Do 3 Things To Conquer Fear And Live Your Own Life

“I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.” Did you know this is the most common, biggest regret people have when they are dying.(*)

And it is most often the result of fear. Which is why in my previous post I asked the question: “What fear stops you from doing what you love?”

You probably, hopefully still have many more years to live ’till it is time for you to look back on your life. In the interim, how will you be making sure this regret will not be one of yours?

Will you honour at least some of the dreams of your life? Will you be making life choices that set you on a path towards realising them?

Or will you choose what others deem appropriate?

Will you walk the path lined with expectations of others?

Or will you choose leave your own trail?

Not following in the footsteps of others, but creating your own path can be scary.

More often than not you find yourself in unfamiliar territory with no one to guide you.

Your family and friends may question (sometimes loudly) the wisdom of your choices.

Asking you why you are straying from the path of a stable job, a safe career, a good income?

Related Post: 4 Things to do A Lot When Learning to Live Your Own Life

Now, I’m not saying living your own life instead of someone else’s means you have to give up all you know.

Nor am I saying going always means making drastic life changes.

After all drastic changes are big, scary and not always necessary.

Besides, when things are big and scary we most likely don’t do them. This leads to the very regret I started this post with!

How then can you avoid coming to the end of your life wishing you’d had the courage to live your own life?

By doing at least these three things!

1. Figure out what is truly important to you, what your core values are

You can find tons of information on values and how to find yours by searching the internet. By all means, follow at least some of the suggestions you’ll find.

However, an easy place to start is look at the people you consider role models. Whether alive or dead, famous or unknown, it doesn’t matter. As long as you consider them people you’d like to emulate.

What about them is it that you admire? What qualities, characteristics, etc. are theirs that you have or aspire to have?

Related Post: Ignore the People Who Still Stop You From Living Your Own Life Now

2. Integrate those core values into your life

Take a good look at all the values that you’ve been living your life by and scrap the ones that aren’t yours.

Replace them with the core values you identified under step 1.

Create boundaries around those values. Use them to test every decision you’ll be making going forward.

3. Stay true to your core values

Tempted to take that job which would give you a huge pay rise, but it doesn’t align with your values? Don’t take it.

Asked to do certain tasks that would have you cross your boundaries? Respectfully decline.

Does taking the well-trodden path mean trampling all over your values? Blaze your own trail.

Know your core values and have clear boundaries around them. It makes it easier to stay true to them.

It doesn’t necessarily make life easier; but it will definitely help you live your own life instead of someone else’s!

As always …

#LiveYourOwnLife #LiveUpToYourOwnExpectations

Now go dare greatly!

(*) Bronnie Ware: The Top 5 Regrets of The Dying. Copyright 2011, 2012. Published by Hay House Inc. ISBN-10: 9781401940652

Photo credit: © 2015 Gerdi Verwoert