It’s February which means it’s LOVE month, and an opportunity for me to ask you an important question: Do you love your life? Just think about that for a moment. Do you LOVE your life?

I hope the answer is yes. And I also know that life (and the grand task of loving it) is full of many variables that make that answer …complicated… so let’s focus on a few key areas – that when working well – make life a whole lot easier to love;

PEOPLE, PERSONAL HEALTH, PURPOSE, PLAY & PROSPERITY

The 5 P’s of my Work-Life Rethink are a starting point for upping how much you love your life.

Do you love the people in your life? Do you love your level of health? Do you love the work you do, or feel like you have a purpose you’re living for? Do you have enough fun and down-time, and enough money to do what’s important to you? In fact…what’s important to you?

I know what you’re thinking, “WHY ALL THE QUESTIONS?”

Why? Because I believe we don’t ask ourselves enough of them. If the goal is to say “I LOVE MY LIFE!” and say it with certainty about all the important parts of your life, then once in awhile you’ve got to pause, take an inventory, ask yourself a few important questions, and maybe rethink a thing or two?

Many of us will spend more time planning what we’ll make for dinner than on what we want out of life!  How’d John Lennon put it? Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans…

So today I want to help you get off auto-pilot and get clear about the direction you truly want to travel on this amazing journey.

In each of the 5 P’s I ask you to think about what you’re going to KEEP, TOSS, CHANGE and EXPLORE! You can create a grid of your own or download it right here….and grab a pen!

Think of the process as an existential spring cleaning. How good would it feel to roll up your sleeves, sort through the clutter and get clear about what’s worth keeping?

First off…what’s working in all of these areas… what do you want to KEEP? I always suggest starting here because your KEEP pile is a reminder of everything that’s working well in your life…it’s your gratitude pile… the parts of your life that you love and are proud of. Have fun with that one and don’t underestimate the importance of all that good stuff.

Next, look at the habits and hangers-on that you probably need to get rid of in your life…And yes, the TOSS pile can include people (though it’s more about toxic relationships than your kids for example…no matter how much they drive you crazy sometimes), the bad habits (like skipping breakfast, smoking, spending unnecessarily…toss ‘em). It can include things that no longer fulfill you, limiting beliefs that are holding you back, someone else’s plans for you… (get rid of ‘em!).

The toss list can be scary and liberating at the same time, so remember that this is just a starting point for change… and it’s definitely meant to get you thinking about what’s really important in your life. If something’s not working, why keep it around?

But if tossing’s not an option, and you can’t continue with things as they are, what can you CHANGE? You may love your spouse but dislike aspects of your relationship. What can you change? Maybe you want to change your fitness routine, or your eating habits? Or aspects of your job. Maybe you want to change the way you interact with your kids – to have more fun, or do more things together? See how this works? Get clear about what you can change and how you want to change it, and write it down.

And finally (and this can be a fun one if you’re open to it)…in each of these areas, what can you EXPLORE to add a bit more love to that part of your life. This is the ‘try new things’ category that many adults shy away from, so why not just Carpe Freakin’ Diem!

With PEOPLE, maybe you and your spouse want to try a new activity together, or explore regular date nights. Under PERSONAL HEALTH perhaps you can explore a new fitness class or cooking class? You could explore courses for work, or volunteer opportunities that would boost your PURPOSE? Take an improv class, or art class for PLAY, or a money management class for PROSPERITY.

I realize that this kind of work-life spring cleaning may feel a bit overwhelming, but it can also be very freeing if you give yourself permission to shake things up and do things differently. This can be the foundation for your work-life recharge…so print off the guide, grab a pen and start asking yourself the questions.

Until next time, I’m Michelle Cederberg encouraging you to KEEP, TOSS, CHANGE, and EXPLORE … in your quest for just a little more.

It’s the first step to being able to say, with absolute certainty…”I love my life!”