the direction to live your life to the fullest. Your values are the qualities you want to uphold so you become the best person you can ever be. For example, if your values are honesty, integrity and love, it means your best self is someone is fully honest to self and others, full of integrity (never lying, putting others down, etc) and love (showing compassion in everything you do; spreading abundance and joy). If your values are responsibility, generosity and selflessness, your best self is someone who is fully responsible, is generous with his/her emotions/actions and puts others before self.

Everyone has a set of values that subconsciously guides one in one’s everyday life – it’s a matter of whether you know them or not. The easiest way to think about your values is to think about your ideal self. What does it mean to be the best person you can be? Someone with integrity? Trustworthy? Friendly? Confident? Compassionate? Outspoken? Courageous? Kind? Inspirational? Knowledgeable? Patient? Smart? Selfless? Excellent? What qualities do you want to embody? What do you want to represent in this world?

In Discover Your Values article in The Personal Excellence Book, I wrote extensively about values and what they are. Below is an excerpt of the article.

Because your values represent what’s important to you, they are also the things that you’ll fight dearly for, at the expense of everything else. Imagine a soldier willing to die for his country in war. That’s the value of patriotism. An employee who often puts in extra hours just to get the best work done. Those are values of diligence and commitment. A parent who works hard every day so his/her family can live in abundance and happiness. Those are values of love and kinship in play.

My life values are (1) Excellence (2) Passion (3) Courage (4) Truth (5) Authenticity.

Excellence. Excellence is really the core of who I am and what I do. This is why the blog is called The Personal Excellence Blog. All of us have such immense, unlimited potential, and it’s our destiny to live truest to who we can be. To do anything less is to sell ourselves short; to deny ourselves of our true potential.
Passion. Passion represents 2 things to me. First is the things I love. Living, growing, helping others grow, being with people, connecting, being alive. I believe life is about doing things you love, not things you don’t believe in. Forcing yourself to do things you don’t like is just meaningless and empty. The second is love itself. Not just romantic love, but compassion and unconditional love. Caring for others, being cared for, seeing people care for each other, parental love, family love, lovers’ love, kinship, people love, warmth, genuinity, harmony. I feel all warm and fuzzy inside whenever I witness or experience expressions of love.
Courage. To face anything and everything that comes my way, regardless of what it is. The unconscious self’s natural reaction to fear is to avoid or shrink away. However, fear represents a part of us that is incapable of handling the situation. Hence, by facing the fear, we literally grow. Courage is choosing to face what’s before you without shrinking away, even if we may be daunted. When I choose the path of courage, I know I’m growing immediately.
Truth. I believe part of the journey of life is to discover the truth that’s out there. I don’t align myself with any particular school of thought; rather I focus on doing things myself and discovering truth for myself as I see it. To be in line with truth empowers you; to hide and deny yourself of what’s before you is to limit and disempower yourself. Only by embracing truth will we be truly free.
Authenticity. Genuinity. Being upfront and honest in your interactions with others. Being sincere and earnest in your relationships with other people. Being who you are and not hiding anything from others.

These 5 are the core values I see as the instrumental to living my best life and I strive to live true to all of them every day. There is reason behind the ordering too. #1 Excellence is the most important out of the 5 values, followed by passion, etc.

Your Task

Part 1: Identify Your Values (40 min)

Start on a new page of your 30DLBL workbook. On top, label “My Values”
Values brainstorming. When I work with my 1-1 clients, we come up with an initial list of at least 15 or more values, sometimes even 30 or more! Below are 3 helping points:
1. Picture your ideal self. Who is the real you? What does it mean to be your highest self, the best you in the world? What are the traits you want to embody? Write as many as possible. The more you can write, the better.
2. Moments of annoyance. What were the incidences when you were annoyed in the past period? Why were you annoyed? Incidences when you were annoyed/irritated/pissed off/angry are when your values were violated. For example, I hate hypocritical people because they violate one of my core values of authenticity. I also hate it when people try to skive and laze off, as it violates my value of excellence. For your incidences, what were the values that were violated that caused you to feel that way?
3. Moments of happiness. Were there any moments in the past period where you were extremely happy/excited/proud of yourself? Why? What was it about the situation that made you feel this way?
Pick the top 10. Once you are done, pick out the 10 most important values out of the list. You’ll find some values are similar to others. If so, just group them together and pick an adjective that best represents this set.
Choose the top 5. Now, pick the 5 most important. While all of us can have a lot of qualities we value as important, the most important is to know the top 5 values. That’s because the other values are usually represented in some way by the top 5 values. Once we live true to these 5 values, we’re in fact living true to all other qualities we hold dear. They are like the big rocks that hold everything.
Rank the 5 values in order of 1-5. This makes it clear to you what is the #1 value you want to embody, followed by #2, and so on. Congratulations; you have found your 5 core values . These are your 5 core values that will help you be the highest you in this world.
Meaning of your core values. Each core value will have its own representation and meaning. Write down what each core values represent to you. Each core value will also be an umbrella to other sub-values, so feel free to write the sub-values under them. (Refer to the values map below on what I mean)

Why 5 Values?

While all of us can have a lot of qualities we value as important, the most important is to know the top 5 values. That’s because the other values are usually represented in some way by the top 5 values. Once we live true to these 5 values, we’re in fact living true to all other qualities we hold dear. They are like the big rocks that hold everything.

Besides, trying to remember 10, 15 values makes it a jumbled process. Just focus on the 5 most important values. Even living just a little closer to them already results in dramatic changes in your quality of life.

I see these 5 values as 5 points of a star too – each essential to what you stand for. As for the star itself, that would be you of course .

Part 2: Integrating Values into Your Life (20 min)

Assess yourself on your values. On a scale of 1-10, how are you doing in each value currently? Why? How can you embody every one of your value 100% starting now?
Find an easy way to remember the values. Your values are you, so you should be able to readily remember them no matter where you are. One thing I did was pick the first letter of each value to create a 5-letter acronym. After that, I would use it as the proxy to recall my values.
Recite your values daily. As you start your day, recite your values. Do it throughout the day as well, till you can remember your values by heart. When I first started I would recite my values once every hour. Then I’ll recall what each value stands for to me, whether I’m living to it 101% and how I embody it even more. Today, my values are a natural part of who I am and I know them off my head, so there’s no need for me to recite them anymore.
Live true to your values. Picture yourself embodying these 5 values 100% all the time. As someone who embodies these 5 values, what will you do? How will you behave? What will you say? What can you do to align myself even more to my values? Be true to them.
Use your values as a compass. Whenever you are in a fix, use your values as your guide on what to do. What is the decision that is most aligned to your values? What action should you take that best matches your values?
Add to your vision board. Now that you’ve created your values, add it to your vision board, below your mission statement. You can also find new pictures that represent these 5 values to add to the board . Check out participant Kate’s values map below:

Review your values regularly. Once every 3 months will be great. Check to ensure these values represent the best person you want to be.

Day 5 of Your 30 Day Action Plan

Refer to the 30DLBL actions you set for Day 5 and perform them with excellence today. How has your progress from Days 1-4 been? Is there anything that’s lagging behind? Can you get any of them in place today? How can you rearrange your upcoming week such that you can get them done? Since it’s the weekend now, take the chance to regroup and get on any backlog that may have piled up from the previous week.

Share Your Values

Share your values in the comments area with others. What are your 5 core values? Why did you pick them? What does each of them represent? What are going to do to live in fullest alignment with the values? Share them to everyone and to the world out there!

