I would love a dollar for every time I’ve heard someone say ,“ You have to work to live, not live to work”, It always makes me think, “What does that even mean”?!
Don’t get me wrong I understand the concept behind it, but I seriously don’t get the value behind it. To me it sounds like someone needed an excuse to justify the fact that they hate their job but just can’t be assed doing anything about it.
I’ve always considered myself one of the lucky ones; I’ve spent my life working in a field I absolutely loved! While my friends were out socialising, I could easily be found still at my desk at some ridiculous hour of the morning creating, preparing or delivering yet another event. My brother thought I was mad and was totally being taken advantage of for the hours vs pay ratio, but I would just look at him perplexed thinking “Are you kidding me? I’m having the time of my life and getting paid for it”.
Granted balance is crucial in life, but so is waking up and going to a job that makes you feel fulfilled. Simply working for a pay-check at the end of the month and seeing it as a means to an end is just not sustainable; and let’s face it, don’t you deserve more than that?
Don’t you want to open your eyes on a Monday, and actually look forward to the week rather than dreading the thought of even getting out of bed? Then ditch the “work to live, not live to work” attitude and take back control of your life! You are the author of your life, so take the time to make it a best-seller.
Take the time and put in the hard work. Figure out what truly fulfills you, re-align with your values, connect with your purpose and then start planning. I promise you, if you commit to doing the work, you won’t work a day in your life, because you will be too busy having the time of your life!
Start by setting aside time every week to sit with yourself and put your thoughts on paper. Find somewhere that you feel inspired, whether it’s in your home, in a park, in the desert or by the sea; somewhere that resonates with you. This is your time, your space and your sanctuary. Don’t worry if at first words don’t flow on to the page like you want it to; it takes time to reconnect with yourself and drown out all the noise. Just sit, breathe it in, and let your mind and heart connect with values and moments that are important to you – now write them down. Don’t worry about any of it making sense, just let it all flow on to the page.
Do this every week until you feel you’ve aligned with that voice inside you that is your truth, your strength, your essence – it’s the real you. From this narrative you will naturally rise because you are in your flow and you are in complete alignment with what’s important to you.
From this space think about the impact you want to make in this world, what do you want to be remembered for; this is your purpose. This is what will make you want to get out of bed every day of the week before the alarm goes off; this is what will make you feel fulfilled.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it was built; and when it was done it was magnificent. That’s how you’re going to make your dream a reality. You need to plan, take action and establish accountability to achieve, create and live the life you love. Think about what small action you can take each day to get you that little bit closer to where you want to be; then you need to do it. Without accountability, your dream will remain just that, a dream.
And before you start thinking it’s too late to change, let me formally introduce myself. My name is Lili Khanbashi and I found my purpose at the age of 40. As much as I loved events and got to travel the world delivering amazing projects and working with some amazing people; I always had this nagging feeling that there was something missing.
So I did the work. I spent hours reflecting, journaling and connecting with myself until it became clear; I love helping people; it was such a strong value for me to the point that I could no longer ignore it. Fast forward to today, and here I am, owner of The Good Seed Project, a life coaching consultancy that helps people live a more fulfilled life.