Are you tired from living day to day with no higher purpose?

Are you living in a kind of trance; focused on surviving and getting through the tasks at hand? I have been living in routine mode for a  while and that realization is my fuel for change. I’m ready for more zeal in my life. Let’s start our new year with some ideas for living with more zeal!

Lichen Zeal

Here are 7 ideas for more zeal in your life.

1.  Find at least one passion and do more of it. I feel passionate about love, beauty, and nature. That is why I share photos, ideas and music that inspire me, and hopefully you too. The more time we spend on our passions, the more positive feelings and energy we build in our lives.
2.  We can start new any time, day or year we want. We can declare a Do Over!  I am declaring today a Do Over, making a new start for today and 2012. My new focus is ZEAL. And I give myself permission to change this focus too. I may declare more do overs throughout the year. I find great passion in new beginings. The bigger challenge for me is continuity.
3. Measuring progress in small easy increments. I have some big goals for 2012 and I may not reach them. Ideally I will reach some of them, even though past experience tells me differently. New for 2012, I will be satisfied with progress in the direction of my goals. And I will celebrate the progress to keep reminding and motivating myself. This will help with continuity and commitment.
4. Build on what works. Remembering that focusing on what I do like, is working, and do have is much more useful and motivating than focusing on what is missing. Gratitude plays a part in this game, as does keeping my eyes on the goal. I’m realizing the benefit of goals is more in having a direction to focus my mind, heart and action. In turn, this builds more passion and momentum to reach my goals.
5.  Any decsion is better than no decsion. We can always adjust as we go. It is much easier to steer while moving than from dead stop. If you don’t believe me, try steering an older car with no power steering. You will experience this lesson very graphically.
6. Take Action. Again, any step toward your goals is useful. Action turns dreams and goals into reality. It helps anchor your goals into your body, mind and life. Repeated actions become your habits and in turn, your life. Choose wisely.
7. Purpose. Any movement toward our dreams and goals is success in the short run. In the long run, success and lasting satisfaction come from aligning our life with our passions, values, and purpose in service of something bigger than ourselves. In other words, satisfaction, passion, and zeal come from living our purpose.

The word zeal excites me. How can we be bored with life if we’re focusing on ZEAL?  It’s a wonderfully juicy expression for living fully with passion, enthusiasm and aliveness.

To a very Zeal filled New Year!