I have been asleep for years. The universe sent me signals few times that it’s time to wake up but I was so numbed and hopeless and I couldn’t wake up. I couldn’t wake up because I focused on what isn’t working instead of what is, what I haven’t done, what I could have done better, what they could have done better. I didn’t believe in myself or in life. I put a fake smile on my face and people would think that my life is perfect. But I was dying inside. The words ?Celebrate? and ?Fun? did not make it into my dictionary. I couldn’t even create a better vision for my life because all the ?What if,? ?How,? ?I’ve tried it before? voices wouldn’t let me. I finally surrendered and asked for help. I said, ?Help me, I can’t do it by myself.? Something changed. I opened up. I started to share. I voiced my shame. I expressed my fears. I started to have honest conversation with people. I made myself vulnerable. I let Reiki, prayer and meditation guide me. The more I opened up the more I was able to think big, to dream big, and to believe.

I was fully awake.

My passion is to help women wake up, choosing to play the game of life in the highest level possible.

Your journey might be different than mine. But just like I started to believe in myself, surrender and reach out for help, you can too. Here is the step-by step process that helped me get to live a purposeful life, be in service to others and help them do the same.

The Seven Steps to Waking Up to Life

1. Create your VISION and keep it alive.

   You have to know your destination first! You have to realize where you want to go in order to figure out how to specifically get there.

   There are different ways to create your vision ? writing, thinking, talking with another person, creating a vision board. My favorite way is listening to Guided Visualization, allowing your inner wisdom to guide you. When you’re done and open your eyes, take notes, write down whatever came up without filtering. If you repeat the process a few days in a row, you will end up having notes that can be the foundation to your vision. The 15-minute ?Atop the Rock? Guided Visualization from my Balanced Life Meditations serious is a fun way to start.

2. Identify your Core Desired Feelings and start generating those feelings right now.

   Many times when I work with people who feel stuck, one of the best ways to start is by identifying how they want to feel. Author and motivational speaker, Danielle Laporte, calls it your Core Desired Feelings. ?Knowing how you want to feel is half the journey to liberation?, says Laporte in her book: ?The Fire Starter Sessions?.

   So right now, come up with 3 words that describe your core desired feelings. Write down you 3 words on an index card and ask yourself every morning upon awakening: ?How can I generate these feelings today? and do it ? regardless of what’s going on in your life!

3. Discover what stops you from getting to your destination and break through those BLOCKS.

   Ask yourself what some of the core thoughts and beliefs that cause you to show up in a certain way. I love helping people hold a mirror close to their face and see what’s really going on so they can release their obstacles. I created the complete guide of identifying your blocks and breaking through them that are part of my programs. It’s clear. It’s easy.

   You can change your habits, get organized with your schedule but if your inner monologue continues to be negative and is based on past experiences, it is only going to be a surface change.

4. Come up with a PLAN OF ACTION and a very first step.

   After you write down the details of your vision including your Core Desired Feelings, come up with a plan of action.? Make a list of the actions you can take to create this vision and then narrow it down to 2-3 actions or goals, prioritize it and get clear with the very first action. Keep reading and after reviewing the 7 steps identify where you are so you can figure up the area in which you need to take your first step in.

Your plan of action needs to be clear, realistic and measurable. It means that you can easily measure your success.

5. Activate your Wow attitude.

   Become energetic, confident and enthusiastic. I want you to be awake. I want you to play the game of life in the highest level possible. If this is not how you feel right now, let’s think together and discover what is a small step you can take to raise your level of engagement in the process. What do you think can wake you up; raise your energy level so you can activate your Wow? It might be walking outside in nature or dancing to music. It might be being engaged in a creative process. It might be reading or listening to something inspirational. Find your own personal way to activate your Wow so you are present and engaged, showing up fully visible in life.

6. Develop PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY, get professional SUPPORT and join a COMMUNITY of like-minded people.

   Jay Fiset, accountability coach, says that when somebody is personally accountable, there’s only one measure of it.? The measure is that the results or the experience change. ?In order to developed self-accountability, you need to stop the self-blame or blaming of others and be willing to take responsibility for the choices you make.

   In order to develop personal accountability, you want to get honest about the choices YOU made in a situation. Not what they did or why it is their fault but what is your part. Sometimes you need a coach or other professional to help you get an objective look at your situation and get clear on your part.

7. ACKNOWLEDGE and CELEBRATE your success.

   So many times when we achieve a goal or when we get to the finish line with a specific project, we don’t even take a minute to pause and celebrate our success and we rush into the next project.? Give yourself permission to pause and celebrate.? Feel proud of your progress and share your success with someone else.

In step 6, we mentioned joining a community of like-minded people. It is doing it in a community that makes all the difference. I’ve created the Wow Collective to bring this experience of community support and empowerment to YOUR life, so that you too can experience more energy, confidence, gratitude, and abundance in 2014, and beyond. Please accept my invitation to join our Wow Collective.

The 7-step process to Waking Up to life does not have to be a linear process. Either start at the beginning and go through the process or choose your most favorite action and start.

Just do it ? Wake Up!

Michal