I’m a big believer in crafting declarations for oneself that outline the pillars of one’s ideal life. Write them out, distill them as far as one can, and then read them aloud to oneself every day. Over the course of time they can have a seemingly mythical power to gently bend one’s life’s trajectory in that direction. Do this in each major domain of your life, and watch the magic start to happen.
Occasionally I’ll get a key question. It is usually a version of, “How do I define my ideal life? I’m not sure if what I aspire toward is my own authentic desire or is it a goal that I’ve been conditioned to want by my family, my society, my media, or some other source that is not actually me?”
There is a strategy for addressing this question. It is true that with so many forces seeking to influence us, it is hard to know what is authentically our own. In fact, some might argue that there is nothing that is authentically our own, and that we are completely the product of our culture and environment. I’m not sure I want to go that far.
A life well-lived is one lived consistent with one’s values. It is not necessarily that it was easy or fun or comfortable. In fact, a demonstrably difficult, struggling life may still be very well lived and satisfying for the individual if it was in alignment with the person’s values. So the short answer to the first question is, “Are my declarations in alignment with my values?” If so, then whatever the source of the goal (i.e. – authentic self, family, society, media, etc.), the person will likely arrive at some future point and be satisfied with the path they traveled.