4 Reasons you need to EXPLORE

and find out how exploring in all areas of your life can help you achieve your goals...

A few years ago, with Jon Gordon’s principle of identifying a theme of the year, EXPLORE became my focus. He calls it your ‘Word of the Year’ or theme, which eventually should become the ‘top of mind’ for you throughout the year. In my case, an EXPLORE mindset is the opposite of my natural state of ‘getting it done’ mindset. I like to sit with this principle for a bit as the new year unfolds. Some years it is obvious and it comes to me quickly…other times it takes weeks and a lot of thought before the theme feels ‘right’.

As I sit to write today, I am reminded of how powerful that experience of EXPLORING was for me in past years. I encourage you, challenge you even, to consider living in the mindset of EXPLORING this year. The one year I felt it most, I experienced a calling of sorts that compelled me to EXPLORE all areas of my life and my being. If this resonates for you, then I implore you to read on to learn how EXPLORING changed my life and how it can change yours. I EXPLORED who I was, at my core; I EXPLORED work and the way I spent my time; I EXPLORED new places to live and new ways of living. I EXPLORED new adventures; new hobbies; new relationships.

4 REASONS to EXPLORE this year:

Reason 1. Get to know yourself better. Consider this a gift to yourself-an opportunity to assess what you need, what you want, and who you really are. YOU – without any one else’s needs, expectations, or perceptions of you.

“Don’t waste time living someone else’s life” Steve Jobs

Reason 2. You don’t know what you don’t know. The world is full of people, places, experiences, ideals, and beliefs. There are so many different ways of living, of working, of interacting… When you step out of your comfort zone and let go of what feels safe – you will experience new ________ (fill in the blank). We often stay in what we know. Sometimes we do it because it’s comfortable. Sometimes, it is without thought and we tend to drift. We can get focused on managing our current life, that we don’t think about exploring something different. It doesn’t have to be hard – or life-changing – just try something new.

1. Take a road trip with no destination in mind—just to appreciate the journey

2. Learn something new

3. Try something new

4. Test drive a car you can’t afford

5. Take a dance lesson

6. Teach someone something

7. Go to a painting class

8. Talk to a stranger in the store

9. Read a book you know nothing about

10. Eat out alone

11. Meet new people

12. Add other ideas in the comments!

“To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.” Thomas Jefferson

Reason 3. Explore how you want to live. After my 29 year marriage ended, this was really important, but it was also lonely and frustrating at times. Do you spend energy striving toward defined goals and timelines? Do you drift through life looking back, wondering how you got ‘here’?

Take some time to ponder this question, “How do I want to live?” I’m not talking about where you want to live or what the home looks like—but consider what your best days look like if you could change HOW you live your life. I’ve re-evaluated this questions many times in the last decade and I have learned a lot about myself in doing so. There is not just one answer that follows me year after year either. It’s an ongoing assessment of the time I’m in.

As I learn more, experience more, and become more in tuned to my life, I learn more about my real desires and reasons for HOW to live. I’ve had periods of real structure and I’ve had periods of real flexibility. Today—I want to live in a way that I have freedom, flexibility and choices. I continue to EXPLORE the world, relationships, and myself. I realize that saying “no” sometimes opens the door for a “yes” that I might have missed in my old mindset.

To think about HOW you want to live, consider these points:

1. Describe your best day.

2. What surrounds you? What is the environment like? What is the energy you are experiencing?

3. Who is with you?

4. What is really important to you?

5. Who are you when no one is watching?

6. What do you believe without anyone telling you what to believe?

7. When are you most energized?

8. What do you need in life?

9. What do you want in life?

10. What do you need to shed?

Reason 4. Do something different. Exploring YOU doesn’t have to be making life changing decisions—it could simply be a very small or moderate change in your life.

1. Shop at a new grocery store

2. Drive to work on a new route

3. Explore the moment you are in – smell it, hear it, see it

4. Take a walk in the rain

5. Read a book you normally wouldn’t read.

6. Smile and say hi to someone at the cash register

7. Take a drive to ‘no where’ and see where you end up

8. Take a course on a topic of interest

9. Try a new hobby

10. Cook something you’ve never tried

Just do something new. Life can so easily become auto—pilot. We can look up and wonder what happened to the years gone by. Don’t live someone else’s dream—certainly don’t do it without realizing it. You just might EXPLORE a fascinating side of yourself that is eager to be embraced.

To get help in EXPLORING yourself and your life's purpose, click here

Don’t wait – Do something now to make a change for tomorrow. contact Tammy today for your free consultation!