LifePilot: Be the CEO of your life with Natalie Sisson

Every year, I pick one word that becomes my theme for the year.

This one word represents what I want to focus on. In previous years it's been freedom, growth, clarity and focus.

You'd think one measly word wouldn't make much of a difference to your life, but I have to tell you....it's a game changer!

Whenever you're off track, it helps you come back to focus in on what's important, what matters, and what you really want out of your year.

In this episode I reveal:

• My word for 2018 (and why people laughed at it)
• My new quest to vlog like a boss
• A great audio and book resource I'm using to learn to vlog like a boss
• Why this is the year to OWN it (and put on your grown up panties)

Listen and learn my friend....or just be entertained.

Key resource to check out:

• Vlog Like a Boss: How to Kill It Online with Video Blogging by Amy Schmittauer
• Vlogging advice I wish I had when I started - by Amy on Youtube
• Plan Your Ideal Year Course

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we kick of into 2018, things are going to change around here. For starters you're going to hear a lot more from me on the podcast with short and sweet episodes as I go on a Quest for Freedom for you! I'm talking behind the scenes, every day experiments in living life with true freedom.

In this episode:

• I reveal my plans for 2018
• What you can expect from me on the podcast
• The new business I'm starting
• How I'm going to be more creative
• Why I'm going back to my roots

 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Could you be attempting to solve the wrong problem when it’s actually really your mindset that’s needing to be transformed?

Have you tried to change your habits or worked harder to improve your business and life? And then you get to the point where you ask yourself, "Why is this still not working?".

It's technically because you are doing the wrong thing.

It's not about the actions that you are doing or not doing that's making the difference.

It's actually what's happening in your mind that's actually the biggest challenge you have that needs to be solved.

My friend Osmaan Sharif is back in Season 5 of Quest for Freedom to continue our talk about Mindset Freedom.

We discuss the Rapid Transformation Formula, solving the right problem and his top tips to shift your mindset when your mindset is holding you back.

Of course it takes courage to shine the spotlight onto YOU.  But when you get to the root of the real challenges you may be facing, then positive & long-lasting  transformations for your business and life can truly happen!

Hit play above or listen to this episode directly here.

Forget investing in your business, in tools and in more programs in 2018.

Make 2018 the year to invest in your mindset and you will not only see the most transformative shifts, but outstanding results in life and business.

Get details on the next Freedom Lab Master Your Mindset going live in January 2018.

• Get crystal clear about the DESIGN of your life & business, so that it fits with what’s important to YOU and what freedom means to you.
• Discover your entrepreneurial superpower, using the practical Wealth Dynamics profiling system (a fantastic test that tells you how to get in flow as an entrepreneur based on your strengths).
• Learn tools from the world of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), applied & focused to help you as a business owners master your mindset & helping you get unstuck & overcome limitations.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We all do it. We all compare ourselves to others and sabotage ourselves in the process.

Your aim in life should be to be the very best version of yourself. So why do we all consistently compare ourselves against others?

Why do we look at people who are 3, 5 or even 10 years ahead of us in business and in life and get completely dejected that ‘we’re not there yet’ or that we pale in comparison.

That’s like comparing yourself with Richard Branson and his current empire worth billions, instead of the Richard Branson in college trying to make a magazine come to life and getting loans from his Mum.

You will always come up ridiculously short.

And that’s just a game for losers to play, and you’re a winner, so I suggest you stop that now.

You can’t even begin to know what’s behind their journey, what it took for them to get to where they are now. But you can learn from them, and emulate the great things they do, so long as you don’t try to measure up against them.

Nothing compares to you. You just focus on being your best self.

It doesn’t help that we’re constantly bombarded with ‘overnight success’ stories and internet millionaires making money in their sleep.

I know it can seem like everybody is doing better at everything than you. But they’re not.

In fact often it’s far from the truth, they’re just good at marketing or spinning out the right stuff.

I’d like you to stop this destructive habit and instead concentrate on where you’re at and what you’ve achieved.

That's why in this podcast I've brought in the heavies, well the heavyweight expert in getting rid of limiting beliefs, stopping your comparison-itis syndrome and shifting your mindset.

My friend Osmaan Sharif is a Performance Coach at Rapid Transformation and he specializes in unlocking your entrepreneurial superpowers and transforming your mindset blocks.

Since Season 5 of Quest for Freedom is all about Mindset Freedom I decided to bring him on to discuss how we can make 2018 our best year ever by doing one thing.

Working on our 'inner game'. 

We discuss how to stop comparing yourself to others, why that's destructive and two things you can do instead to focus on being your best self.

Hit play above or listen to this episode directly here.

Forget investing in your business, in tools and in more programs in 2018.

Make 2018 the year to invest in your mindset and you will not only see the most transformative shifts, but outstanding results in life and business.

Get details on the next Freedom Lab Master Your Mindset going live in January 2018.

 

Design + MINDSET + Strategies = Results.