When you are done, move on to Day 6, which is…

Image © Shutterstock, D Sharon Pruitt

30DLBL Day 2 – What’s Your Ideal Life?

Celes — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:01:29 +0000

Today is Day 2 of Live A Better Life in 30 Days Challenge (View past 30DLBL tasks). If you have not signed up, do so here. Check #30DLBL on Twitter for latest news on the challenge.

We started Day 1 with life wheel assessment. It was absolutely amazing reading your responses and Twitter updates. Many of you got powerful insights doing the exercise which is fantastic! The exercise is meant to drive clarity on how you’re doing in life – and now you have a clear picture, work on maximizing your life, starting with this month (hence the 30 days action plan). Stick true to your 30 days action plan and make this your best month ever.

As I read the incoming new tweets on #30DLBL from participants and responses, I feel very honored to experience this journey with you. I am very impressed with the dedication you have put in towards living a better life. Several participants mentioned spending 2 hours (or even more) on the exercise; many participants have been blogging about their 30DLBL Day 1 tasks and journeys, including participant Shuwei who specially set up a 30DLBL blog for this purpose!

While this is framed a 30 day challenge, know that it’s really more than that. Ultimately it’s about you. It’s about your life. The attention you’re putting into this means you’ll reap even more rewards for yourself and your life too, for the 30 days and even long after that.

On another positive note, we have reached over 1,000 comments for our 30DLBL announcement post and over 900 sign ups! We even have a couple of husband/wife teams and participant Catherine who is engaging it as a family level project . A number of readers shared that they weren’t planning to join/just wanted to do this passively, then eventually jumped fully onboard after they got into Day 1′s task . In just a few hours, we’ll be hitting over 1,000 participants We’ve hit over 1,000 participants! Sign-ups will remain open for a couple more days for new visitors, as well as those who decide to join mid-way.

Without further ado, let’s now move to Day 2′s task.

Day 2 – Your Ideal Life

Today’s task will take about 1.5 hours.

“Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.” ~ Albert Einstein

“Everything you want should be yours: the type of work you want; the relationships you need; the social, mental, and aesthetic stimulation that will make you happy and fulfilled; the money you require for the lifestyle that is appropriate to you; and any requirement that you may (or may not) have for achievement or service to others. If you don’t aim for it all, you’ll never get it all. To aim for it requires that you know what you want” ~ Richard Koch (101 Inspiring Quotes of All Time)

Do you remember when you were a little boy/girl? What would you think about? What were your biggest wishes and dreams? What were your aspirations? What did you want to be when you grow up? What did you want to achieve?

For many of us, childhood was a time when we would think about whatever we want. We were free to dream, to imagine, to visualize. We could be whoever we want. We could be Superman, Batman or Spiderman, and no one would tell us that we were crazy. We could set to be the richest person in the world, with all the supplies of ice cream and candy that we would ever want, and it was okay. We could want to be the president, and we would be praised for having such goals.

But somehow along the way, as we were growing up, things changed. Suddenly, certain goals would become labeled as “crazy” by others, and people who think that way would be seen as fools. Suddenly, certain thoughts or goals would be seen as not being “practical” or “realistic”, even though these are really our truest hearts’ desires. Suddenly, it was “wrong” to think/do this and that, and only certain goals were seen as “correct” or “appropriate”

Because of that, we began to think in limitations, rather than possibilities. We stopped thinking about what we want, things that make us come alive 200%. We start to live our lives in autopilot mode, so that we could get by every day. As a result, our ideals, our real self, became stashed to a corner. We forgot who we truly are. We forgot what are the things that make us come alive.

What if all our dreams are actually possible? What if everything is within your reach all along, and it’s a matter of first envisioning it then taking action to make it happen? How would you feel? What would you want to be? What would you want to do? Who would you want to be?

And it is possible. Everything that you’ve ever hoped and wanted is all possible. It’s all a matter of taking the right steps to achieve them, and to do so you have to first be consciously thinking about them. To live your truest, best life, you’ve to first identify your biggest wishes, goals and dreams; things that excite you, that make you come to life, that make you feel like you’re born on a whole new level.

Day 1′s task was about getting clarity and being aware. Day 2 is about possibilities, dreams, your wishes, your ideals, your deepest hopes and desires, your truest passions in life.

For today’s task, you’ll be designing your ideal life.

Your Task

Envision Your Ideal Life

Do this exercise when you’re alone and not going to be interrupted by anymore. You need the quiet, alone time.

Start on a fresh page in your 30DLBL workbook for Day 2. On top of it, write “My Ideal Life”

Envision your ideal life. For the next hour (or more), I want you to seriously answer this question:

What would you do if you can never, ever fail? What would you do if you have unlimited resources, time or networks? What are your biggest goals and dreams? What would you want to achieve in your life? What is your ideal life? What is a life you can look back and be proud of living, and tell yourself “I’ve truly lived to my fullest?”
Be bold; Write everything you want.
- You know how you get a menu whenever you go to a restaurant, and then whatever you’ll basically get the food that you order on the menu? See this paper as the menu of the God/highest power that you’re aware of, where whatever you write on it will come true. Write as much as you need to; 4 pages, 6 pages, or even more than 10 pages!! This should be a life where you’ll score >10/10 and >10/10 on each category of your life wheel too.
- As a small example, in my ideal life which I’ve set since 2008 (since before I started TPEB), TPEB reaches millions of readers every day; I’ve my very own international talkshow; I have books that are in top international best sellers’ lists; I run a full school campus for TSOPE which is my training business; (think Xavier school from X-Men); I’m on the cover of top magazines like Forbes/Times/Business Week/etc; I speak to hundreds and thousands of people in conferences/seminars; I have a private jet and much more. And this is but a fraction of my ideal life.
- How about you? What’s yours? Be bold, be audacious, be free, be truly you. Be as specific as possible; the more specific it is, the more the universe will be able to bring this to you. Write everything that comes to mind. Even little details, nuances are relevant.
Your answers should cover all categories in your life wheel.
1. Business / Career / Studies – What are you doing? What achievements and results do you want to create? How big is your business/career? (If you’ve a business, will it be international?)
2. Finance/Wealth – How much money will you be earning? What property do you live in? What material possessions will you have?
3. Health/Fitness – How is your fitness level? How do you look? What is your diet like? How is your health?
4. Social/Friends – How is your social circle like? What are the kind of friends you are with?
5. Family – What are you doing with your family? How often do you meet them?
6. Romance/Love – (if you’re single) What is your ideal partner? How is he/she like? What do you love about him/her? Do you have kids? How many? How are they like?
7. Recreation – What do you do for recreation? What hobbies do you want to pursue?
8. Contribution – What will you be doing socially? How will you be giving back to the world / helping others?
9. Personal Growth – How will you be pursuing your personal growth? What will you be learning, growing?
10. Spiritual – How connected will you be with the world? How will you be pursuing your spiritual interests?
Your ideal life should meet your 4 core needs. For more details, read the exercise I wrote in an earlier article.
1. Body (physical needs)
2. Mind (mental needs)
3. Heart (emotional needs)
4. Soul (spiritual needs)

After you are done, look back and review what you have written. For the rest of the day, continue to think about what you want in your ideal life, and probe deeper. Fill in if there are new things that come to mind. Add more whenever you want to – this is to be dynamically updated and isn’t supposed to end here. While I’ve set an hour for this exercise, really it’s an exercise to think over and write about for the whole day.

Congratulations, you’ve just created your ideal life , and this is the start towards moving there. We’ll be referring back to this in our later 30DLBL exercises.

