It’s been said that there are two ways to live: one as a warning to other people on what not to do, one as an example of how to live and create a life worth living.

I’d suggest it’s a good practice to review your ‘current life’ at least twice per year.

To stop and check in with yourself.

To take an honest look at which parts of your current life are giving you warnings that something isn’t right, yet you’re not heeding those warnings. Some examples could be:

  • Your body is asking for a detox yet you continue to eat everything & anything.
  • Your bank account is smaller but you continue to live larger.
  • You’re feeling detached from your friends and miss them, however, when given the choice you default to more time at the office.
  • You are constantly expressing that you “don’t have the time to…” do what’s important although you always seem to have time to do what’s unimportant or unfulfilling.

Of course, the warnings don’t mean you’re doomed to failure.

But warnings are warnings and they do serve a purpose.

The main purpose is to signal to you that something must change. Something within you or about you must change OR you’ll likely experience even more warnings and deeper pain in the near future.

But remember it’s not all bad either.

There are ALWAYS parts of your life that are examples of how to do it right. Sometimes you might need to look a little harder—if you’re out of practice—to find inspiring examples that demonstrate your unique strengths, your creative flair or your compassion for others.

If you feel like you’ve been running at a million miles per hour recently and spinning a bit out of control, give yourself the gift of some reflective time and answer the following questions:

  1. What recent experience in my life did I really enjoy? Could be travel, a project, a special night with a special someone.
  2. How could I use that recent experience as an inspiring example to create more joy and happiness in my life right now?
  3. What could I do to create a similarly rewarding experience in the next 6 weeks?
  4. What ‘warning signals’ have been showing up recently?
  5. Which one(s) are the most important for me to resolve before I allow more time to pass?
  6. What action can I take this week to change my behaviour and/or resolve the issue?
  7. What are the first two action steps I WILL take to build momentum and make sure it’s a happy ending?

Spend 10 minutes answering these questions in your notepad or on your computer. Don’t just passively sit and think about them. Put pen to paper or fingers to keys.

You’ll be glad you did.

And you’ll be inspired by your inner strength to turn your warnings into examples, and renew your enthusiasm for creating the life that you want.