• Get crystal clear about the DESIGN of your life & business, so that it fits with what’s important to YOU and what freedom means to you.
• Discover your entrepreneurial superpower, using the practical Wealth Dynamics profiling system (a fantastic test that tells you how to get in flow as an entrepreneur based on your strengths).
• Learn tools from the world of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), applied & focused to help you as a business owners master your mindset & helping you get unstuck & overcome limitations.

Get more details here, and get yourself on the VIP list to learn how to join us in 2018.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a fantastic time of the year to bringing you Season 5 of the Quest for Freedom Podcast on Mindset Freedom.

Why is that?

Well it’s typically the time when you’re winding down for the holiday season and also planning ahead to think about 2018 and why it’s going to be different.

But it’s not going to be different until you’re prepared to start working on the very thing that can make the most significant difference to your life.

I’m talking about your mindset. That’s because your mindset can set you free.

Mindset is the foundation that freedom in its widest possible sense comes from.

You are the product of your mind. Every thought and belief you have stored inside your mind shapes your experience of life.

Your values and beliefs shape your perception of reality and as a result your ability to achieve anything in life.

I’ve found that over the years, when I am not focusing on a growth mindset, when I’m not actively learning and applying new techniques to grow my mindset, to become more focused, to get rid of those negative thoughts, those comparison game moments, things don’t go quite as well.

And it feels less free in my mind.

For me personally, this year has been a roller coaster in terms of reshaping and reframing my identity from Suitcase Entrepreneur to Natalie Sisson.

I’ve been through a business sabbatical, a complete 180-degree shift and a complete change in what I am doing and how that fits into my meaning in life and my purpose.

For you, you may too also have had quite a full on year, or perhaps you’ve been really focusing in on what it is within your mind that you can strengthen.

Or what it is that you can quiet so that it makes way for more of those thoughts that allow you to be your best possible self and give you freedom in your mind.

We’ve all been there. We’ve had the mind tells us things we don’t really need to hear.

Our mindset can be our best comrade or it can be our worst enemy and so much of that is under our control.

I think about that every single time I’m faced with a big decision or a reaction to something.

Most of the time I’d like to think I’m pretty calm, but I am also a passionate Aries and every so often something will just piss me off and my emotions will well up and I’ll react in an instant.

So I probably need to go back and revisit some of the mindfulness freedom from Season 1, Mind Your Mindfulness and recommend you do too.

Making decisions in the moment of how we think, of how we act, of how we grow, of how we fundamentally believe is all part of having the right mindset.

The Definition of Mindset

The mindset definition varies across different sources according to Dictionary it is “1. an attitude, disposition, or mood.” or “2. an intention or inclination.” and “1. a mental attitude or inclination” or “2. a fixed state of mind”.

Yet none of these actually yield the true meaning and real definition of what it is. So what is the true meaning?

A more accurate definition of mindset is the sum of the way you think.

Mindset is how your values and beliefs shape your thoughts and lead you to be the way you are.

The way you think and feel, the way your thoughts lead you to act and behave causes the results you experience in the world.

If you have thoughts which are negative or limited then you will experience challenges and likely find success and freedom almost impossible to achieve.

If you are into people like Tony Robbins, into personal development and self-help books, you’ll come across a lot of these tactics and tools.

You’ll look into your neuro-linguistic programming, regression timeline and EFT (emotional freedom technique).  I’ve only touched on a few of these myself throughout my life.

There’s other tactics like meditation, mindfulness, transcendental meditation, looking at your chakras and all these exciting things like brain waves and binaural beats.

It’s incredible how much information is out there.

If we come back to the fundamental message here, which is "the way you think and feel, the way your thoughts lead you to act and behave causes the results you experience in the world", you can start to see pretty quickly that anytime you are having a bad day, it’s most likely because of the way that you are thinking and then acting.

So how can you change state, how can you get yourself out of that to get back on track and into a frame of mind that serves you best?

Sometimes it’s good to be angry, sometimes it’s good to be emotional but if you can channel that into something that really helps you, serve you and helps others then we are talking about reframing and using your mindset for the power of good or even greatness.

And we want to move out of a fixed mindset, negative or a limited mindset into a growth mindset. I have talked about this research from Carol Dweck in Learning with a Growth Mindset.

But what I am most excited about is that I am bringing on a special guest, Osmaan Sharif who is my freedom mindset go-to guy.

I’ve had him attend three of my last freedom mastermind retreats in Bali and Portugal and he honestly has the most amazing set of tools to be able to help people shift their mindsets in minutes.

He is the founder of Rapid Transformation and he can transform people quite rapidly if they are open to it and if they are willing.

We are going to cover off on some really fantastic topics including

• comparison-itis - how your mindset can be negatively impact with those you look up to
• could you be attempting to solve the wrong problem when it’s really our mindset needs to be transformed
• negative stories - what are we telling ourselves and how is that impacting or limiting our beliefs
• when you are really not in control and that the unconscious mind is and how we can tap into that.