Day 2 of Your 30 Day Action Plan

What have you planned for Day 2? Do them with excellence today. Record your results and reflections in your 30DLBL workbook.

Share Your Day 2 Results

Share your results on your ideal life in the comments . By sharing it openly, you’re also reinforcing it to yourself. For those of you blogging about 30DLBL, feel free to share your results and links in the comments area!

While I’m reading every comment and replying where I can, this challenge really involves all of us. We’re all here together in this and to support each other. So feel free to read each others’ responses and reply to one another! Encourage, egg other participants along. If you have some thoughts to share about a participant’ answer/response/question, simply reply! Let’s all share openly. Helping others is also helping yourself too. The more we share, the more we learn, the more we grow.

Preparation For Day 3

In preparation for Day 3′s task, you’ll need

A corkboard (with surface area as big as four A4 papers put together)
A box of thumbtacks (because the ones that come with the corkboard aren’t enough)
Colored printer ink if your printer is running low on colors

If you don’t have any of the above, you can get them at any regular bookstore. If you don’t have a printer, then there’s no need to get the 3 items (you’ll still be able to take part in Day 3′s task, don’t worry).

If you’re wondering what exactly we’re doing tomorrow, here’s a clue – “AS ROBIN VOID” (it’s an anagram).

Once you are done, move on to Day 3, which is…

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30DLBL Day 1 – Your Life Wheel

Celes — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:15:42 +0000

Today is Day 1 of Live A Better Life in 30 Days Challenge (30DLBL). If you have not signed up, please do so here. Check #30DLBL on Twitter for latest updates from participants.

This is it . Today marks the start of a 30-day program to live a better life (30DLBL). We have over 800 1,100 whooping participants who signed up, and hundreds more participating passively. For those who are new and want to join, find out more and sign up here.

Now, let’s RUMMBLLEE!!!

Day 1 – Your Life Wheel

Today’s task will take about 1 hour. It’s divided into 3 parts which can be done at different times of the day if needed.

By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.
Confucius

Day 1 is the first day of the 30 days ahead. With the start of every journey, it’s important to know where we are starting. It’s like traveling from destination A to destination B – you have to first know where you are (A) to get to where you want to be (B). Hence, Day 1 is about getting clarity of your life right now. To do that, we’ll be using the life wheel.

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I first wrote about the life wheel last month. It is a wheel that gives you a snapshot of how you’re doing (a) overall in life and (b) individual areas of your life. It is essentially a circle divided into segments that represent your different life areas: career, finance, family, love, friends, recreation, contribution, personal growth, etc.

Below is a customized 10-segment life wheel I use with my coaching clients:

Image © TPEB

For further reading: The Life Wheel

Your Task

Part I: Assessing where you are (15 min)

In your workbook, write down the 10 segments:
1. Business / Career / Studies (Pick the one that’s relevant)
2. Finance / Wealth
3. Health / Fitness
4. Social / Friends
5. Family
6. Romance / Love
7. Recreation / Fun
8. Contribution
9. Personal growth
10. Spiritual
Give yourself a score in each segment from 1-10 (1 = lowest, 10 = highest).
Draw your life wheel like the one below. (If you have a printer, print the life wheel (pdf) and paste it into your workbook.)
Mark your scores for each segment on the wheel.
Finally, connect the marks with one another. You should have a continuous line, like a web, that links across each segment and finally loops back to the original point.

Part II: Reflections… … (45 min)

Now that you have your life wheel drawn…

Reflecting on your scores. Look at your life wheel. This is how you are faring in your life right now. This is where your actions in the past few months have brought you. How do you feel about your scores?
- Are you proud of them? Are you satisfied? Or do you feel dissatisfied? How so? Do you think you can do better? Do you think you’re worth much more? Is this what it means to live your best life? Pen down all your feelings and thoughts in your workbook. There is no limit on how much to write. The more you write, the better.
Understanding why you are here. It is not a coincidence that you have these scores right now. If you had done a life wheel assessment a month ago, 2 months ago, or one month later, 2 months later, you’d end up with similar scores too. (I know I would) The bigger question is – why? What are the 3 biggest reasons your life wheel looks like this?
Knowing the lowest points. Fact is, all 10 segments represent our life. Some people may think they can just ignore 3-4 segments and score a 0-1 there – but it doesn’t work that way. Whenever there’s a part of your life that is blocked (or put on hold), a part of you is blocked too. Which segments have the lowest scores? Have you been putting off? Why?
Coming to terms with your scores. Are you happy with your life wheel? What if you have to stick with these scores forever? How would you feel? Is this what what you want?
Envisioning your ideal life. What does your ideal life wheel look like? What will be the scores for each segment? We’ll be discussing more about your ideal life in Day 2.

Spend as much time as you need to reflect on your current status. Don’t rush this process. The more you reflect and understand how you came to be where you are, the better you’ll be able to address it moving forward.

Day 1 of Your 30 Day Action Plan

The 30 Day Action Plan will be in effect for the whole month. Do the actions you planned for Day 1 and write down your progress/results in your 30DLBL workbook. Be committed to your actions! Being committed to your actions is also being committed to your goals, and subsequently your plan. Make sure you make time for them; if you can’t, then make sure to do them the next day. Don’t drop and discard them aside because you’ll be denying that better life for yourself.

Share Your Day 1 Results

Share your thoughts on today’s exercise in the comments. Share your life wheel and the insights you got from it. How do you feel about your scores? Do you like them? Why do you have the scores before you? What are your lowest points and why?

I noticed a number of you has been blogging about your participation in the 30DLBL, which is fantastic! Feel free to share the exercise and your insights on your blog. In sharing with others the changes and movements you’re making on your life, you are inspiring others to do the same too.

Once you are done, move on to Day 2, which is…

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Announcing: “Live A Better Life in 30 Days” Challenge for September!

Celes — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 04:00:52 +0000

To all newcomers – You can still join the challenge! Sign up here and start working on Day 1′s task. Here’s the list of tasks unveiled so far.

Don’t put off living to next week, next month, next year or next decade. The only time you’re ever living is in this moment.

Do you seek to live your best life? Have you been putting any parts of life on hold? Are you interested to move your growth to a whole new level in the next 30 days? Do you want to maximize your life experience?

If so, you have to join the upcoming Live a Better Life in 30 Days Challenge! Come the month of September, I’ll be conducting a full 30-days challenge to live a better life, and I invite all of you who are passionate about living a better life to join in

“Live A Better Life in 30 Days” Challenge

So what exactly is this about? Previously I’ve been alluding to this challenge in Facebook/Twitter, as well as in the previous article 101 Ways To Live Your Best Life, and have been receiving many interested responses.

What’s going to happen: For the entire month of September (30 days), I’ll be conducting a 30 days Challenge To Live A Better Life (30D LBL). What’s going to happen is I’ll share a task every day on the blog, a task which will move you towards living a better life. The task can be something small, from a self-reflection question/exercise, to trying out a new habit, to a bigger scale activity that requires you to get out there and do something (it’ll be real fun too – no gimmicky stuff, don’t worry. I hate gimmicks myself). These are not random tasks assigned for the sake of doing them – They embody the principles I share here at the blog to live your best life. Each task has been specifically created to drive you on the path of self-discovery, conscious living and personal growth. I have personally designed/set each of task and have also done them myself, so I know they have their intended effect.

I’ll unveil the activity every morning, 6am Singapore time (GMT +8) at the blog. Your focus for the day is to do that specific task for the day, and share your results in the comments area of that day’s post. That means at the end of 30 days, you would have done 30 tasks. The tasks have been set in a specific order to deliver the end objective, so it’s important you do them in that sequence.

