One of the great gifts of quarantine has been an unlimited amount of time for self-reflection and evaluation. I’ve been asking myself, am I living an extraordinary life?
Live an Extraordinary Life
And if not, what do I need to do in order to believe that I am. I used to think that living an extraordinary life was about having grand adventures, taking big risks that got my adrenaline going, or accomplishing a mountain sized goal. While I still believe those contribute to feeding an extraordinary life, they are not the only things.
I’ve redefined “extraordinary life” to include a happy, stable relationship with someone special—for me that happens to be my husband, Mike; emotional strength and well-being; physical health; pets in my household; meaningful friendships; a level of financial security that assures I can handle most crises that may come my way; a close knit family; great books to read and share, etc. While I’ve redefined what an extraordinary life is to me, I’ve also identified and embraced my need for excitement and challenge as a part of my life and that is forcing me to do some things differently.
In order to create a rich and full extraordinary life, I’m creating personal and professional challenges on the first day of each month that will run through the month. I consider my career, relationships, finances, fitness, emotional health, my surroundings, new learning and whatever else is of interest and meaning. I am visiting these challenges weekly—doing a progress update and checking in with myself to see where I’m succeeding and where I am falling back. I make notes and adjust to meet my goals. This weekly check in has been key. My plan is to do this every month and not miss this date with myself. That may be the richest part of all—keeping these appointments with and for myself—because I want and deserve to live an extraordinary life. And so do you.