I would love for you to tune in every single time we put out a podcast and that’s going to be every Monday and Thursday from now on.

Want to stay up to date then please SUBSCRIBE on iTunes so you don’t miss a show.

Want reliable hosting for your blog and website at 50% off?

• HostGator allows you to run your business from anywhere, at anytime, with their 99.9% uptime guarantee.
• HostGator won't take up any room in your suitcase, but will still be there for every step of your adventure with their 24/7/365 live support.
• Thanks to their 24/7 – 365 days a year live support – which you can get via chat, phone and email – any and all questions you have can be answered in no time at all.

HostGator has partnered with me to help my listeners get started. Click the link below to get 50% off any shared hosting plan.Visit https://www.hostgator.com/quest

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’ve all been there. That sudden desire to do something we’ve always wanted to do creeps up on us and tackles us viciously.

Not only does it tell us that we need to make this change right now but it also informs us that we must do it with everything we have.

Soon, you find yourself surrounded by mats, bamboo blinds, and fake plants that accumulated while you were trying to follow the voice inside you telling you to pursue yoga, for example.

You may feel as though your goal wasn’t true to your heart in the first place. That’s not necessarily right. You may, in fact, love yoga. The issue here lies in that need within you to purchase things in order to fulfill that goal.

Let’s break it down…

• You start by realizing that you need to meet a certain goal in order to live a truly free lifestyle.
• You take a look at those around you and think that you need what they need in order to meet your goal successfully.
• You start accumulating things in the pursuit of that goal.
• You become so overwhelmed with everything that you have accumulated because it distracts you rather than helping you focus on your results.
• You give up on your goal entirely.

Somewhere along the way, you associated success with objects. You came to the conclusion that only things would be able to help you get to where you need to be.

The truth is that everything that you need to achieve lifestyle freedom is within you. All of the objects at our disposal are simply tools to help us to live more efficiently.

Think about a dog that has a single chew toy. When they decide that they want to play, that chew toy helps them to achieve that goal and they don’t need to think about what they are going to do or how they are going to do it.

When a dog has dozens of toys, however. The dog may become overwhelmed and give up on trying to play entirely.

That is similar to how we function. When we have the bare minimum of tools needed to achieve our goals, we don’t find it hard to make it to where we want to be.

When we are surrounded by too many objects and too much information, however, we become paralyzed and find it difficult to focus on our real priority: our goal.

How can we avoid this?

#1. Aim to achieve your goal with what you have at your disposal

Let’s face it, if your goal is to be more active, you don’t need racks of weights and a treadmill in order to incorporate fitness into your new lifestyle.

To work out, all you truly need is yourself and a short list of exercises that you can easily achieve from home. You may not even need this if all you want to do is walk outside every day.

Look over your goal and look at your life. Do you have what you need to be fit? Is what you want to purchase truly necessary or do you think you need it because other people have it?

Being able to answer these questions and living with what you have rather than with what you think you need will greatly help you in your efforts to achieve a lifestyle of personal freedom.

#2. Buy only what you need

Let’s assume that you do want to be a bodybuilder and you don’t have those materials in your area. It’s okay to buy what you need to help you achieve your goal.

If you have time to go to the gym, get a gym membership. If you can’t escape for that long, buy that home exercise gym. If you need to bulk up, purchase that protein powder.

I’m not saying that you aren’t allowed to purchase anything. I am only stating that you should purchase what you need and what you need only.

Having more will only frustrate you and distract you from your lifestyle goals. Remind yourself of that daily prior to purchasing anything in any of the major lifestyle categories.

#3. Clear out your things every once in a while

It’s human nature to collect. We find things we love, we take them home, and we leave them around the house.

Even if you are purchasing only things you need, it is still possible to end up with too many things as you continue purchasing newer items.

Set aside some time every month to look over your items as well as your goals.

Do the things around you help you to achieve lifestyle freedom? Does that older item that you used in the beginning of your journey serve its purpose anymore?

If not, get rid of it. This will not only prevent you from being distracted from your goals but it will also show you how far you’ve come in your journey.

Your older objects are likely to be of no value anymore while your newer tools prove to you that you have come far.

Know this when you are cleaning out the old and celebrating the new.

While you are going through your stuff, you should also set aside some time to visit my consider my “Plan Your Ideal Year Online Workshop” because it is going to help you if you are in a place of not knowing exactly what your goals are for 2018 and beyond.

If you are the type of person who every year sets these awesome goals, puts it in the calendar and then none of it ever works out the way you want to, I have a flipped star method of planning out your year that’s fun, it’s effective and it works.

You don’t believe me read the awesome testimonials and feedback who have taken this online course.

