Life Choices: Adventure & Service

If you've ever read this blog before, you are keenly aware that authenticity underlines everything I post about.

And I genuinely strive to even take it a step further by making posts about how whatever life choices you make, there is something on this blog that will empower you to evolve your life towards your purpose, extending grace and doing it with style!

So as I approached my day today listening to positive and motivational videos, I was struck by how the infamous Jim Rohn and Will Smith talked about how so many people live lives of "quiet desperation" with no real adventure towards what makes their heart sing!

And no, I'm not talking about when you go on vacation to Hawaii, spending money on a credit card with money you don't have while being more focused on taking selfies than renewing yourself.

I'm talking about what you do in your everyday life as a choice to live it with adventure and in service to others...your family, work colleagues, Starbucks barista, your mailman, etc.

Your choice to live a life of adventure and service doesn't have to be big or complicated... It just has to be authentic.

Here are some tips I have seen from people who seem to be on a great life adventure that also seems to include a noticeable measure of serving others:

CLARITY: you will never reach a level of happiness and adventure in your life without first figuring out what makes your life feel whole and complete in the most significant areas of life...spiritually, mentally, emotionally, purposefully and lovingly. Get clarity. Journal, get a life coach, go on a retreat...whatever you have to do to get clarity, do it!

DON'T COMPARE: if you know that you are easily susceptible to envy others or are dealing with self-esteem issues, turn off social media, stop hanging with that group that just talks about material possessions....whatever your comparison kryptonite is, stop participating!

For further encouragement on not comparing, see the blog post I wrote on "Run Your Own Race".

LIVE IN THE PRESENT: learn to make yourself focus on the present. This is hard for everyone. But I promise you can get better and better the more you practice! Being present is so important because living in the moment and doing something that you've reached clarity on that is not from you comparing yourself to someone else leads to such a deep sense of contentment that you feel whole.

SLOW DOWN: I have read multiple studies over the past few years about interviews with people who were either senior in age (60+) or people who were dying from terminal diagnosis. The most consistent theme amongst these two groups is that they wished they would have slowed down from the highway of life and enjoyed life more.

We all have responsibilities and so incorporating this tip doesn't mean you have to necessarily change your whole life. For example, instead of giving yourself a strict time to go to your daily yoga class, why not add 30 minutes to your time frame twice a week. For that extra 30 minutes, breathe slowly and enjoy a great cup of coffee, take a different route, spend time afterwards to get to know your fellow classmates (instead of rushing out like normal).

EXTEND GRACE: study after study has talked about how giving helps people feel a sense of purpose. Again, don't make the concept of giving complicated or only when you write a big check to charity. In your everyday life, if you want to have a real sense of purpose, make your giving an extension of grace. Meaning, give surprisingly without any expectations of a return.

In other words, you doing something kind to someone that you really just want a business deal with is not what I'm talking about here. I'm talking about a genuine act of kindness (like what I profiled HERE) for someone else: a recommendation for someone who needs a second chance, an encouraging note, giving someone mercy in a situation where they maybe wrong, buying someone's coffee, giving a hug to someone who's hurting...you get the idea.

So today I encourage you to make a life choice to live a life of adventure that also serves others. It's a choice and it's Curva-Lish!