There is that life that you dream of constantly, that life that is purposeful, peaceful, organised and has focus. You obviously don’t want to be that person that is all over the place, you want to wake up and say to yourself ‘I am finally living that life I have been dreaming of’ or ‘I am living a meaningful life’. But living the life you want is making choices, losing habits, and sometimes cutting off some people. Before living the life you want you also have to understand that you will have to give up a lot, and have a lot to do that is higher than your capability. To live the life you want is to recognise what life you want in the first place, Emily Umutoniwase, a young writer, says. “Sometimes you can tell yourself that the life you saw some influencer showcasing on Instagram is the life you want to live, but it will be hard to live that life because you are imitating and yet you don’t know how they made that life happen. You need to recognise what kind of life you want, outline your goals and understand them, go through them and compare the life you are living now, from there you will realise the choices you need to make to live that life you want,” she says. She adds that people have their own picture of what kind of life they want to live and you can’t mimic that, you can only learn from them and create your own picture. Eric Manzi, a creative designer, says that you only need to believe that you will achieve the life you set for yourself, and recognise that although it might require a lot you can make it. “The first thing is to motivate yourself, believe in your needs and dreams, with that all the challenges and requirements that seem to be hard, will seem so easy before you. The life you want starts when you only believe that nothing will stop you from achieving it,” he says. Stay focused on what you want in life According to Soul Salt, an online blog, our brains switch focus every 40 seconds (or less), and sometimes it feels impossible to make progress towards our goals. But if you want to learn how to get what you want in life, you’ll need to develop skills to improve your ability to focus on what’s important. Patrick Rukundo, adds that staying focused on what you want in life requires a strong mind-set and setting boundaries. “To stay focused will require you to basically be by yourself, meaning to leave behind the obstacles that stop you from focusing on yourself, setting boundaries, and learning how to say no to activities that lead you far from your focus, set priorities, and remain loyal to them, that way you can have the life you want to live,” he says. Re-focus when change happens Soul Salt also states that when you choose to create the life you want, it means letting go of what no longer serves you toxic relationships, unfulfilling jobs, and unhealthy lifestyles. When change happens, it can seem like the end of a chapter in a book. As you enter into a new chapter, the transition often feels confusing, uncertain, or even scary. It takes time to find your way. You have to learn how to build resilience to stay strong during these difficult times. Knowing how to manage this middle period will help you navigate a confusing transition. Find your purpose The article also notes that the process of reinvention often begins with a sense of dissatisfaction. You feel something is going wrong in your life, but you don’t know precisely what would be right. The first step is to look inward, identifying your true self and the path that will bring you towards your ideal vision for your life. But learning how to find your purpose in life isn’t always a straightforward path. You have to learn how to figure out who you are first from a young age, outside pressure, whether from friends, family, or society causes us to lose touch with our inner passions and what we really want out of life.