In 90 minutes or less:

• SET YOUR VISION FOR 2018 and plan out your entire year so you prioritize what matters – we will map this out real-time together and I’ll show you behind the scenes of how I plan out my year.
• MAP OUT YOUR QUARTERLY, MONTHLY and WEEKLY ACTIONS based on your annual goals and the calendar so you know exactly what to do to achieve amazing results in your business in 2018!
• Take your big vision and plans for 2018 and put them into your OWN CONTENT, MARKETING and
• EDITORIAL CALENDAR so you feel focused and in control – I’ll show you my calendar as a real example of what’s possible.
• Learn my 6 STEP DAILY SUCCESS PLAN to become more productive in a week than you are in a year – no seriously.

Make sure you sign up here and get started today.

Want reliable hosting for your blog and website at 50% off?

• HostGator allows you to run your business from anywhere, at anytime, with their 99.9% uptime guarantee.
• HostGator won't take up any room in your suitcase, but will still be there for every step of your adventure with their 24/7/365 live support.
• Thanks to their 24/7 – 365 days a year live support – which you can get via chat, phone and email – any and all questions you have can be answered in no time at all.

HostGator has partnered with me to help my listeners get started. Click the link below to get 50% off any shared hosting plan.

Visit https://www.hostgator.com/quest

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You wouldn’t expect yourself to cook in the kitchen without the proper knives, pans, and pots, and you wouldn’t expect to build your body at the gym without the proper equipment either, right?

Think about lifestyle freedom in the same way that you think about cooking or building muscle at the gym. While you could achieve your goals without any assistance, tools will help you to achieve your goals faster and more efficiently.

So I will cover the four different types of tools you can use to help you track your progress, achieve your goals, and work your way to a better life.

#1. Journaling

Although this doesn’t seem to be the go-to tool for many of those seeking lifestyle freedom in this day and age, the journal is a classic tool that is both affordable and useful.

Journaling is best for those who are looking to track their progress as they make changes in their daily lives. When you take a look at your journal each day, you are constantly reminding yourself of the goals that you have set.

Even better, you can use the journal to also keep track of the progress that you have made, make a definitive list of actions that will help you reach your goals, and list of all of the things that may not be working as well.

Also, the journal is a tool that is highly customizable. If you’re someone who wants to meet their lifestyle goals without having too many distracting features, you can choose to make a bullet journal.

If you prefer visuals that remind you of where you are going and motivate you, you can paste pictures and draw inside your journal.

Your creativity is your only limit.

#2. Vision Board

Vision boards are one of the most used tools today to help people reach their goals.

A vision board is essentially a collage filled with objects, pictures, sayings, and other small pieces that represent the future you would like to have.

While a journal may be too demanding for some people, a vision board is almost perfect for everyone who is wishing to change their lifestyle.

However, it will take a small time investment initially when you begin putting it together.

What can you put on your vision board? Here are some ideas:

• Magazine cutouts that represent your end goals
• Positive affirmations that help you get the most out of your day
• Pamphlets of places that you would like to travel to
• Important notes from loved ones

#3. Sticky Notes

Even simpler than the above two methods, you could leave sticky notes in places where you are sure to see them and remind yourself of your goals.

For those of you who may want to incorporate more mindfulness into your daily schedule, you can place a sticky note by your bed that reminds you to breathe and meditate every morning.

If you’re someone who wants to work less and spend more time with your family, you can place a sticky note at your place of employment that tells you to work smarter and not longer.

Whatever it is that you are setting out to do, a simple sticky note with an important reminder can help you to achieve it.

#4. Apps

Not everyone is into creating physical manifestations of their goals and that’s absolutely okay. If you’re still creative and would like to make a digital version of these tools, that works just as well as a physical version.

If you’re more into applications that help you to track your goals and your progress, here are some goal setting applications recommended by Lifewire that will help you to do exactly that:

• Strides
• Way of Life
• Goals on Track
• Coach. Me
• ATracker

Make no mistake, tools are helpful and are sometimes necessary for people who need that extra push in order to develop their ideal lifestyle.

However, there is a line that people sometimes cross when people begin buying more tools than they need. This is what I’ll be addressing in the next episode.

If you want to take your goal setting even further in 2018, and make some real changes that last, then you need to plan your year out differently. And I offer a completely different approach to doing that and setting your goals in my

Plan Your Ideal Year Online 'Doing' Masterclass .

I show you how to:

• SET YOUR VISION FOR 2018 and plan out your entire year so you prioritize what matters - we will map this out real-time together and I'll show you behind the scenes of how I plan out my year.
• MAP OUT YOUR QUARTERLY, MONTHLY and WEEKLY ACTIONS based on your annual goals and the calendar so you know exactly what to do to achieve amazing results in your business in 2018! Take your big vision and plans for 2018 and put them into your OWN CONTENT, MARKETING and
• EDITORIAL CALENDAR so you feel focused and in control - I'll show you my calendar as a real example of what's possible.
• Learn my 6 STEP DAILY SUCCESS PLAN to become more productive in a week than you are in a year - no seriously.

