A conscious life is taking purposeful action; challenging every belief you hold about your values and your worth. Living a conscious life is about  pursuing your passion, weighing your options and evaluating your decisions, choices and goals.

Conscious living is not a simple process. It takes time, energy and commitment.  There is no shame in starting small; choose one step and commit to it. If you aren’t sure which step to start with, start with the first one.

1. Know Your Goal

You need to define your why. Create your vision for what you are trying to accomplish; more time with family, time for travel, leaving a job you despise to do something you love. Whatever your goal is, own it and then GO FOR IT!

2. Examine how you are spending your time

Prioritizing you is a great place to begin. Stop giving attention to things that don’t add value to your day. Let go of relationships that drain your being. Time is an enormous gift that should not be wasted; it is not an endless resource, it is finite and will come to an end, so make sure you are benefiting from your free-time.

3. Slow down

When you slow down, take time to breathe, and let your senses become saturated with beauty, clarity will flow. Sitting with nothing but your thoughts may seem awkward at first; stay with it. Silence is golden and offers so many lessons.

4. Fuel your body

What you put into your body matters. Take the time to discover what you like to eat, what gives you energy, what makes you happy to prepare. Try chopping a good salad with strawberries and almond slices. Then, move your body; yoga, dance, walking, running.  It doesn’t matter what you do,  just find what nourishes your soul and your body will follow.

5. Let it go

Let it go. Let it go… Learning to let go can feel like control is being ripped from your grasp, but that is far from the truth; letting go will bring you immense freedom. Accepting the notion that the only control you have is over your own thoughts, actions, judgments and misconceptions, will bring sweet freedom.

6. Seek ways to serve

Intentional giving of your time and your talents is priceless to those you are serving. Our time is a precious commodity so what better way to use it then cultivating kindness towards others? Seek purpose in the ways you will serve and you will easily find your path. The key to serving is simply seeing a need and meeting it.

7. Cut the clutter

To live consciously  is to free ourselves from the unnecessary of the day to day. Unnecessary carries over to the objects in our home as well. So begin, room by room, removing objects that you do not love or do not serve a purpose in your daily life. The less stuff you have, the less time you will spend caring for it and the more time you will now have for the things that bring you joy.

8. Financial Fitness

Knowing where your money is being spent is an essential component of a deliberate life. It’s not fun, but once you track your expenses and create a new budget, you will be able to cut non-essential spending and Save (gasp!) for the things that really matter. Remember to budget some spending money for yourself, or deprivation will step in and will-power will step out!

9. Nurture your mind and soul

Contrary to some beliefs, it is not selfish to care for you. Carefully considering your thoughts, unhurried and full of consciousness, is a gift from you to you. Instead of getting submissively swept away by the hurriedness of life, remain mindful and dynamically engaged in creating the life you desire.

10. Grace My Friend, Grace

Altering the way we have been living is no easy feat. There will be mishaps along the way. Challenge yourself to look at each error in judgement as an opportunity for growth and not a reason to quit. Give yourself grace when things don’t go exactly as you had hoped, and make the willful choice to try again. Remain cognizant of step # 1; your WHY, always bring yourself back to why you embarked on this journey.

11. Create Your Community

Who you spend time with matters. Negativity has an impact on your mind, and your soul. When making changes to live a conscious life, you may encounter some resistance from those that are close to you. Remember, you are doing this for you. You are creating the life you desire and not everyone is ready to boldly take those steps. Find other like-minded people to share your journey; life is better connected!

Are you ready to start claiming the life you deserve and want some support?