The end goal at the end of 30 days is for you to emerge a better, more aware and conscious person living a better life compared to 30 days ago.

Daily Outline for 30 Days ahead

Morning, 6am: I’ll post the day’s task 6pm Singapore time (GMT +8, Greenwich Mean Time. Refer to The World Clock on time differences between SG and your country) here at the blog. I recommend you to read in the morning. Why? Morning is when you start the day and no better way then to start off with a focus on what to do. Also, when you read it in the morning, you have the rest of the day to think over it/do it. SG timing is ahead of most of the world, so the task should be online during morning your time. Join the free newsletter to get the mail delivered in your inbox every day (GMT +8, 10pm).
The Task: I’ll share (a) What the task is about (b) Instructions on how to do it. I’ll also be sharing additional documents applicable. Each day, there will be a journal template where you can fill in your thoughts/insights/reflections.
What you have to do: Your focus for the day is to do that task. Don’t put it off to the next day or think of accumulating the tasks to finish in a day. Simply stick to 1 task a day. Each task can take from 15-45 minutes, though if you want you are free to spend more time on it too (the more time you spend, the higher the results you’ll get!) I recommend you put aside an hour every day so you’ll get quality output. Some readers mentioned they spent 2 hours on each task, but that’s purely at your own choice. If you’re willing to invest more time, you’ll gain more.
At the end of the day: Share your experience in the comments area for that task. Also write down your thoughts/insights/reflections in the daily journal template that will be provided. This means at the end of 30 days, you’ll have 30 insights to look back on.

Join “Live A Better Life in 30 Days” Challenge

I encourage all of you to join this challenge with everyone else. With 8,500 regular readers at this blog, we have a large community of conscious individuals passionate about growth to drive each other forward. It’ll be fun to participate together, learn from one another and grow . In fact, I’ve been meaning to conduct such a challenge for a while, but haven’t as I want to have a critical reader mass to reach out to a sizable crowd. With over 8,500 members, it’s a great time to start .

To officially participate, express your interest now in the comments area latest by 31 Aug (sign-ups has been extended for a few more days for new visitors! Hurry and sign-up now) It’s 100% free to join. You can also participate passively, but it’s better to get down to it and commit yourself to it. You’ll find that doing this with everyone, sharing your experience with others, will make it a much richer experience for yourself. Use an alias/nickname if you want – it doesn’t matter. The most important thing is you participate so you commit yourself to living a better life.

To help all of us be accountable, I’ll be creating a list of participants in my comment below. All of you who wants to participate will be added to the list. If you have previously commented elsewhere (in another post/Facebook message/Tweet) of your intention, it’s not counted yet. Post in the comments to officially join in!

Update 3 Sep: Gosh, I’m getting blown away by the overwhelming response by all of you!!! 100 160 259 328 400 600 700 800 900 Over 1,000 participants to date and increasing every few minutes!! Can we hit 1000 participants? Please share about this challenge with everyone you know – whether on Twitter, FB, SU or email! Let’s get as many people to join in as possible!

I absolutely can’t wait till the challenge starts!

Spread the Word – Get Your Friends / Loved Ones To Join

Share about the 30 Day Challenge To Live A Better Life with your friends, family and network and get them to join the challenge too. Retweet (#30DLBL is our twitter hashtag), Share on Facebook, share on your favorite social media and email to others via the buttons below. If you have a blog, please spend a few minutes to write about this and invite your readers. Get them to join you in living a better life with this coming September! Let’s get the word OUT THERE! The more people we have on this challenge, the more positive momentum we’ll generate, the richer this experience will be.

Look forward to your sign-ups! The 1st task will be shared soon on Sep 1st

#30DLBL Hashtag for Twitter Users

It’s going to be an exciting 30 days ahead, and while each task in the 30 days is an activity that can be done independently, it’s always better when we have user support. It’s fun to see what each other is doing and egg/support everyone in this challenge along. The power of a group acting in synchronicity together isn’t to be underestimated.

For this purpose, I’ve created a twitter hashtag of #30DLBL (30 Days Live a Better Life) for participants who have Twitter accounts. Click on the link and you’ll see the latest results of people tweeting with that tag. You can also subscribe to the feed so you’ll be updated when there’s a new tweet with #30DLBL.

Whenever you’re tweeting about something related to the challenge, simply type in #30DLBL in the same message as your tweet. Feel free to tweet about your daily progress via this hashtag. I’ve started to do that an hour ago and other twitters are following on now. This is not just a challenge now – it has become a movement to change our lives for the better! On this note, I implore all of you to help tweet/share about this challenge out to everyone out there whom you want to live a better life. This is a rare opportunity to have such a challenge, so let’s get everyone we know onboard! #30DLBL

Are You Ready for to Live a Better Life in 30 Days?

If you are ready, proceed to your 1st task for Day 1. Get ready, buckle up and sit tight, because this is going to be an exciting 30 days ahead!

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101 Ways To Live Your Life To The Fullest

Celes — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 15:30:25 +0000

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“Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinion drown your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs (101 Most Inspiring Quotes of All Time)

How do you feel about your life today? Are you living every day in exuberance? Do you love what you’re doing? Are you excited every single moment? Are you looking forward to what’s coming up next? Are you living your best life?

If your answer to any of the above is a no, maybe or not sure, that means you’re not living your life to the fullest. Which really shouldn’t be the case, because your life experience is up to you to create. Why settle for anything less than what you can get? You deserve nothing but the best. In the past years of my life, especially since after I pursued my passion in ’08, I’ve been living every day to the fullest, filled with joy, passion and rigor. It’s an amazing experience that I want you to experience that too.

This is a list of 101 timeless principles I use to live my best life, and I hope they’ll help you to do so too. As you live in alignment with them, you’ll find yourself becoming more conscious, more alive, and more importantly, experiencing life on a whole new level. Be sure to bookmark or even print out this page and refer to it daily to guide you to your best life.

Here are 101 ways to live your life to the fullest:

Live every day on a fresh new start. Don’t be held back by what happened yesterday, the day before, the week before, the year before, and so on.

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Be true to who you are. Stop trying to please other people or be someone else. It’s better to be an original version of yourself than an exact duplicate of someone else.
Quit complaining. Don’t be like the howling dog, always howling and never doing anything. Stop complaining about your problems and work on them instead.
Be proactive. Stop waiting for others around you to do something and take action yourself instead.
Rather than think “what if”, think “next time”. Don’t think about things you can’t change (namely what has happened and thoughts of other people) or unhappy things because these are disempowering. Instead focus on the things you can action upon. That’s the most constructive thing you can do in any situation.
Focus on WHAT vs. How. Focus on WHAT you want first, before you think about HOW to do it. Anything is possible, as long as you set your mind, heart and soul to it.
Create your own opportunities. You can wait for opportunities to drop in life. Or, you can go out there and create your own opportunities. The latter is definite and much more empowering.
Live more consciously each day. Stop sleepwalking through life. Your life is something to be experienced, not coasted through.
Be committed to your growth. In the Map of Consciousness, there are 17 levels of consciousness – from Shame to Enlightenment. The higher level of consciousness you are in, the richer your life experience. Achieving higher consciousness comes from your commitment to growth.
Know your inner self. This means knowing who you are and what you represent. Be clear of your personal identity.

