{"id":64711,"date":"2022-08-26T22:21:07","date_gmt":"2022-08-26T14:21:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.mindvalley.com\/?p=64711"},"modified":"2025-10-07T16:58:53","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T15:58:53","slug":"living-for-yourself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mindvalley.com\/blog\/living-for-yourself\/","title":{"rendered":"4 tips on how to start living for yourself, according to Mindvalley experts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You\u2019re going through your life, but you feel like you\u2019re not living for yourself<\/strong>. How is that possible?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many possible answers\u2014societal conditions, family pressure, media influence, and so on. Maybe they\u2019ve all created this ideal of what a perfect human living the perfect life should look like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But is it your<\/em> perfect life?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever paused, taken a deep breath, and really connected with the image of the life you most desire? Does it feel exciting? Do you feel alive? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wonderful news is that you can <\/em>create that reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does it mean to live for yourself?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A life you\u2019re passionate about living, one that you\u2019re proud of, and one that you wouldn\u2019t trade for anybody else\u2019s \u2014 that\u2019s what living for yourself means.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But does that mean it\u2019s all rainbows and butterflies? No, because this would be an unfeasible reality built on happiness myths<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It does, however, mean that you go through your path with vulnerability, courage, and integrity. You take each step with a dose of self-love because you know you are the main reason you\u2019re living for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So is living for yourself the equivalent of being selfish or self-absorbed? In the truest sense of what it means to be authentic, no. Fortunately, it doesn\u2019t equal selfishness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bren\u00e9 Brown, vulnerability advocate and researcher, goes along and sheds light on the concept of authenticity. What she found during her 12 years of research is that \u201c<\/em>to be authentic, we must cultivate the courage to be imperfect \u2014 and vulnerable.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Am I being selfish?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is a question that signals a higher level of self-awareness that a selfish person wouldn\u2019t access. So to calm down the racing mind full of guilt and uncertainty, here is the main discrepancy between being selfish and living for yourself: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Living for yourself<\/strong> means connecting with the best version of who you are in order to live a fulfilling life that can enrich the experience of others around you. It\u2019s like pouring your own cup first so you have enough to give out into the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, being selfish<\/strong> is the kind of attitude where you\u2019re only thinking of how much you can get for yourself, no matter how this will impact others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Love with yourself is the beginning of your lifelong romance.<\/p>\n\u2014 Oscar Wilde<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Usually, common blockers people have when wanting to start living for themselves go as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Feeling unworthy<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong> Most of the time, you forget your feelings are worth feeling. Many people avoid changing their lives because they don\u2019t give much importance to the feelings of sadness, dissatisfaction, or disappointment they have towards their current one.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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    1. Feeling guilty: <\/strong>Have you ever felt happy and in a place of self-acceptance and then, all of a sudden, a feeling of guilt overwhelmed your system? Oftentimes, guilt can creep in during times of happiness because of a limiting belief that runs in our society. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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      1. Feeling afraid of being yourself: <\/strong>When it comes to being true to yourself<\/a>, you might think that it\u2019s common to be afraid of failure. What\u2019s interesting to discover is that many people are afraid of how successful they could be when they live authentically.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        Let\u2019s look into actionable steps to overcome these blockages that are holding you away from the life you would die to be living.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        4 steps to start living for yourself, according to Mindvalley experts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        \u201cYou do you,\u201d<\/em> \u201cYou don\u2019t ask permission to be yourself,\u201d<\/em> or \u201cGo out there and live your best life\u201d <\/em>are all nice quotes about living life for yourself. However, do you actually<\/em> understand what you should be doing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        It\u2019d be like someone asking you to play piano and expecting you to do so, although you\u2019ve never taken a single musical instrument class in your whole life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        So if you want to familiarize yourself with how to start living for yourself, here are some pro tips from Mindvalley experts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        1. Jon and Missy Butcher on the importance of having a life vision<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        Having a meaningful talk with Vishen on the Mindvalley podcast<\/a>, Jon and Missy Butcher<\/strong>, creators of Mindvalley\u2019s Lifebook<\/em> Quest, underline the importance of having a life vision for all aspects of your life. They dismantle the belief that you can\u2019t have it all and you have to choose where to succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        We\u2019re often told in society that it\u2019s not possible to perform in all the life aspects that have meaning to us. For example, we\u2019re conditioned to believe that a devoted mom cannot have a successful career. Or maybe that one cannot meet the love of their life and have a dream job at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        This is where this brilliant entrepreneurial couple reveals how putting in place a 360\u00ba life vision<\/strong> acts as a framework to help keep you on track with your day-to-day actions and decisions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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        Nobody can help you get the life you want except for one person. Your life is yours.<\/p>\n\u2014 Jon Butcher, trainer of Mindvalley\u2019s Lifebook<\/em> Quest<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

        Jon and Missy Butcher created a life transformational method to bring balance to all the 12 areas of life<\/a> they saw as relevant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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        1. Health and fitness<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        2. Intellectual life<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        3. Emotional life<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        4. Character<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        5. Spirituality<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        6. Love and relationships<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        7. Parenting<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        8. Social life<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        9. Financial life<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        10. Career<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        11. Quality of life<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        12. Life vision<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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