6 Essential Strategies to Recapture Your Power When Life Has Veered Off Course

Do you often feel that your life has spun out of control? Would you describe your day-to-day life as empowered and purposeful, or a harrowing rollercoaster ride of drops and turns that have you holding on for dear life?

Most people whose lives have swung off course can't fathom how to get them back under control. They can't see the way out of an unhealthy job, relationship, or poor self-image. But, be assured, it is within every person's power to take back control and find more tranquility and satisfaction from life. In fact, research shows that seeking engagement and meaning correlates with life satisfaction.

Finding a way to engage in what brings you joy and meaning comes from learning to embrace three fundamental principles: sweetness, structure, and space. They can take you from an overwhelmed, passive lifestyle to an empowered, fully engaged life.

Sweetness is what feeds your soul and makes life more satisfying. Playing music, being in nature, cooking, loving, and connecting all fall under this concept.

Structure is about employing an intentional framework to align you with your goals and give your life more balance, while counter-intuitively allowing you more spontaneity and freedom.

Space refers to carving out purposeful time to gain perspective and create an understanding of the big picture. Space allows you to reflect, adjust and grow.

Integrating sweetness, structure and space into your daily life gives you a deeper sense of guidance. Instead of constantly responding and reacting to the stimuli around you, they bring an awareness and assurance that is life-changing.

Together with sweetness, structure and space, incorporate these essential strategies to balance your life and connect to your highest self:

1. Cultivate a positive mindset. Becoming more deliberate about the quality of your thoughts can affect your perception of the world. Complaining and critiquing are popular social activities. But, instead of participating, invite positivity into your life. Look and listen for positive news and fascinating ideas, and latch onto them, share them, savor them. Not only does a positive mindset favorably color your lens on life, it makes you alert for opportunities for sweetness and the advancement of your goals.

2. Optimize your wellness. Good, basic self-care will serve you on multiple levels. Honor your body and your mind by creating a structure of healthfulness. Nourish your body with fresh, alive foods that bring vitality. Move, stretch and work your body to keep it strong and energetic. Deepen your breathing to relax the body and reduce stress. Revitalize your mind and body by ensuring a good night's sleep. Good sleep is critical for concentration, immune function and energy.

3. Envision attaining your dream life. Give yourself space to define what you want from life. Envision what kind of person you want to be, how you want your life to look, and what you will share with the world. When you consciously choose, you invoke a magnetism that brings a multitude of positive qualities with it: curiosity, amusement, fascination, momentum, challenge and determination. As you strike out on your path, these qualities will serve you well.

4. Define your superpowers. People tend to experience greater success and happiness when they play to their strengths, rather than attempt to correct their weaknesses. Identifying your superpowers -- or your core values, gifts and life purpose -- gives you a personal code and internal
compass that can guide and inspire your passage through life. Abiding by your core values and your strengths guides you to
healthy choices and to discovering sweetness around you.

5. Curate a supportive community. The community you surround yourself with can be a tremendous asset, and it's worthwhile to think about what kind of community can provide the greatest benefit for all involved. Give yourself space to consider how it might affect your life to be surrounded by individuals who embody the virtues you want to cultivate in yourself.

6. Keep your word. Committing yourself to doing what you say you’ll do could be the most life-changing habit you could adopt. This means only entering into agreements with yourself and others that you fully intend to keep, and then following through on them with a spirit of enthusiastic participation. Honoring an agreement is a matter of integrity. When you’re managing your agreements well, life feels easier, more structured and more magical.