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Discover your real life purpose. Set the mission statement for your life; one that will drive you to life your life to the fullest.
Live in alignment with your purpose. What can you start doing immediately that will let you live 100% in alignment with your purpose? How can you live true to your purpose within every context/situation/environment you are in, every second of the day?
Set your life commandments. Define your personal commandments to live your best life. What adages and principles do you want to follow in your life?
Discover your values. Values are the essence of what makes you, you. Read article #11: Discover Your Values in The Personal Excellence Book on the importance of values, my values and how you can create your own.
Hold yourself to the highest conduct. Every one of us have our own set of ethics, principles and moral codes. Live true to them every day. Also, live in full alignment with your purpose (#11), commandments (#13) and values (#14).
Design your ideal life. What is your ideal life? Design it. First, assess your life at the moment via the life wheel. Then, ask yourself what it takes to live a 10/10 life (in all 10 areas – career, health, love, social, etc…). What is the life that will make you the best person you can ever be? Set your BHAGs – big, hairy and audacious goals! There are no limits in life – only those you set for yourself!
Stop putting life on hold. Are you putting any parts of your life on hold? What is one area of your life you have been putting off/avoiding/denying? Uncover it and start working on it.
Create your life handbook. Your life handbook is your life-long personal manual to live your best life – from your mission statement, your values, your long-term goals, short-term goals, personal strengths, blind spots to address, plans, among others. Create your book first then build on from there.
Set your goals. After you design your ideal life, set your 5-year, 3-year and 1-year goals. The more specific your goals, the better! Read the 10 principles on how to get winning goals.

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Take action on your goals and dreams. Create an action plan with your strategy, plan and immediate next steps. ESPER: 7-part Goal Achievement series is a great tool to get you started.
Create your bucket list, i.e. things to do before you die. Then, get out to achieve them.
Don’t do things for the sake of doing them. Always evaluate what you’re doing and only do it if there is meaning behind them. Don’t be afraid to quit the things that don’t serve your path.
Do the things you love, because life is too precious to spend it doing anything else. If you don’t enjoy something, then don’t do it. Spend your time and energy on things that bring you fulfillment and happiness.
Discover your passion in life. What sets you on fire? Go out there (and explore inward) to know what you love to do.
Make your passion a full-fledged career. Then, start pursuing it. Stop working in a job you are passionless towards. Quit your job when you are ready to do it full-time.
Turn your passion into a huge success. Turn your passion into a multi-million dollar business. Better yet, make it a multi-billion dollar one.
Learn from criticism. Be open to criticism but don’t be affected by it. Criticism is meant to help you be a better person. Learn from it.
Be positive. Is the glass half empty or half full? How about neither? It’s actually all-full – the bottom half is water, the top half is air. It’s all a matter of perception. Take on empowering perceptions, not those that bind you. If you can see the positive sides of every thing, you’ll be able to live a much richer life than others.

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Do unto others what you would like others to do unto you. The law of reciprocity – Golden Rule
Don’t complain or badmouth about other people.
Be empathetic. If everyone only see life from his/her own perspective, we’ll forever be close-minded and insular. See things from others’ shoes.
Be a compassionate person. Show compassion and kindness to everyone around you
Develop 100% self-belief. Believe in yourself and your abilities. If you don’t believe in yourself, how can you expect others to believe in you?
Let go of unhappy past. This means past grievances, heartbreaks, sadness, disappointments, etc.
Forgive those who may have done you wrong in the past. “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and realize it was you.” – Lewis B. Smedes
Let go of attachments. Don’t fixate yourself with a certain status, fame, wealth or material possessions. These are impermanent and will ultimately disappear one day when you die. Focus on growing and living life to the fullest instead.
Let go of relationships that do not serve you. That means negative people, dishonest people, people who don’t respect you, people who make you feel bad about yourself and relationships that prevent you from growing.
Spend more time with people who enable you. Hang out with people who you compatible with, like-minded people, people who are positive, successful, strong achievers and positive for your growth. You are after all the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.

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Build genuine, authentic connections with people around you – strangers, friends, family, colleagues, business partners, customers/clients, etc. Spend more time to know them better and foster stronger connections.
Connect with an old friend. There is no end to the number of friends you can have. Reach out to people from the past.
Do a kind deed a day. What is something you can do today that will make the world a better place? Go and do it.
Help other people who are in need. Voluntarism is one outlet. You can also start with your friends and family.
Help people when they least expect it, without reason. You don’t need any reason to help others. Do it because you want to. Share the love with everyone.
Go dating (if you’re single).
Fall in love ♥
Review your life. Set a weekly review session to assess how you are doing for your goals and your life. Review your purpose once every 3-6 months too so you know you’re on the right path.
Overcome procrastination. Procrastination is a huge waste of your time (and your life). Get rid of it once and for all.
30 minutes a day. Set aside at least 30 minutes every day to work on a quadrant 2 goal that, when you achieve it, will bring about the biggest source of fulfillment and happiness in your life
Get out there and make new friends – whether in your workplace, online, friends’ friends, social groups, etc.
Be your advisor (from the future). Imagine you’re the future you, 5 years later. How would you advise yourself? Write it down. Now, apply them. Check out a related article #17: Future Prediction Exercise in The Personal Excellence Book, which is about predicting your future then learning from it.
Write a letter to your future self. Actually, write 3 letters – for yourself in 1, 3 and 5 years. The longer the letters, the better. Envision how you’ll be like in the future. Make each letter a minimum 2 pages long. Now, seal them and put them in a safe place. Set it in your calendar so you’ll know to open them when it’s time. This will inspire you to work your hardest and achieve your maximum results in the time period.

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Declutter. Start from your computer, then your table, your room, your bag/wallet, and your home. The more you throw the unwanted and old stuff away, the more room you’re creating for new things to enter.
Keep learning. There is something to learn from everything you see, hear and experience. This includes your mistakes and past misshaps (if any). Learn to interpret each event objectively. Focus on what you can learn from it so you can apply them moving forward.
Keep developing yourself. Equip yourself with a huge breadth of knowledge. Learn different skills, pick up different hobbies, study different fields.
Keep upgrading yourself. Equip yourself with a huge depth of knowledge. While you can usually only level up to 99 in video games, in real life you can level up to infinity. Go for further studies if need be. Develop your skills. Level up. Build your >10,000 hours in each skill.
Try new things. What’s something you’d normally not do? Get out of your comfort zone try something different. It can be something simple like taking a new bus route, trying a new food item, picking up a new hobby, or something bigger like studying a different field, picking a new skill, traveling to a country you’ll never visit, etc. You set your own limits.
Get yourself out there. This applies for everything. (a) Get out there geographically. Go out, travel and explore the world. Set sail into the sea. Go backpacking by yourself and visit as many countries as possible. Get on a road trip and visit the different places that come out. (B) Get out there situationally. Stop sticking to routines and comfort zones. Try something different. (c) Get out there in life. Stop watching TV and living vicariously through the TV characters. Go and live the life of your dreams.
Be the absolute best in what you do. Go for the #1 position in what you do. If you want to spend your time doing something, you might as well be the best in it. Strive for the best – you don’t deserve anything lesser than that.
Don’t settle. In the same lines as #58, don’t settle for less. Don’t settle for someone you don’t like as your partner. Don’t settle for a job you don’t like #25). Don’t settle for friends who make you feel like a lesser person (#37). Don’t settle for a weight you are unhappy with. Go for what you really want.
Stretch yourself. What are you doing now? How can you achieve more? Set bigger goals. Explore your limits and break them.
Embrace new ideas. Don’t mentally limit yourself; Let your mind be a breeding ground for new ideas. Read: 25 Brainstorming Techniques.