Make sure you sign up here and get started today. In 90 minutes or less you could have your entire 2018 on track and all planned out for personal and professional success - and of course freedom!

Want reliable hosting for your blog and website at 50% off?

• HostGator allows you to run your business from anywhere, at anytime, with their 99.9% uptime guarantee.
• HostGator won't take up any room in your suitcase, but will still be there for every step of your adventure with their 24/7/365 live support.
• Thanks to their 24/7 – 365 days a year live support – which you can get via chat, phone and email – any and all questions you have can be answered in no time at all.

HostGator has partnered with me to help my listeners get started. Click the link below to get 50% off any shared hosting plan.

Visit https://www.hostgator.com/quest

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Think back to the last time you had an outing with a friend or significant other. What did you do prior to actually spending time with them?

Did you give them a vague idea of what you'd be doing? Did you tell them that your visit could happen whenever you felt like it? Did you show up to your outing without any expectations of how things would be going?

If you're the average person, the answer is most likely a no. You and I understand the importance of planning when it comes to major events.

Similarly, you need to apply the same type of careful planning to major lifestyle changes as you do to visits with friends or dates with significant others.

Only through planning, goals, and expectations will you be able to transition into the type of lifestyle that you have dreamed about.

#1. Categorizing Your Lifestyle Goals

Josh and I have been playing with a system to bring meaning and purpose to our lives called "Project Life" - working title. It is something that we love doing and we do it every single day. We have this weekly and monthly check in. And later this month we are doing a quarterly check in and we are doing that as an away weekend. It is something I hope to release as a program or app in 2018.

We've drawn on other tools like my personal favorite Zig Ziglars Wheel of Life that helps you to achieve a more balanced lifestyle of your choosing.

Ziglar’s Wheel consists of 7 different sections that include the following:

• Personal and Social Goals
• Work and Career Goals
• Family Goals
• Spiritual Goals
• Financial Goals
• Mind/Intellectual Goals
• Physical/Health-Related Goals

We may not realize it yet but the way in which we approach our lives can be entirely unbalanced.

For example, someone who is fulfilled in their career may be devoting every available minute towards working but they may be deeply suffering in the family aspect of their lives.

Another person may be at peak health but could have absolutely no social life.

We are each unique and there is always an area in which we could improve. Take a look at the categories above and make a list of things you would like to do in that area.

The actions don't have to be large in order to make an impact. A goal in the financial area could be as simple as saving $10 by the end of the month or $100,000 by the end of the year.

However, you need to be sure that the goal you set is realistic. If you never work out, you can't expect yourself to lose 50 pounds over the course of a month.

Plan based on your habits, personality, and motivation to accomplish your goal.

#2. Tasking It Out

It's great to have goals but it's better to have actionable steps that you can take to be able to reach those goals.

Let's pretend that one of your goals is to lose 20 pounds over the next 3 months. It's a great goal and it's realistic. However, how are you going to get there?

This is where you need to further specify your goal and map out your actions. A sample might look like this:

• I want to lose 20 pounds over the next 3 months.
• I can do this by cutting back on sweets, tracking my calories, and ditching my daily soda.
• I can also do this by being more active and moving during my off time.
• One thing that may help me is an exercise program I found here…

Once you feel as though you have sufficiently come up with all of the actions you can take to reach your goal, you can write them down and look at them daily to start incorporating these important habits into your day.

Under Ziglar's Wheel, he also provides seven of his own steps to create actionable goals.

1. Identify the goal you want to reach as specifically as possible.
2. Come up with a list of benefits that will come out of reaching your goal.
3. List some of the obstacles that might hinder your progress.
4. Figure out what you need to know or learn in order to reach your goal.
5. Think about some of the people who can help you to achieve your goal.
6. Create a plan of action.
7. Set a deadline for your goal.

#3. Ensure Passion

Without passion, whatever goal you set for yourself is going to fall through. If you don't feel the need to lose 20 pounds, then working out will be a chore and a waste of your time.

Only set goals for yourself that you truly want to achieve. You’ll know when you want to truly take action because you’ll be excited every time you take action towards your desired result.

Along with tasking out your goals, tools such as journaling and vision boards can be extremely helpful in creating the lifestyle you have always wanted. This is what we will be tackling on the next podcast.

While you are waiting to continue your lifestyle freedom journey, feel free to visit my website because you are in for a treat at the end of November, I am running the "How to Plan Your Ideal Freedom Year Workshop". It's the 3rd year that I am running this and I absolutely adore doing it.

In it:

• We set out and achieve your perfect 2018 year and we get started on planning it out
• I show you exactly how to prioritize what you are putting into your calendar for next year.
• We move into goal setting.
• You get my content, editorial and marketing plan template.
• We look at how we can plan out your entire content for all of next year regardless of what business you are in.
• And so much more!

It’s a 90 minute DOING workshop. So if you want to find out more details about that, head to nataliesisson.com/workshop. And the most genius part about it is even if you can’t come along live, after it I get it split out into a mini course that you will always be able to refer back to and look at.

