Live Out Loud!

“If you ask me what I came to do in this world, I will tell you, I came to live out LOUD.” ~Émile Zola

I've decided that I'm not making resolutions this year, I'm just going to have a "mantra". It will be what I will live my life by for 2014. The mantra I've chosen is "Live out loud".

There are many reasons I chose this mantra. Those who are very closest to me know that 2013 has possibly been the hardest year of my life. There have been many health concerns for me, a trip across country for surgery, accidents for the kids, Doug working out of town and then being laid off for almost 6 months of the year. Financial concerns, emotional breakdowns and many, many other things. This doesn't mean that all of 2013 was bad, in fact, there were wonderful, wonderful things that happened and friendships made and testimonies grown during these hard times. But the fact of the matter is, I've just survived 2013. And, honestly, I'm grateful that I can say that I survived it because there were times I was afraid I wouldn't (or possibly was afraid I would).

This year I am choosing to live with more purpose. Not a whole lot has changed. Doug is still currently unemployed, I still have some health things that are concerns, the kids are still kids (wonderful, wonderful kids, but still independent, growing individuals and all that is involved with that) and I am choosing that I am going to do more than survive this year. I am going to live this year and live it out loud!

"Live out loud" came into my mind a few weeks ago. I thought about that statement and thought about what it meant. I'm already a loud person, I don't need to be any louder. But, to me, it meant more than that. It meant to live with purpose, to be the best I can be, to no longer live in fear, to live a life full of color and beautiful noise!

I took a few minutes to Google "Live out loud" and found a beautiful post about how to get started living out loud.
http://tinybuddha.com/blog/live-your-life-out-loud-30-ways-to-get-started/

This person has listed 30 ways to get started living out loud. They really connected with what I wanted to accomplish this year. I've decided that I will focus on each of those 30 things during this year. So, about every 12-13 days I will choose a new one to focus on. I won't go in order because I will do what is most important to my life at that time. But I will hit each one during 2014. My goal is to share the experiences here and on a Facebook page I plan to start. This is a little scary for me, I'm not usually this public of a person with these kind of things. But part of  living out loud is to overcome fear and live your life on purpose. I'm hoping by sharing my journey I will be held more accountable and maybe someone will find something in my attempt at living a better life to inspire them.

Tomorrow I will post which will be my first one I am working on and a few thoughts about it.

30 Ways to Get Started Living Out Loud

1. Live your life on purpose.

2. Utilize your full potential.

3. Overcome your fear.

4. Discover a new talent.

5. Honor your word.

6. Create a new habit or break an old one.

7. Pay a stranger a compliment.

8. Take yourself out on a date.

9. Take 100% responsibility for your life.

10. Live in the question.

11. Make more decisions for yourself.

12. Learn to say “No.”

13. Know your own value.

14. Give yourself permission.

15. Own your own opinion.

16. Do not punish yourself for past actions.

17. Live in the realm of “possibility” rather than “probability.”

18. Do not argue for your limitations, but instead focus on your strengths.

19. Practice gratitude.

20. Be authentic.

21. Own your own power.

22. Stop Complaining.

23. Practice “being” and have nothing to prove.

24. Be of service.

25. Love generously.

26. Find your bliss and live your passion.

27. Stop waiting.

28. Let other people off the hook.

29. Use co-creation to help you.

30. March to the beat of your own drum and stay the course.