Top 5 Ways to Start Crafting a Better Life - A Jeep Life

 Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from. ~Seth Godin

My interpretation of this quote..  rather than
just enjoy life while on vacations or holidays, we should strive to make our every day lives the ones we want to be living —every day of the week.

For most of us with Jeeps our Best Life includes wheeling in the great outdoors. However, in today’s world, making the time for wheeling is not always priority because of all our other commitments.  

When I became a Jeeper seven years ago I was struggling with my life. Something was missing, I just couldn’t put my finger on it. So I started a journey of discovery. What I discovered was, I wasn’t living my best life. 

How do you live your best life? 

To live my best life, I needed to stop wasting my precious time. There are so many ways we waste time. It was a real struggle when I began to realize I needed to be a little selfish. I needed to start saying no.    

Another way we waste time is trying to be accepted by our friends, co-workers and society. Everyone wants to be liked and accepted, but many of us spend too much time and energy worrying about what other people think. This kind of thinking makes you feel unworthy. It can become unhealthy and stressful. You might not even realize you are doing it. 

Now, I don't waste my time worrying about what others think. I don't need other people's approval of how I choose to live my life, or caring if I fit in one group or another. 

Now is my time, time to be who I want to be and not worry if I get the approval of my peers, friends, neighbors, co-workers or society. I am living my best life in a camper, spending time in the mountains with my Jeep, and working on Jeeps with very little commitments. I am not spending my time cleaning a four bedroom house or worrying about hurting someone’s feelings because I didn’t invite them to a party or going to an event I really don’t want to attend or trying to keep up with the Joneses putting on those fake facades. 

Another way to stop wasting time is simplifying life. Simplifying is getting rid of the clutter. It bogs you down. It’s a stress you don’t realize you have. There are two kinds of clutter, the physical and mental clutter. 

Getting rid of the clutter will allow you to enjoy more of your time. However, it is so much more than a de-clutter. It is a process and it can take several years before you can perfect it. 

I wanted to make my life one I don't need to go on vacation to escape from. It isn't easy to do, and can take a long time, but committing yourself to the process pays off. First, you have to change your mindset. You need to be open-minded. You need to realize stuff is just stuff. You will also need to be open to let go of people in your life. 

My Top 5 ways to start crafting a life you don’t need to escape from. 

Make Relationships a Priority

It’s okay to let go of those toxic “friends” from your life. It’s even okay to unfriend them and block them. Stop wasting your precious time arguing with these people online. Your main focus should be on the people who make you happy, give you joy, and are a positive influence in your life.  

Remove Unneeded Possessions from Your Home & Life

Begin to train yourself...stuff is just stuff. Stuff does not make you happy. Since moving into the slide in camper I realized all that stuff in my old house was not needed to make my life happy one. When you go for months with very little you begin to realize all the stuff is not needed to enjoy your life. 

Guard your time 

It’s okay to say no. It’s okay to reduce the number of commitments in your life like volunteer positions attending events you don’t care about. 

Take Care of Yourself 

This was a big one for me. I had to learn to be selfish. I had to learn to say no. I had to learn it was okay to take time for just me. 

Find Happiness in Your Every Day or for me it was take the time to Make Happiness in my everyday life. I did this by doing something little for me every day that made me happy. I also made sure I did something special every week for me that I enjoyed like taking my Jeep out for a topless ride or getting a pedicure or eating at my favorite restaurant. Then every month I planned a special event just for me like a wheeling trip or a concert. Something I enjoyed just for me. 

This was just the beginning of how I started to live my best life. It’s going to be different for everyone. You may not even know what your best life is because you are so bogged down with your old life. But for me changing my mindset helped me realize what was holding me back. It was a long several years, but it was needed to change my mindset. Now I am living my life for me and enjoying the amazing beauty out West. Not everyday is a vacation, there are still struggles but more days are vacations than not.

It's all about discovering and recognizing
happiness. If we get rid of the clutter we can see the happiness. It can be appreciated in the simple things in life. 

Changing our mindset and knowing where to focus the energy is required. It won't happen overnight as it takes a long time to really start feeling true happiness in the simple.