5 Things You Can Do to Start Living a More Magical Life
This post is all about what you can do to create a more magical life for yourself.
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It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.
e.e. cummings
I feel like I’ve finally gotten to a place in life where I genuinely feel happy. I’m being my authentic self and living a life that makes sense for me.
It took a lot of work to get here. I used to repress parts of myself because I worried about what people might think or say. I worried about coming across as “weird” or “too much.” I felt like I had to “act normal” in order to fit in and be “successful.” I felt all this pressure to live up to others’ expectations. It’s hard to ignore that pressure – whether it’s from family, culture, society, or sometimes even our friends.
Some of those expectations weren’t necessarily bad. Some of them just didn’t really make sense for me and the kind of life I wanted to live. I was so concerned with not letting other people down that I neglected my own needs. I was living a life that wasn’t really mine. I stayed at jobs where I was miserable because others told me they were “prestigious” or “impressive.” I tolerated toxic situations because I was told this was part of “making connections” and “paying your dues.”
Living that way started to wear down on my soul. It became overwhelming and exhausting. I didn’t have the energy to keep pretending anymore.
So I stopped.
It was really hard at first. For so long, I had conditioned myself to adhere to others’ standards and expectations. I decided it was important to start living life for myself according to my own standards.
Looking back, taking this step actually helped me achieve the type of success and happiness I was looking for in the different areas of my life. I started building genuine connections and relationships. I also found employers who accepted me for who I was and encouraged me to bring my whole self to work.
So, how do you actually go about creating a more magical life for yourself?
Here are 5 things I encourage you to try:
Vision Boarding
Make a collage of all the things you want to manifest in your life. You can cut out magazines and stick pictures to a notebook or poster. You can build a Pinterest board or slide deck. Whatever method you choose, this will serve as a visual reminder of your goals and values. What is important to you? Why is it important to you?
Journaling
Take time to wrestle with your thoughts. Where are you in life? Where do you want to be? What do you feel good about, and what needs to change? What are you going to do to get there? Are you doing things because you want to, or because you feel like you’re supposed to want them?
Surround Yourself with Allies
Surround yourself with people who celebrate you as an individual and support your growth. If it’s hard to find those allies where you live, try looking for online communities and groups. You’ll be surprised to find you’re not alone in this.
Read and Learn
Check out books on creating a meaningful life. Learn more about how other people embark on this process. One of the books I recently read is Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. It’s all about applying the principles of design thinking to everyday life.
Remember It’s a Process
This type of work doesn’t happen overnight. You have to be willing to try things and step outside your comfort zone. You also have to be gentle with yourself. Life is a series of experiments and you will experience many evolutions. Keep at it and you will learn to harness the magic inside you.
