Have you ever met someone that just seems to be full of life, they wake up early and they are excited, “without coffee” to start the day? Others reluctantly crawl out of bed and may need a cup of coffee or two and they still dread the day ahead. Depending on what your day holds you can find yourself in both camps. If however you’ve found yourself struggling to get through most days, you may be existing and not fully living.
The difference between living and merely existing may be found in how we view life, is our life controlled by the decisions others make for us or do we step up and make life decisions for ourselves. Someone who simply exists approaches life as if everything is outside of their control while those who live dare to make their own decisions.
If you’ve been in church any length of time you may be thinking that I’m challenging the idea that God predestines our lives therefore we can’t fully make our own decisions. Our decisions in life doesn’t challenge God because God already knows what we will do and the choices we will make, so we are free to take control of our day to day lives. From the job we hate going to or the less than meaningful relationships, some of us have accepted mediocrity as the norm and have stopped living and started existing. Here a few ways to take your life back and to find your mojo.
- Understand that God created you with a purpose. If you are not living out your Raison d’être reason for being then it’s time to start. What is it that you’d be willing to do for free because you love it. What would you be willing to wake up early and stay up late doing? What do you think God created you for? Once you find your reason for being you’re a step closer to living. The writer of Psalm 139 said, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” –Psalm 139:14
- Make a promise to yourself to start scheduling “your” time rather than accepting how others plan it for you. Plan time to do nothing, to do anything, to do whatever it is you most want to.
- Learn to say no. For many of us this is the most difficult part of taking control. When your friends ask you to do something that you really don’t want to do, don’t let the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) control you. Say no to things that you’d rather not do. You don’t have to be rude but you must be honest.
- Get into the game of life. People who simply exist settle for doing the same boring routine every day even though they don’t really like it. They don’t take any chances on improving their life because they fear losing out. People who live dare to improve their lives…so get in the game!