So if you want to enter 2018 like a rockstar, I think it’s probably going to be a pretty awesome deal for you.

Tune into the next episode where we are going to be talking about the lifestyle freedom journey and continuing on with what we've been doing in Season 4.

Want reliable hosting for your blog and website at 50% off?

• HostGator allows you to run your business from anywhere, at anytime, with their 99.9% uptime guarantee.
• HostGator won't take up any room in your suitcase, but will still be there for every step of your adventure with their 24/7/365 live support.
• Thanks to their 24/7 – 365 days a year live support – which you can get via chat, phone and email – any and all questions you have can be answered in no time at all.

HostGator has partnered with me to help my listeners get started. Click the link below to get 50% off any shared hosting plan.

Visit https://www.hostgator.com/quest

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the previous episode, we discussed two major emotions that can hold you back from living out your ideal lifestyle.

Now that you’re prepared for what is to come, we need to discuss the most important question you will encounter along the journey to lifestyle freedom.

What is important to me?!

It’s both extremely simple and extremely complicated. We all seem to know some of the things that are important to us such as maintaining our fitness and cultivating meaningful relationships.

However, very few of us have actually explored some of the most basic human needs and figured out the type of actions we need to take in order to thrive in those aspects of life.

Today, this is what we’ll be discovering together.

Discovering Your Ideal Lifestyle:

Imagine that you’ve woken up one day with the ability to do absolutely whatever you wanted. You have no monetary restrictions, all of your friends and family are ready to join you in your adventures at a moment’s notice, and you are able to travel anywhere with ease.

What would you do?

It’s a difficult question to answer. You may not be able to answer that question because you have never considered lifestyle freedom a possibility before.

Since we were born, we have been surrounded by societal trends such as 40-hour workweeks, flawless bodies that require extensive gym visits, and family lives that are more stressful than fulfilling.

Here’s the truth: It doesn’t have to be this way!

In life, you are your own boss. You control what you do, how you go about it, when you do it, where you do it, and who you do it with.

You may be thinking, Natalie, I do have monetary restrictions and other things holding me back from living my ideal lifestyle!

I understand you completely.

While you may not be able to sit down right now, map out the rest of your life, and make it happen by snapping your fingers, you do have the opportunity to make the choice to start moving into a place of freedom.

Make that choice right here and right now. Take the leap with me and begin your journey to a life of freedom by figuring out what it is that you truly want.

Step 1: Dream, Dream, Dream

Remember the question I asked you earlier about your ideal day? I want you to answer it right now. Most importantly, I need you to answer it as specifically as you possibly can.

For example, this is how I envision my perfect day:

"I wake up in the morning with no alarm and no phone next to my bed and I wake up naturally. I turn to my lover Mr. Josh and I give him lots of kisses, hugs and cuddles. And then little Kayla, who is not so little anymore comes around my side of the bed in for a cuddle, who just snuffles her nose into my hand and I just love, love, love my little white German Shepherd to death.

And then I roll out of bed and I roll out the yoga mat and I will do about 20-30 minutes of yoga with Adriene. I recently did a Facebook live about her and I think she is fabulous. She has a free Youtube channel called Yoga with Adriene. I just love her yoga. She’s funny, she’s joyous, she’s grateful and she doesn’t take life too seriously and it’s just a pleasure to do yoga with her.

And then I will roll into anywhere from a 5-15 or 20 minute meditation. I’m working my way up into doing more of that and by this stage by the way, before I’ve started my yoga I’ve thrown open the curtains and right outside our windows this gorgeous creamy white rose which is just in full bloom right now. So it’s the first thing that I see in the morning with the sunlight coming up and all the trees and the gorgeous greenery around our lawn and over to the hills in the distance. So it’s a pretty spectacular way to start the morning and given that it’s spring here right now, the sun is already shining on me. So when I’m on my yoga mat I’m getting heated up by the warmth of the sun.

And then I have a lovely hot shower which I am so grateful for. And I go through to the kitchen and typically make breakfast with Josh and either do a green smoothie with something really awesome from my garden like kale or spinach and then strawberries, blueberries, banana and coconut water or I go and grab the fresh eggs from our chicken and I make omelets or scrambled eggs or poached eggs with avocado and smoked salmon or bacon because breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.

And then and only then, do I actually head over to my laptop and I either set up in the lounge or in the study or out in the coworking barn and I start working in my most important action of the day which I have typically written up the night before or in that moment into our project life spreadsheet and we always try and balance this out across the week between the 8 sort of areas of life that are really important."

So that’s just the start of my Perfect Day and I am living it right now which is pretty fantastic.

I want you to be able to describe the type of room that you are waking up in. I want you to be able to describe the food that you are eating throughout the day. I need you to be able to envision the exact temperature on the thermostat of the home you are living in.