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Create your inspirational haven. Turn your room into a place you love. Do the same for your work desk. Get rid of things that make you unproductive. Surround it with things that inspire you and trigger you to action. Read more: How To Create An Inspiring Room
Behave as your ideal self will. All of us have an ideal vision of who we want to be. How is your ideal self like? How can you start to be that ideal self now?
Set your role models in life. With role models, you become much better than you can be by yourself. I personally am inspired by Tyra Banks (for her passion for helping women build their self-esteem and changing notions of beauty), Ivanka Trump (for her success, intellect and beauty), Donald Trump (for his success and drive in life), Oprah (for being who she is), Lady Gaga (for her talent and not being afraid to be different), and many more. Seeing them and what they do reminds me of what I can be and what I can do, so they drive me on to greater heights.
Get mentors and/or coaches. There’s no faster way to improve than to have someone work with you on your goals. Not only will they drive you to achieve more for yourself, they’ll also share with you important advice which you can use to create even more success for yourself. Many of my clients approach me to coach them and the net result: they achieve significantly more progress and results in their life than if they had worked alone.
Uncover your blind spots. The more you uncover, the more you grow, the better you become.
Increase your consciousness. The more conscious you are, the more evolved you become.
Ask for feedback. As much as we try to uncover our blind spots (#66), there will be areas we cannot identify. Asking for feedback gives us an additional perspective. Some people to approach will be friends, family, colleagues, boss, or even acquaintances, since they will have no preset bias and can give their feedback objectively.
Generate passive income. Create passive income streams so your income is not tied to the time you spend on your work. Of course you’ll still continue to work, but only because you want to and not because you have to.
Help others live their best lives. There is no better way to grow than to help others grow. Ultimately, the world is one. We are all in this together.
Get married / Start your family / Have kids!
Improve the world. There are many things in the world that needs your attention and help. Poverty. Disaster recovery. Illiteracy. Children in need. Depleting rainforests. Animal rescue. Endangered species. How can you do your part?

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Spearhead a humanitarian cause/organization you are passionate about.
Give more value than you receive. There is so much unspeakable joy that comes from giving. And when you keep giving, you’ll find that you actually receive a lot more in return, in spades.
Be big picture focus. You can either set your eyes on the big things or get hung up by the nitty gritty details. The former will help you get a lot more out of life than the latter. Focus on the big rocks in life and put first things first (Quadrant 2 tasks). Practice the 80/20 rule – focus on the 20% things that give you the 80% fulfillment in life.
Be clear of your end objective. What is the end goal you seek? Is what you’re doing bringing you there? If not, put it aside. As long as you keep taking on things that meets your end goal, you’ll eventually reach there.
Go the 80/20 route. For every goal you have, there are different paths to achieve it. Pick out the 80/20 path, i.e. the most effective path that brings you there the fastest with least amount of effort.
Prioritize (80/20 actions). As you embark on the 80/20 path for your goals, focus on the important tasks and cut out the less important ones. That means do the 20% actions that give you the 80% results.
Live in the moment. Are your thoughts wandering around all the time? Calm your mind down. Be present. The only time you’re ever living is in this moment. Meditation helps to remove mental clutter.
Relish in the little moments. Snuggling under warm covers on a rainy day. Ice cream on a hot day. A kiss with your loved one. Being with your best friend. A walk by the park. The breeze on your face. Quiet, alone time. Watching the sun rise/set. Soak in all these little moments of life. They are what make up your life.
Take a break. Being the best also requires you to take breaks when needed. Make sure you rest when needed. Doing so lets you walk the longer mile ahead.
Stop wanting things a certain way. I wrote a 3-part series before on the downsides of perfectionism and how to overcome them. Be firm on your end goals and your ideals, but let go of the fixation that things have to be a certain way. You’ll realize it’s by doing that that you achieve what you want.

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Focus on creation.
Don’t criticize or judge others. Respect others for who they are.
The only person you can change is yourself. Stop expecting others to behave in a certain way. Rather than demand that others around you change, focus on changing yourself. You’ll be happier and live a more fulfilling life this way.
Embrace gratitude. Be grateful for everything you have today, and everything you will get in the future.
Express gratitude. Let the people who’ve touched you know of your gratitude towards them. You’ll be surprised what a little act like this can do. If you don’t tell them, they’ll never know.
Let loose and have fun. Sing at the top of your lungs. Dance in the rain . Run barefoot and feel the ground underneath your feet. Release of your self-imposed shackles and be free .
Get into nature. Many of us live in concrete jungles. Soak in the beauty of nature.
You have a choice. Recognize you always have a choice in how to live your life.
Laugh more . Are you reading this with a straight face? Smile and have fun .
Embrace change. The only thing that’s constant is change. Change means growth. Rather than resist change, learn to versatile such that you can make the best out of the changes that come. In fact, become an agent of change.
Be more risk-inclined. Don’t be afraid to take risks. The bigger your risks, the bigger your return.
Embrace mistakes. The more mistakes you make, the faster you learn. Make sure to draw lessons so you can build on them. (#53)
Embrace disappointments. Many people try to avoid feeling disappointed. They develop a resistant relationship with disappointment. However, disappointment is part and parcel of being human – it reflects your real passions. Don’t resist it – instead, embrace it. Understand it, then channel into it to create more in life. Read: How To Overcome Disappointment (4-part series)

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Challenge your fears. All of us have fears. Fear of uncertainty, fear of public speaking, fear of risk… All our fears keep us in the same position and prevent us from growing. Rather than avoid your fears, recognize they are the compass for growth. Address and overcome them. Read: How To Overcome Fear (3-Part Series).
Maximize your mind, body, heart and soul. Living your best life requires you to maximize yourself mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. If you’re highly successful, very materially abundant, have a big circle of friends, very spiritually aware but you neglect your physical health, that’s not living your life to the fullest. The same for other scenarios where a part of you is blocked off. Maximize all 4 aspects of you.
Be your best self. Essentially all the articles here at The Personal Excellence Blog are about being your best self and achieving your highest potential. It’s only through being the best we can be that we live our life to the fullest. This is why the motto of the site is “Be your best self, Live your best life“.
Love yourself. You are the person you have to live with for the rest with your life. Treasure and love yourself.
Love others. Be grateful for all the people around you because they help you to grow. They enrich your life experience. Without them, your life would not have been the same.
Last but not least: Love life. I always find living to be a fascinating experience. How we’re all on earth, with millions of species, 30,000 different life forms, over 7 billion people, and all thriving in its own way, existing, co-existing and in co-creation mode. There’s so much we don’t know out there, so much to be experienced in life, that it’s just wonderful.

The 101 Series

If you like this post, you’ll love the other posts in the 101 series: 101 Things To Do Before You Die and 101 Most Inspiring Quotes of All Time. The posts have also been compiled into ebooks, which are totally free for newsletter subscribers. Subscription is free, so download them immediately by subscribing now.

Upcoming 30 Day Challenge To Live A Better Life

For the month of September, I’ll be organizing a 30 days challenge to live a better life, in accordance with the principles shared in this post. Each day, you’ll have a different activity to do as you live your life to your fullest and you’ll be invited to post your results in the comments area for that day’s post. It’ll be an incredibly fun and exciting challenge! Visit Live A Better Life in 30 Days Challenge to find out more and sign up (it’s 100% free).

25 Most Inspirational Songs of All Time

Celes — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 11:56:58 +0000

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Hi Celes, thank you for this post on movies. A great way to share/discover great inspirational movies. If I may request, can we have a post for list of most inspiring songs? – Rajesh G

Last month, I wrote a post with movies with important life lessons for us to take away. The response from all of you blew me away. 70 comments and nearly 200 RTs/shares for the post alone! Thank you everyone for sharing YOUR favorite, inspirational movies in the comments. For the other readers, be sure to check out the post as well as the comments for more amazing movies with life lessons to learn.

