This is the second part in the series, 5 Steps to Creating a Beautiful Life. You can read Part 1 here.
Step 2: You must create a vision for your ideal life
You have a choice in life -- to float along at the mercy of events and circumstances, or to proactively create the life of your dreams.
And if you'd rather be a creator than a victim, the first step is to get clear on what you want.
"If you don't know where you are going, you may end up where you are heading." -- Anon
Unfortunately, we're not taught how to create a vision for our ideal life. There's no class in school on finding your soul's purpose, setting the right goals or engaging the Universe's magic.
Many people have bucket lists or 30-before-30 type lists, but the problem is they are often filled with a random assortment of unrelated ideas that don't necessarily bring you any closer to discovering who you are, following your soul's purpose and creating a beautiful life.
So today, you're going to create a high-level vision for your ideal life.
Exercise: Dream Life Vision
Think of your dream life vision as placing an order with the Universe.
The clearer you get on what you want, the easier it is for the universe to deliver the goods to you. The universe needs to know what you want, lover!
"And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." -- Paulo Coelho
Set aside a good hour of time where you'll be in peace and quiet. You're going to do some deep-soul-digging.
Grab a notebook or blank paper and divide it into the main areas of your life.
For example, you could use categories like "Health and Well-being," "Friendships and Family Life," "Love and Relationships," "Career," "Wealth and Abundance," "Learning and Self-Growth" and "Fun, Adventure and Pleasure."
Write down what you want for your life in each area.
You may want to use a pencil at first, as it can take a good deal of brainstorming and revising until you get that intuitive 'Aha!' feeling that you've tapped into the good stuff - your true desires.
If you get stuck, think about these questions: What does it mean to live a life true to yourself? What kind of things do you want to be doing on a daily basis? When you look back on your life on your deathbed, what achievements will you be proudest of?
Don't get too caught up in specific job titles, street addresses or names of partners. Look deeper at what it is you're really seeking.
Example: You may think your ideal life involves being an author. That's great, but let's dig a little deeper.
What attracts you to being an author? Is it the freedom of working autonomously from home, cafes or anywhere in the world? Is it the opportunity to be creative? Is it your love for words, for entertaining, or for teaching useful information?
You may realize that what you want is not specifically to be an author, but an autonomous job involving words and creativity -- which could also include a social media manager, marketing consultant, blogger, copywriter, editor, speechwriter, online entrepreneur and the list goes on.
"A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstances." -- Hunter S Thompson
Your first draft doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be done. So be gentle with yourself, and give it a go.
Elyse is the founder of NotesOnBliss.com, your guidebook to happiness and creating a beautiful life. For more tips, wisdom and inspiration, sign up now.