It’s February which means it’s LOVE month, and an opportunity to ask yourself an important question: Do you love your life? This month I’ll be exploring what it means to truly love your life, and offering ideas and exercises to help you say, with absolute certainty…“YES, I love my life!”
I’m kicking off with an interview with my twin sister Christine about this very topic. If you didn’t know I have a twin, and want a chuckle, watch the video. After all these years my sis and I are still very much alike!
Christine: Ok, so you talk about “people who love their life”, but I’m a little bit skeptical really, because can people really say “I love my life!” every day? All the time?
Michelle: The quick simple answer is that no, people can’t say “I love my life” all day, every day. I love my life but there are days that suck (if I haven’t had enough sleep, if I’ve got a big problem that I’ve got to try to solve, if I’ve just had a difficult travel schedule or whatever…)
Christine: If you don’t feel well…
Michelle: If you don’t feel well…but I think that the whole idea of loving your life is an attitude. Making sure that you take care of the big things (relationship, health, doing work you love as much as you can…) all of those important things.
Christine: I agree. Ok, good. Now, have you always loved your life? – I know the answer to this. She hasn’t. She has not always loved her life. Go on…
Michelle: I have not always loved my life. No, I have not always loved my life. Through most of my 30s I was struggling to figure out who I was, in my work, in my relationships (unsuccessful relationships were plentiful,) trying to compare myself to everyone else, set myself up for everybody else’s expectations… I really didn’t like my life.
Christine: So on to my next question. What did you have to do to start loving your life?
Michelle: a lot of freakin’ work
Christine: Which is just what I was going to say, “do the freakin’ work!” She did the freakin’ work.
Michelle: I did, yeah, I started to get clear about what was important to me, what I wanted to be doing day to day – for my work, for what I was passionate about, what I wanted my relationships to look like (if I ever managed to figure that part out…)
Christine: She did, she did.
Michelle: And I stopped comparing myself to other people, or thinking about what the expectations of others might be, and I got real about what was important to me.
Christine: That’s true, she did. Ok, so how does work fit in to loving your life?
Michelle: Well, if you think about how long most of us spend on the job every single day, if you don’t like the work that you do, it’s going to make the day long and it’s going to suck a little bit.
Christine: Ok, so, what if you hate your job and you’re stuck in it?
Michelle: Yeah, I’m not gonna suggest that you quit. Because sometimes we just need a new job…
Christine: You can if you want to, but that might not be the right solution.
Michelle: If you can’t leave the job, then you have to make sure that the rest of your life is great. That you love the rest of your life, that you love your relationships, that you’re doing things outside of work that fill you up. (hobbies and…)
Christine: Go to a musical…
Michelle: That kind of thing. Having fun. Because if your work sucks but you’re also not taking care of the rest of your life, then everything’s going to suck. And that’s no fun.
Christine: That’s true. So I have one more question for you. What do you do to recharge your batteries?
Michelle: I sleep (ha ha). I laugh, but honestly, I make sure to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep a day and many of my busy viewers would say that’s such a luxury, but you can’t afford not to because that’s when your body repairs from the stress of the day. So, I make sure I get enough sleep. I make sure I get outside every single day… and I value exercise, but even just a simple walk, fresh air, doing fun things like that will help. Obviously I eat healthily (most of the time, although I do like my red wine) And I spend time around people that I love. People that make me feel happy.
Christine: Well, I don’t think I have any more questions for you so I hope you have enjoyed our little chat. This is Michelle Cederberg. Work life energy expert.
Michelle: And this is Christine Knight, drama teacher, mom, and sister extraordinaire. Until next time, I’m Michelle Cederberg.
Christine: I’m Christine Knight
Michelle and Christine: Do the freakin’ work!
Next week I’ll be sharing a simple, thought-provoking exercise to help you get clear about what’s important in your quest to love your life! Don’t miss it.
And if you’re interested in one-on-one coaching guidance send me an email to book your free consult.
Carpe Freakin’ Diem!
