what is conscious living? how to live a life that works for you

Conscious Living

Image source: MentalPictures

in this post, i am going to expand on what i mean by conscious living, and share how it can help you live a life that works for you. so let’s jump right in.

ps, in the next post i have shared 7 important areas of life where living consciously can help you live a life that works for you. make sure to check it out as well!

what is conscious living?

conscious living, simply put, is about being aware of and choosing consciously each and every action we take. it sounds quite simple and it is, but i wonder how many of us actually practice living consciously though. 

take a moment and get present to what all actions you take every day. some of them could be — waking up, getting fresh, eating, working, spending time with family/friends/loved ones, communicating, consuming media (audio/video), exercising, recreational activities, etc. now ask yourself, how many of these are you doing consciously?

to live consciously means to actively choose our thoughts, words, actions (read 5 ways to think consciously here). to make a choice, not just do it as a “routine”. to be aware of what you are doing, to be aware of why you are doing it, to be aware of its impact, and to be present in the moment while you’re doing it.

conscious living is a topic of great depth. being present in the moment is just one aspect of conscious living, an important one nonetheless. 

recommended read: 3 books that pulled me towards conscious living

how conscious living can help you live a life that works for you

click here to know what i mean by “to live a life that works for you”

for me, conscious living is an umbrella term for everything we want in life, as long as we know what we want. be it happiness, success, peace of mind, productivity, financial freedom, anything!

a lot of people don’t get what they want in life because they’re not aware of what they want.

there’s a saying

if you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there. lewis carroll quote

if you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.

lewis carroll

so first, it is crucial to define what you want in life. define your goals in each area of life.

i believe that anything we want in our life, and i mean ANYTHING, is a matter of habit.

successful people, for example, think and act a certain way which makes them successful. so do happy people, healthy people, productive people, and so on. all of them think and act in a certain way which makes them who they are.

we become what we do repeatedly. what we are today, the life we are living today, is the result of what we’ve been doing till now, our habits!

we first make our habits then our habits make us. john dryden quote

we first make our habits then our habits make us.

john dryden

now, i am aware that terms like success, happiness, etc., are subjective. you can and should define what they mean to you. then consciously adopt those habits which support your cause.

i said “consciously adopt those habits” because we are always taking on new habits, most of the times, unconsciously. we just happen to start doing something and then we are used to it. It becomes a habit or part of our lifestyle. (read this one things is stronger than willpower!)

consider, for example, the act of checking your phone as soon as you wake up.
it is a habit; is it a conscious habit? maybe… but i doubt it.
did you consciously build that habit and train your mind to do that? did you say to yourself “every day, as soon as I wake up, I’ll check my phone”?
did you choose to take on this habit or is it something that just became a part of your life?
it is a habit, an unconscious habit. you did it once, then twice, thrice, and so on and now you’re used to it and it’s a routine.

however, choosing not to check your phone as soon as you wake up can be regarded as a conscious habit.

conscious living is about choices. it is about picking and choosing those actions/habits which support you, your purpose, your vision, your goals, etc. 

you’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. the secret of your success is found in your daily routine. john c maxwell quote

you’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. the secret of your success is found in your daily routine.

john c. maxwell

if you don’t like something or if something is not working for you, you do something about it. you either change the situation or change yourself. You don’t complain about it because when you live consciously you know you are in charge and you can alter things in your life.

recommended read: thinking right in the ’wrong’ times)

tips & resources

i highly recommend you read the two books mentioned below if you want to practice living consciously and adopt new habits, consciously.

  1. mindfulness by ellen j langer: this book will set you on the path of conscious living. after reading this, you will start getting present to what you are doing and the decisions you are making (consciously and unconsciously).  
  2. no excuses!: the power of self-discipline by brian tracy: we do need self-discipline to consciously put new habits into place and this book will help you do just that in all areas of life 

recommended read: 3 books that pulled me towards living life consciously

the more you practice living consciously, the better you become at it, and the easier it will be for you to create the life that works for you.

summary

conscious living is not the destination, it’s not the end or somewhere we reach. it is the beginning; it is where we start. it is a medium we use to design a life that works for us. each day you’ll further your learning about yourself and the areas in your life; you will gain consciousness and will do something about it. this, in turn, will bring you more consciousness, and the cycle repeats itself.

recommended read: how thinking is a self-fulfilling prophecy)

the more i learn the more i realize how much i don’t know. albert einstein quote

“the more i learn the more i realize how much i don’t know.”

albert einstein

question, how conscious/aware were you while reading this post? haha, #jusaskin

recommended read: living consciously in these 7 areas of life will make life work for you


ps if you like this post, i invite you to sign up for notjustanewsletter to

  1. receive insightful emails on conscious thinking and living.
  2. receive exclusive offers for our reminder shop
  3. be the first one to receive the latest blog posts straight to your mailbox.

if you wish to get a taste of the newsletters before signing up, view past letters here.


wish you health, wealth, peace, happiness, and love! x

1 Shares:
Leave a Reply
You May Also Like