Why am I asking you to be able to state the exact temperature of your house? While it may not seem important, specificity is key to designing your ideal lifestyle.

In fact, one study conducted by Gary Latham and Edwin Locke found that 90 percent of people who set challenging, specific goals were able to actually meet them rather than those who had simple goals with no direction.

No matter how silly it may seem, think about every possible angle of your perfect day and write it down. You may not need every detail but you will be better prepared for the next step.

Step 2: Determine What Matters Most

Now that you have a better idea of what you would like to be doing with your time, take a look at your list and go through the 5 W’s:

Who- Who was it that you wanted to spend your time with? Did you list your spouse during your perfect day vision? Did some of your old friends crop up while you were daydreaming? Review your notes and come up with a list of the people who appeared most.

What- What were you doing during your ideal day? Were you working from home rather than in an office? Were you working out in your own yoga studio? These actions will help you to identify some of the major areas that you want to focus on in the future.

When- When were you the most active? On the other hand, when were you experiencing the most relaxation? You may find out that you are currently working when you want to be relaxing and relaxing when you are most energetic.

Where- Did you travel? What type of house were you in? What did nature outside of your living area look like? As the saying goes, “if you don’t like where you are, move. You are not a tree.” You may not be happy with where you are currently living and this daydream session will tell you exactly that.

Why- Why are you doing the things that you are doing? If this is your perfect day, you must care about the actions you are taking. Evaluate each action you have written down and ask yourself whether or not you care about the thing you are doing, if it adds value to your life, and if it helps you get towards where you want to be.

Make sure that you have done this thoroughly. Each category helps you to better determine what you will be working towards once you’ve decided to live a life of freedom.

Step 3: Come Up With a Rough Life Sketch

Take what you’ve collected over the past few steps and compile it into a rough plan.

For example, let’s pretend that I’ve come up with my own life vision where I am living in France, running my own clothing business during the day from my large, well-lit apartment, and spending the majority of my time with my friends during the night.

Although this a brief example, I’ve identified who I want to spend my time with, where I want to be, when I want to be doing things, and what I am doing with my time. Why am I doing this?

Clearly, I’ve crafted this plan because I truly want to live in France, I love the idea of running a clothing business from home, and I want to be spending my time with friends who care about me.

This is by no means a list that will help you to reach said goals and lead a free life. Instead, this is the foundation upon which you will build your ideal life.

In episode 3, we will be discussing how to categorize and task out these goals in order to assure complete domination over your ideal lifestyle.

And if this is kind of opening your mind up to the possibilities of what you really want to be doing with your life but you don’t feel like you are close to that or if you are actually just wanting to rock out 2018 then you are in for a treat because on November 29th, I am running a LIVE online workshop called “Plan Your Ideal Freedom Year!”.

I will personally walk you through my step by step process to have your ideal year, including how to:

• SET YOUR VISION FOR 2018 and plan out your entire year so you prioritize what matters - we will map this out real-time together and I'll show you behind the scenes of how I plan out my year.
• MAP OUT YOUR QUARTERLY, MONTHLY and WEEKLY ACTIONS based on your annual goals and the calendar so you know exactly what to do to achieve amazing results in your business in 2018! Take your big vision and plans for 2018 and put them into your OWN CONTENT, MARKETING and
• EDITORIAL CALENDAR so you feel focused and in control - I'll show you my calendar as a real example of what's possible.
• Learn my 6 STEP DAILY SUCCESS PLAN to become more productive in a week than you are in a year - no seriously.
• PLUS you'll learn the key questions EVERY entrepreneur should be able to answer to get you fully prepared to get the most out of this course and your year ahead.
• BONUS #1: You'll get my awesome Content, Marketing and Editorial Calendar template to use to plan out your amazing year.
• BONUS #2: You'll get follow up access to the recording of this workshop, broken down into a micro course to work through at your own pace, at any time, as well as a PDF summary handout.

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To date on the Quest for Freedom Podcast I’ve covered off on

Season 1: Personal freedom (mindfulness, meditation and happiness) Season 2: Business freedom (business sabbaticals, Universal Cycles of Change and letting go) Season 3: Learning Mastery (growth mindset and learning hacks)

And now we come to

Season 4: Lifestyle Freedom (goals and ambition vs lifestyle by design)

Why are you living the lifestyle you're living?

If you could wake up tomorrow and do anything you want, would you be doing what you're doing?

I want to talk about how you spend your days, how you spend your time. Are you're doing things because you feel you have to rather than because you want to?

Are you spending your day filled with social media and checking in on things because it makes you feel popular, connected or makes you feel like you're being productive , or is it filled with finishing up work projects because you feel some sense of duty to complete them, even if they’re not a priority?

When I asked myself this question the other day, the one about “What would you do if money wasn’t an issue?” I realised two things:

1) I was living the dream and wouldn’t be anywhere else than our beautiful property we’ve been in for just over six months. In fact I was so content in this new life, that I have even eased back on my goals and ambitions as a result.

