October illumined life list

October illumine life list

Instead of a To-Do list, consider how you want To Be and plan your month accordingly. We have so many demands and other people’s agenda’s pulling on our time and attention. Last week at Brendon Burchard’s High Performance Academy, we learned a few more ways to live a life that feels empowered and has us shine so bright.

30 Day Challenge: It’s not too late, and if it’s your first, just get started. Every month create a challenge to create some change in your life. It might be Whole 30, or going sugar free, or writing a thank you note every day or drinking more water. Make it something that pulls you forward in life, evolves you to be a better version of you.

Grow: Get out of the comfort zone: Take a new class, intensify your workout (and thus your mind) at least once a week,meet with your mentor and set a stretch, but realistic goal to accomplish by the end of the year.

Nourish: Self Care. Try something new like flotation, meditation, or a walk in nature to care for your soul. Minimize the audio/visual noise in your life. Listen in on who YOU are, or just the magical silence of being. It sounds counter intuitive that less is more, but on the level of our brain, minimizing stimulation and maximizing focus increases alpha and theta brain waves which are associated with creativity, compassion, insight (alpha), creativity and intuition (theta).

Connect: Call/visit a good friend you HAVEN’T connected with enough yet this year. In the end, it’s the relationships we have made, that will be most meaningful to us. Who doesn’t end or begin a year resolving to connect more often and more deeply with friends. So take a look at your address book and make a phone or person date with that friend. Being proactive about our relationships will speak volumes to your friend about how much they mean to you and will give you both the needed “good” neurotransmitters (dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin) to keep our mood naturally elevated, our mind motivated to stick to our goals and mission, and feeling connected to loved ones.

Laugh: Girls/guys day or night out. There may still be a few warm days/evenings out to enjoy activities with a group of friends. October may be a good time for apple picking, pumpkin carving, day trips out of the city instate or to Wisconsin or Michigan where leaves changing is picturesque. Again connecting with people for fun social activities releases the endorphins and neurotransmitters for a natural high.

Learn: Check out Chicago Ideas Week. Get tickets for Chicago’s week of collective learning. We love the opportunity to be a student again, where world-class speakers, writers, and experts offer lectures, experiential labs, and conversations. Their core belief: When a broad spectrum of thinkers and instigators share ideas, we have the power to transform our world.

Save on holiday travel: Look ahead and make plans for travel at the holidays with family and/or friends. We just scored $99 flights to from Raleigh, NC where we will be for the holidays. There have been years when we waited too long and ended up with $600 flights to So Cal, so I always start looking around late September because I’d rather spend that money on gifts or splurge on saving! ProTip: Sign up for Scott’s Cheap Flights for notification of airline mistakes or sales offering unbelievably low flight price. We scored round trip ORD>FRA for less that $500.

Seasonal: Make winter clothes easily available because today it’s 80’s and tomorrow it’s in the 60’s. Always looking and feeling your best means being ready for the right weather so as NOT to distract you from your focus. Transitional outfits include leggings and sweater, long skirts, light shirts with long sleeves, jacket or sweater to layer. Also go through Winter clothes and see if anything needs to be cleaned, repaired, let go sold/consigned, what are you missing? Put away clean summer clothes, and let go of anything that didn’t spark joy this summer.

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It’s all connected: write your life