5 SIMPLE WAYS TO TREAT YOUR LIFE LIKE A BUSINESS

Starting your own business isn't just a job - it's a way of life. 
                      -Richard Branson

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If I wanted a purposeful life, I had to take purposeful action.  It was time for me to WAKE THE F*** UP, get serious about my life and start treating it like a business.  But, not just any business, an happy THRIVING one!  I wanted a "business" that not only helps people live happier lives, but one that gives me tremendous meaning and happiness too. 

As my husband and I have been traveling on this simple living journey, to live a life with more intention, my husband pointed out to me a trend he had noticed.  "Our life is making us happier because we're running it like a business." 

We are communicating, making decisions that diretly align to our values, taking realistic and actionable steps, and we are deliberately scheduling our days instead of our days scheduling us.  

We are happier and healthier than ever because of this beautiful "business-like" transition.  We are no longer just going through the motions on how we spend our time and attention.  We are now calling the shots and making the tough decisions that will only add to our life, not subtract from it. 

Here are the 5 SIMPLE WAYS (not easy, but simple) on how we are TREATING OUR LIFE LIKE A BUSINESS. 
I hope these ideas can help you live your life with more joy and alignment, so you can stop settling, and start livin' it up! 


5 SIMPLE WAYS TO TREAT YOUR LIFE LIKE A BUSINESS
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1.  DECIDE HOW YOU WANT TO HELP PEOPLE

• What makes you enthusiastic when you wake up in the morning?
• What are your gifts/talents?
• How can these talents be used to help people? 

Once I took the time to answer these questions and align my answers to my job and how I spend my days, my heart has more joy, space and gratitude.  I'm enthusiastic about my days, instead of dreading them.  I'm a wife, mama, friend, teacher, blogger, health and wellness coach, podcaster, hiker, and anything else that lights my soul on fire!  The answers to these questions can and will change as I evolve into becoming a better human, day by day.  

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2.  ESTABLISH YOUR VALUES

• ​What is important to you?
• What is essential to your happiness? ​

My husband and I had a conversation about what we truly value in life.  We discussed what were essential for us to be happy humans together and as individuals.  We decided that our values as a couple and as individuals were: TIME, FAMILY + FRIENDS, HEALTH and EXPERIENCES.  These are the values we always go back to when making decisions about what is best for us (in this season of life). 

Knowing what we both value have made it that much easier to let go of the excess, fillers and distractions.   

3.  CREATE AN ACTION PLAN

• What is one small thing you can do today to grow?
• What is one habit depleting your energy that you can replace with something that makes you feel happier and healthier? ​

For me, taking radical changes wouldn't work.  I already knew I wouldn't sustain those positive changes if I did them all at once.  WAY TOO OVERWHELMING. Instead, I looked at one small activity or action I could do in place of another activity that wasn't fueling me, but stressing me. 

It's amazing to see the result of taking all of these tiny baby steps toward my values has led to so many HUGE, POSITIVE changes. 

4.  MAKE YOUR OWN SCHEDULE

• What will make you start your day feeling amazing?
• What will continue to make you feel amazing during the day?
• What will make you feel rested and calm at the end of the day? 

There was this glorious and pivotal moment in my life when I realized that just because I was a public school teacher didn't mean I couldn't create the schedule that worked for me.  I didn't have to use "sick leave" for only when I was ill.  I could use my leave however it would best serve me.  I now, guilt-free, choose to use my sick and/or personal leave whenever I'm feeling mentally or physcially drained, so I can do what is needed to refill my cup.  My planning breaks don't have to be used for planning.   Now I use my "planning" breaks to walk outside in nature or in the hallways of my school, because this is what makes me feel freakin' awesome.  So, forget the labels or the "I should bes" and do what feels damn good to you! 

I AM THE BOSS OF MY SCHEDULE, no one else.  

5.  REFLECT + GROW

• Who can I follow or talk to for motivation? 
• What will help me grow into becoming a better human?

Instilling the mindset that I will never reach a "finish line" is what pushes me to constantly reflect on my actions, so I can learn and grow from them.   I am more purposeful than ever about who I chose to follow on social media, as well as the people I surround myself with on a daily basis.

If I want to manifest a happier and healthier life, I have to surround myself with those who have hope and kindness in their hearts, and those who stay open to whatever the universe has to offer.  


If you have any other ways you're treating your life like a business, then please share them with me on Instagram (@the.clean.and.simple.life)  or leave me a comment below!  



          Always craving health + happiness,
                         Jillian 



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