2). I want to be doing NOTHING related to what I’m currently doing work wise, well almost. I simply wanted to be on the property, soaking in the birds, nature and beautiful garden. Spending time with Kayla, walking her along the many beautiful, peaceful trails and mountains.

I wanted to be reading more books, painting more art and enjoying the sunshine and blue skies. I wanted to be writing, meditating, exercising learning and everything around personal growth…not teaching business.

Take an honest look at your lifestyle and your current daily schedule.

What do you see? Are your days filled with activities that help you grow as an individual and bring you happiness?

If so, congratulations. You’ve already unlocked the key to living the freedom lifestyle.

If you’re one of the people who are feeling unfulfilled and unhappy with your lifestyle, however, we are going to discuss two of the major emotional roadblocks that prevent you from living a life that allows you to move through life with more freedom.

#1. The first major emotional roadblock that we encounter on paving our way to freedom is GUILT.

Guilt manifests itself when we begin taking a look at our day-to-day schedule and figuring out what we need to get rid of in order to feel happier and more free.

There are always things that we tend to do simply because society and or people that we care about expect us to.

Like attending meetings, going to work, attending birthday events or family dinners, making dinner for our family, putting everyone before our own needs.

If we continue to hang onto these activities for these reasons, we will never be able to achieve true lifestyle freedom. How can we eliminate guilt from our lives?

According to clinical psychologist Ali Mattu, there are several actionable steps that we can take to eliminate guilt from our lives:

#1. Facing Your Guilt Head-on.

Like any emotion, we have to evaluate and understand our guilt before we are able to take action on moving on from it.

Sit down and look at the events in your day that you will feel guilty ridding of. Figure out where that guilt is coming from and confront it.

#2. Find Someone to Confide in.

Talking out your feelings always help you to better work through them and gives you another perspective that helps you approach the situation. Look for someone who is wise and who you trust to talk about this guilt that you have.

#3. Give Yourself Compassion.

Guilt is something that we need to let go of immediately. Recognize your guilt, remind yourself that it is okay to feel guilty but that it holds you back from becoming your true self, and move on.

Once you’ve let go of your guilt, you will be able to let go of the things in your life that do not provide you with freedom and happiness.

#2. The second major emotional roadblock that we encounter is FEAR.

While guilt prevents us from letting go of things that no longer serve us, fear prevents us from taking action on things that we know are beneficial for us.

We refuse to do the things we want because the outcome may be uncertain and the changes in our lifestyle will create complications for us.

Rather than listening to that timid voice inside of you telling you that you shouldn’t or can’t pursue what you want, here are some ways that you can overcome your fears:

#1. Figure out what it is that has you scared and analyze it

Much like the previous tips I mentioned to help you get rid of your guilt, you will have to figure out what is scaring you in order to overcome your fears.

For example, let’s imagine that you want to add more self-care time to your day. In order to do this, you may have to lessen the amount of hours you are working and that may be scary for people who feel the need to work.

Identifying your fear of not working and the issues that come along with not working is absolutely necessary.

#2. Work towards minimizing your fear.

You don’t have to immediately start working less hours in order to face your fears. Dip your toe in the water and see the results that come out of your actions.

Start working 10 minutes less than you currently are. Has the world ended?

Has your income increased dramatically? It probably hasn’t just yet.

But as you continue to reduce your hours and therefore focus more on revenue generating activities, you’ll soon see that you’re working less and earning more.

Taking this type of small action will show you that your goal is possible.

#3. Don’t fully invest yourself in the beginning.

Encountering your fear fully in the beginning can actually be harmful and counterproductive.

It’s smarter to take small, actionable steps towards overcoming your fear and reaching your goals.

Control over your emotions is necessary if you intend on cultivating lifestyle freedom.

Changes in life often bring a wave of emotions that either catapult us toward our intended destination or drown us in our own self-doubt and hesitation.

You may recall in an earlier episode I talked about how too many changes are dangerous, which I found out the hard way when I flipped my life 180 degrees in a very short amount of time.

But I worked through the highs and lows, pushed through my fears and have come out the other side stronger and more energized than ever, with a new personal brand and mission - to help you achieve more personal daily freedom.

With these tips, you will be able to overcome these strong feelings and find out what is truly best for you.

However, this is only half the battle.

In order to experience these emotions, you will first have to have an idea of what you want to be doing with your time.

In the next episode, we will explore some actions that you can take to discover your ideal lifestyle.

In the meantime, I invite you to register for my upcoming LIVE online workshop on how to Plan Your Ideal Freedom Year.

I have run this for the last two years running and people love it, because in less than 3 hours we map out your entire year ahead, both personally and professionally.

We also look at your goals and dive into your content, editorial and marketing calendar for the next 12 months (if you have an online or offline business).

Then we look at your personal daily schedule to set you up for happiness, success and freedom.

Head to nataliesisson.com/workshop for more details and an earlybird price.

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