How to Create the Life You Want
How to Create the Life You Want
Creative Strategies to Create the Life You Want—Right Now
As we sail into the fall season of 2020, most of us are still blinking and rubbing our eyes in full disbelief. To say it’s been unpredictable and unprecedented is an understatement, and for many entrepreneurs, it’s been a daily, weekly and monthly battle to stay afloat. However, it’s important to remember you can always create the life you want, build the business you believe in, and develop the lifestyle that fulfills you and brings you joy. Everyone goes through hiccups, and even the most confident of trail-blazers has moments of doubt. It’s okay! But before you navigate too far off course, take these tips from female entrepreneurs and FemCity leaders who have gone through the trails to find success and happiness on the other side.
Here, seven effective strategies and habits to create the life you want… right now.
Optimize your schedule for success.
For years, Lynn Pelzer craved the ability to work from home. She was constantly feeling exhausted by running in the rat race of the corporate world and always operating on someone else’s schedule. Once she became a mom of two, the desire to have more flexibility only grew deeper. So, a decade ago, she decided to put some hustle behind her desires by creating a meaningful side hustle. Though for 24 months, she was twice as busy, she finally made enough income to leave her 20-year career. She says it took a tremendous amount of focus, a tight schedule, a fast education about business and sales, but once she leaped, she never looked back.
Today, she’s the FemCity Collective Director and FemCity Toronto President, where she serves up female empowerment to countless women leaders. As she puts it, she’s able to bring an inspiring community together with intention, positivity and purpose. This is also how she describes the right way to set up your calendar to create the life you want. After all, if you don’t make time to dig deep on your aspirations, how do you expect them to come true?
“Blocking off the time to complete projects, creating boundaries on my time, reviewing the schedule for ease or conflicts before the week happens all make a big difference,” she shared. It may seem old fashioned, but she suggests having a checklist that you refer at the start of each week. For Pelzer, Sundays are a time to review what’s on her docket, what deliverables she needs to prioritize, clean up her workspace, and roll up her sleeves for the days ahead. It’s a 30-minute to a one-hour investment of your time that can align your productivity, big time. “When women are chasing their goals, they need a plan of action both mentally and task-oriented,” she adds.
Write down how to create the life you want.
If Giselle Mascarenhas could describe herself in two words, they’d be unapologetically authentic. As a personal branding coach and a Collective Director and President of the FemCity Rio Grande Valley chapter, she helps many budding leaders find their footing. In fact, it’s what she calls her calling: through storytelling, she guides people to discover their own special magic. “I get to do what sets my heart on fire every day, and now I am creating tools with courses and virtual events to reach more people,” she continues.
One recommendation she has for all of her clients is putting pen to paper. Remember when you journaled as a kid? Or played fortune-telling games like Mash, allowing yourself to daydream about what the future holds? Imagination is a wild thing when we’re young, but it’s something we learn to tame as we take more laps around the sun. Mascarenhas urges her clients (and well, anyone) to write down what you want. Use these prompts to guide your writing:
What does success look like?
What does it feel like? Smell like?
Who do you empower by your success?
How do you make the world a better place because of your success?
Learn everything you can about your dream job or business.
Ever find yourself binge-watching a television series and you become curious about an actor? And suddenly, you’re 20 Google pages deep, unearthing their life story? If you can put that much energy into a random person, why not interject the same passion into your dream job or business?
It’s what Heather Nardi recommends to create the life you want. In addition to being the founder of Empath Mama, she’s also the FemCity president of the Eagan Minnesota Collective. Her path wasn’t a straight-and-narrow one, but thanks to faith and positivity, she’s been able to work through all hurdles, including her daughter’s six-year struggle with mental illness. Following an unexpected encounter that brought a different perspective, she had an ‘a-ha!’ moment that led her to realize that perhaps, her child was highly sensitive or an empath. “That discovery turned me down a path towards supporting other moms with similar experiences. My pain was the driving force to turn towards a purpose,” she explains. “My business is growing, my family is happy and thriving, and I have amazing women around me. This is the life I have always wanted.”
To get there, she studied empath personality types endlessly, allowing her to spread female empowerment and inspire other women. No matter where your curiosity lies, Nardi says to take three to six months to become an expert. “Read, search the web, interview people who already work in the field, and do all that you can to learn about the history, trends and topics that are important in your field,” she shares. “When the time comes to move forward, you will have a solid foundation.”
Research and follow game-changers in your industry.
When you start to wonder if you will ever create the life you want, Mascarenhas says it’s beneficial to find others in your industry who have been there, accomplished that mountain. She recommends finding podcasts and books that pour you in to your industry. And don’t just scroll through a few articles. Be present in the moment and fully digest their content, stories and words of wisdom by setting up the scene. This may include, but is not limited to:
Sitting in a quiet area, alone.
Lighting a candle or having soft, calming lighting.
Pouring yourself a glass of wine or a cup of tea.
“Seek to be surrounded by people who are doing what you are striving to do. Take what you learn and implement immediately,” she continues. “Hearing them speak to you is powerful. Try podcasts and audibles. Plug your earphones in and just pretend you are having a conversation with them. They are there for you.”
Practice gratitude daily.
Pelzer says practicing gratitude daily is more powerful than you think. How so? It creates a place where your mind is looking for the good. This is supremely beneficial because it keeps us in a place where we are thinking positively, rather than seeking out the negative, or the worst-case scenario. While some may find it cheesy, the power of attraction is a powerful tool. We create what we think, create, and what we create spreads to others, starting a chain-reaction of success and hope. No matter how you practice gratitude — through journaling, texting a kind message to a friend daily, or something else — make it a habit you stick to, no matter what.
Choose your tribe with intention.
Your mother probably told you that you are the company you keep — and well, she was right. Rather than fearing competition, Nardi says to actively seek to surround yourself with female empowerment through groups like FemCity. As she explains, nothing leads to success faster than having a solid support network in place. “This networking will help you understand what it takes to succeed and give you the support you need to make those first steps,” she continues. “You will increase your confidence and your learning pace, and you may even get lucky and find a job or your first client.”
To learn more about FemCity, visit FemCity.com. FemCity offers a Free 30-Day Trial Membership and Memberships start at only $9.99. You can also learn more about launching a FemCity Chapter in your community.