Today’s post is on the most inspiring songs (Thanks Rajesh for the wonderful suggestion!). Songs that motivate us and trigger us into action; Songs that remind us on the beauty of life; Songs that lift us up when we’re down; Songs that remind us of who we are. With hundreds and thousands of great songs out there, it is challenging to narrow it down the list.

In the end, I selected the top 25 inspiring songs of all time for this post and I hope you like them. All these songs have 1 thing in common – they inspire us to become better people. I’ve picked videos that come with lyrics where possible. Special thanks to the readers who shared their picks on Twitter and Facebook – you may find your fav songs in the list .

This post has videos embedded which are probably not viewable via email. If you’re reading this via your email client, read the full blog post here.

Are you ready? Up your volume and switch to stereo mode before you continue on. You can have the songs playing in the background and get on with your regular internet surfing while listening. Be sure to bookmark this page – the songs are classics to be listened to over and over again, no matter how old we are.

Here they are – 25 most inspiring songs of all time:

25. Somewhere Over The Rainbow

This is an all-time classic. The song speaks of this magical place over the rainbow where things will be better. It refers to this other, better place compared to where we are now. If you feel down and out, and when things seem tough, this song will lift you up. Just remember that the better place isn’t “somewhere out there”, but here where we are. It’s up to us to make the best of what we have .

The song was originally sung by Judy Garland in 1939 (Wizard of Oz) and has since been resung by many people. The version below is by Israel Kamakawiwo’Ole. His soothing vocals makes it a very peaceful and calming experience listening to the song.

[ by Israel Kamakawiwo'Ole | Lyrics | Get the album ]

24. Chariots of Fire

Chariots is an instrumental theme often used as the theme song for sporting events. It was recorded in 1981 for the film Chariots of Fire. Listen to it and see if you don’t recognize it . The build up of the tunes throughout the song makes you feel invigorated just sitting and listening to it. This is a great pick me up that I use for some of my workshops.

[ by Vangelis | Get the album ]

23. It’s a Beautiful Day

No matter how bad your day may be, there is always something beautiful happening. This song reminds us that every day is a beautiful day by itself .

[ by U2 | Lyrics | Get the album ]

22. Walking On Sunshine

Quite possibly the happiest song ever! The upbeat tunes of the song brings a smile to anyone just by listening to it. Make sure to dance along as you listen to the song!

Some of you might recognize this as the opening of The Celes Show earlier this year. I’ve put the project on hiatus for the time being as I focus on blog development.

[ by Kartina & The Waves | Lyrics | Get the album ]

21. What a Wonderful World

One of the greatest hits of all time, this beautiful song reminds us to appreciate the beauty of everyday life. According to wiki, the song was “intended as an antidote for the increasingly racially and politically charged climate of everyday life in the United States”. It also has a “hopeful, optimistic tone with regard to the future, with reference to babies being born into the world and having much to look forward to.” Everything in life is a miracle. Let’s appreciate and give gratitude to all these things we have with us today .

[ by Louis Armstrong | Lyrics | Get the album ]

20. It’s My Life

It’s My Life was a huge hit when it came out in 2000 and remains a huge hit today. It’s all about personal empowerment, taking control of your life and being who you are because you only get to live once. As one of the lyrics say, “It’s my life… It’s now or never”.

Whose life are you living right now? When are you ready to start living your life? You only have one life – you’re not going to live forever. It’s either you start living it now or you’ll never live it. Stop waiting for a “tomorrow” or “next time”. It’s now.

[ by Bon Jovi | Lyrics | Get the album ]

19. That’s What Friends Are For

This is an all-time classic that has been sung and resung by many different artists. It’s about the beauty of friendship and how we can always count on each other no matter what happens, good times or bad times. That’s after all, what friends are for . Very, very beautiful song.

[ by Dionne Warwick, Steve Wonder, Gladys Knight & Elton John | Lyrics | Get the album ]

18. You Get What You Give

This is one of my favorite songs and also recommended by reader Ashwin Gopal. It’s the ending theme of Click (one of my favorite inspiring movies) which is how I first knew about it. This song is an international hit and has been played over 1 million times on US radio.

At its core, this song is about being true to yourself in a world where everyone tries to be someone he/she isn’t. Don’t you ever, ever give up on yourself or your dreams, because you have what it takes to achieve what you want.

[ by New Radicals | Lyrics | Get the album ]

17. Return To Innocence

An extremely strong and powerful song that invokes powerful emotions. This song reminds you to be yourself. Don’t afraid to show your emotions – whether it’s perceived as being weak, strong, emotional, unacceptable, etc. Denying them is just denying who you are. While others may see revealing your emotions as an act of vulnerability, it’s only by embracing your emotions that you move a step forward towards being who you truly are.

[ by Enigma | Lyrics | Get the album ]

16. Music of My Heart

This is a beautiful song that expresses gratitude to the people who have always been there for us whenever we need them. These people are the ones who made us who and what we are today; who taught us the amazing things in the world and made us bigger than we thought we could. It’s because of them that we can be where we are today. Without them, there can’t be us today.

Who are the people who have helped make you who you are today? Who have always been there when you’re down? Who opened your eyes to the world? Who guided you every step of the way? Where are they now? Have you stopped to thank them for what they have done? Take a moment and let them know how you feel. You owe them as much.

[ by N'Sync and Gloria Estefan | Lyrics | Get the album ]

15. Circle of Life

From The Lion King, one of my top inspiring movies. I get goosebumps whenever I listen to this song. This song tells us the grandiosity of life and where we stand in it. We’re all part of the circle of life – birth, growth, death, rebirth. Death does not signify the end – it’s the start to something new, something greater and bigger than what we’ve seen. It’s a delicate, symbiotic relationship that makes life possible.

[ Music by Elton John and Lyrics by Tim Rice | Lyrics | Get the album ]

14. Heal The World

This is one of the most popular songs by Michael Jackson. It reminds us of our responsibility to care for our world. Every day, there are people suffering and dying out there. Just because we’re not in contact with them doesn’t mean it’s not happening. It’s up to us to care for this world we live in. What can you do today to heal the world out there? It all starts with us.

[ by Michael Jackson | Lyrics | Get the Album ]

13. You Raise Me Up

This is a touching piece that gives tribute to the people who raise us up to become more than who we can be. It was originally released by Secret Garden featuring Brian Kennedy in 2002 and since has been covered over 125 times. I’ve included both the original version below and the version by Josh Groban.

[ by Secret Garden, Vocals by Brian Kennedy | Lyrics | Get the album (by Secret Garden) ]

[ by Josh Groban | Lyrics | Get the album (by Josh Groban) ]

12. True Colors

The first time I heard this song was from an ad from Dove’s campaign for real beauty (which started back in 2006). I was enchanted by the song and the beautiful vocals. I later realized the ad version was a cover (by kids) and the original is by Cyndi Lauper (below).

This song is about not feeling fearful or small and to show who we really to the world. That’s when we reveal our true colors (analogy to the colors of the rainbow). It’s revealing these colors that we reveal our real beauty.

[ by Cyndi Lauper | Lyrics | Get the Album ]

11. When You Believe

This is an amazing song about the power of hope and faith in this world. If there are ever any times when you’re losing hope, hang in there. The miracles you want to create in life comes from first believing in yourself (and others). They couldn’t have chosen better singers for this song too – Whitney and Mariah are undoubtedly two of the best singers ever.

