You have been given this amazing opportunity to experience life and It’s All What YOU Make It (IAWYMI)!

ByJACLYNSLOTT

At its core, life is what you make it. This simple yet profound truth can be the key to unlocking a happier, more fulfilling existence. It’s not just about what happens to us, but how we respond, how we choose to live, and how we shape our reality that truly defines our lives.

But how often do we pause to consider the impact of our choices? In a world that often feels overwhelming, it’s easy to fall into the trap of just letting life happen to us, reacting rather than acting with intention. However, when we take the time to pause and make conscious decisions, we can create a life that truly reflects who we are and what we want.

Live life the way you want to, experience life, don’t just let the days pass by.  

Do you wake up ready and excited for the day’s adventures or do you wake up stuck in a routine that you think you’re supposed to be doing? Or possibly you’re stuck in survival mode? (link to survival mode handbook)

Happiness is a choice. It’s a decision to focus on the good, to practice gratitude, and to embrace life’s challenges as opportunities for growth. It’s not about denying the difficulties or pretending that everything is perfect, but about choosing to find meaning and joy despite the imperfections, about learning the lesson and getting better. 

To truly live happily, you need to recognize that YOU have the power to shape your experience. You can’t always control what happens to you, but you can control how you respond. By cultivating a positive mindset, practicing mindfulness, and nurturing self-compassion, you can navigate life’s ups and downs with grace and resilience.

Flip the switch and actually make LIVING LIFE and HAVING FUN a priority while also getting your responsibilities done. Heck yeah!!

Ok, so “It’s All What You Make It” …but how?

“The first step of change is to become aware of your own bullshit.”  

Take a good look at where you are right now, in this moment, become aware of your own bullshit. Are you procrastinating, are you numbing yourself with alcohol, food, medication?  Are you spending too much of your life numb scrolling on your phone, etc. ?

I was. 

Until I remembered something my Dad has always told me, “It’s All What You Make It!” Of course that was meant toward different aspects of my life growing up but now it’s the motto of how I live. He’s absolutely correct, It’s All What YOU Make It! 

It’s time to ENJOY and EXPERIENCE LIFE! So how does one go about that?

You’ll need to start by building and then protecting your personal foundation, being proactive and intentional instead of reactive, and no longer absorbing others’ energy. Only absorbing the good stuff and spreading it around.

Flip the switch and actually make LIVING LIFE and HAVING FUN a priority while also getting your responsibilities done.

First you need to have a strong internal foundation. Without a solid foundation, your structure will be unstable, prone to collapse at any time.

Understanding Your Internal Foundation

Your internal foundation consists of the core aspects of your identity and character that shape how you experience and respond to the world. These include:

  • Self-Awareness: Understanding who you are, what you believe in, and what you want out of life.
  • Values: The principles and beliefs that guide your decisions and actions.
  • Emotional Resilience: The ability to cope with stress, setbacks, and challenges without losing your sense of self.
  • Confidence: Trust in your abilities and decisions, and a strong belief in your worth.
  • Mindset: The attitudes and perspectives that influence how you view the world and your place in it.

To help build and strengthen your foundation, there are 7 areas in life that you should master:

1. Health (Mental & Physical)– Are you eating well, are you exercising, are you taking care of your mental health? 

2. Finances– Are you controlling your finances or are they controlling you and creating mounds of stress?

3. Career– Are you spending your time in work that fulfills you and you enjoy or are you spending your days doing something you don’t even like doing? (how to blog link)

4. Family (parenting, spouse) – Are you their biggest fan or are you their biggest critic?  Are you present in moments with them or spread too thin doing everything for them? Does your home have a House Manager? (HM link)

5. Hobbies (Fun & Leisure)– Do you have hobbies that you enjoy? Something to let your mind have fun with instead of overthinking every little problem?

6. Personal Development–  Do you try to be your best self, physically, mentally, finding ways to challenge yourself ?

7. Spiritual Growth– Have something to believe in, or you’ll fall for anything.

Once you have strengthened your internal foundation and mastered the 7 Areas of Life, you will need to simplify your disciplines and “Earn You Lazy”!

Earn Your Lazy – 

To live the life you want you will need to make sure your responsibilities are taken care of to free up life so you can choose how you spend that time to live how YOU want.

By “Earning Your Lazy” you get done what needs to be done so you can allow yourself to enjoy the free time, Earning your lazy allows you to really enjoy your time because there’s nothing else that needs to be done – just be “lazy”. You don’t have to actually be lazy, you can do whatever you want to do that makes you happy, go climb a mountain or just lay in the grass, whatever it is you want to do with that free time to LIVE however you want to live! But don’t waste it, you earned it so enjoy every moment of it.  (link to Earn You Lazy)

Conclusion: Crafting a Life You Love

Ultimately, life is what you make it. Every decision, every choice, every moment is a brushstroke that contributes to the masterpiece of your life. (Cheesy enough for ya?)
So, why not choose to create a life that’s joyful and true to who you are?

Embrace the power of choice, simplify your life, and make the decision to live happily. When you do, you’ll find that life is not just something that happens to you, but something amazing that you create, moment by moment, with intention and love. It’s All What You Make It!