[ By Whitney Housten & Mariah Carey | Lyrics | Get the song ]

10. Win

This is one of my personal favorites and also recommended by reader Kelvin Toh. The song is about overcoming all obstacles and never giving up in life. As long as we keep pushing, keep persisting, we’ll definitely achieve whatever we set out to achieve.

[ by Brian McKnight | Lyrics | Get the song ]

9. You Gotta Want It

Recommended by reader TraveloCafe. Powerful song that will charge you up in the few minutes you listen to it. If you want to get what you want, you have to want it from the bottom of your heart and give all that you can give. As long as you have the burning passion, nothing will be insurmountable.

Unfortunately I couldn’t get any information on this song anywhere other than the youtube link. It’s not listed on Wiki, lyric sites nor Amazon. If you have any info on this, please share in the comments area.

[ by Roberta Gold ]

8. I Will Survive

This song is about how someone became stronger after experiencing a breakup with someone. Today, it’s used as an anthem of female empowerment, gay empowerment and HIV/AIDS awareness. It is one of the most famous disco songs of all time. (From wiki)

[ by Gloria Gaynor | Lyrics | Get the album ]

7. Dare You To Move

This song has different interpretations. It can refer to the part of you who is not doing anything about certain parts of your life. It can refer to the part of you who is in a state of stagnancy. It can refer to the you who is letting a past failure stop you from moving on. Are you ready to stop looking back and finally move forward?

[ by Switchfoot | Lyrics | Get the album ]

6. Never Surrender

I first heard this song when I was watching Meteor Garden (Taiwanese version). I love the key message of this song, which is never to give up no matter how tough the situation may be. Because no matter what happens, no one can ever take away your right to fight. As long as you persevere, nothing’s impossible to achieve.

[ by Corey Hart | Lyrics | Get the album ]

5. Hero

Recommended by reader Abu Sofian and my favorite song too. The song tells you you don’t have to be afraid of who you are. When you feel fearful and lost, look deep inside. The strength to do what you want, and the answers you seek for in life, have always been inside you all along.

There’s always been a hero in your life all along. The hero isn’t anyone else – it’s you.

[ by Mariah Carey | Hero | Get the album ]

4. I Believe I Can Fly

This is the theme song of 1996 movie Space Jam, which is also one of the most inspiring movies. This song is about how there are no goals and dreams that we can’t achieve. If we can see it, we can do it. It all starts with first believing in our ability .

[ by R Kelly | Lyrics | Get the song ]

3. Gonna Fly Now

This is the theme song of Rocky, also listed as one of the inspirational movies. To quote wiki,

Released in 1976 with the movie Rocky, the song became part of American popular culture after main character Rocky Balboa completed his daily training regimen while the song played. The song finishes as Rocky completes his famous run up the “Rocky Steps” of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and raises his arms in a victory pose.

I love this song . It’s not really a song as much as it’s a tune – there are only 9 lines of lyrics. It’s a powerful one at that – listen and see if it doesn’t get you all drummed up .

[ by Bill Conti | Lyrics | Get the Rocky Score ]

2. Reach

Reach is the official theme song for 1996 Olympics. This song is about doing our very best for the dreams. Don’t be afraid to reach out and give your everything. It’s only when you put your heart and soul into your goals that you live your life to the fullest.

[ by Gloria Estefan | Lyrics | Get the album ]

1. Eye of The Tiger

This is the one of the tracks for Rocky III and hands down one of the top motivational songs of all time. Not only is it my favorite, readers Dipal E and Lica Sever also give their top recommendation. Here’s an explanation on why the song is titled “Eye of The Tiger”:

At first, we wondered if calling it ‘Eye Of The Tiger’ was too obvious. The initial draft of the song, we started with ‘It’s the eye of the tiger, it’s the thrill of the fight, rising up to the spirit of our rival, and the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night, and it all comes down to survival.’ We were going to call the song ‘Survival.’ In the rhyme scheme, you can tell we had set up ‘rival’ to rhyme with ‘survival.’ At the end of the day, we said, ‘Are we nuts?’ That hook is so strong, and ‘rival’ doesn’t have to be a perfect rhyme with the word ‘tiger.’ We made the right choice and went with ‘Eye Of The Tiger. – Jim Peterik, co-writer of the song (Wikiepedia)

The best way to listen to this song is to have your volumes at full blast. If it doesn’t charge you up into action, I don’t know what will! I used to use it in my personal development workshops to drum participants into action.

[ By Survivor | Lyrics | Get the album ]

What Are Your Favorite Inspirational Songs?

Are any of your favorite inspirational songs listed above? If so, which are they? Why do you like them?

Do you have any favorites that are not listed? If so, please share in the comments area. To make your comment more meaningful for other readers, please include the

Song title
Why you like this song / What it means to you
A youtube link to the song so others can enjoy

Thanks! I look forward to hearing about your favorite songs.

If you like this list, be sure to RT/share with others via the links below. Thank you – I really appreciate it!

Site Announcements

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The Personal Excellence Blog » Emotional Mastery

30DLBL Day 6 – What Are Your Life Goals?

Day 6 – Your Life Goals

Your Task

Part 1: Assessing Your Present (20 min)

Part 2: What Are Your Biggest Life Goals? (40 min)

Part 3: Break down into 5, 3, 1 Year Goals

Day 6 of Your 30 Day Action Plan

Share Your Life Goals

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30DLBL Day 5 – Discovering Your Values

Day 5 – Identifying Your Values

Your Task

Part 1: Identify Your Values (40 min)

Why 5 Values?

Part 2: Integrating Values into Your Life (20 min)

Day 5 of Your 30 Day Action Plan

Share Your Values

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30DLBL Day 2 – What’s Your Ideal Life?

Day 2 – Your Ideal Life

Your Task

Envision Your Ideal Life

Day 2 of Your 30 Day Action Plan

Share Your Day 2 Results

Preparation For Day 3

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30DLBL Day 1 – Your Life Wheel

Day 1 – Your Life Wheel

Your Task

Part I: Assessing where you are (15 min)

Part II: Reflections… … (45 min)

Day 1 of Your 30 Day Action Plan

Share Your Day 1 Results

Related Posts:

Announcing: “Live A Better Life in 30 Days” Challenge for September!

“Live A Better Life in 30 Days” Challenge

Daily Outline for 30 Days ahead

Join “Live A Better Life in 30 Days” Challenge

Spread the Word – Get Your Friends / Loved Ones To Join

#30DLBL Hashtag for Twitter Users

Are You Ready for to Live a Better Life in 30 Days?

Related Posts:

101 Ways To Live Your Life To The Fullest

The 101 Series

Upcoming 30 Day Challenge To Live A Better Life

Related Posts:

25 Most Inspirational Songs of All Time

25. Somewhere Over The Rainbow

24. Chariots of Fire

23. It’s a Beautiful Day

22. Walking On Sunshine

21. What a Wonderful World

20. It’s My Life

19. That’s What Friends Are For

18. You Get What You Give

17. Return To Innocence

16. Music of My Heart

15. Circle of Life

14. Heal The World

13. You Raise Me Up

12. True Colors

11. When You Believe

10. Win

9. You Gotta Want It

8. I Will Survive

7. Dare You To Move

6. Never Surrender

5. Hero

4. I Believe I Can Fly

3. Gonna Fly Now

2. Reach

1. Eye of The Tiger

What Are Your Favorite Inspirational Songs?

Site Announcements

Related Posts: