"What good does it do to pray like a saint or mediate like a yogi if we are unchanged when we open our eyes?" 

"What good to attend a place of worship on Saturdays or Sundays if we lack compassion on Monday?"

These are some thought-provoking questions from Dan Millman from the book 'Everyday Enlightenment'. There is a clear difference between conceptual thought and spiritual practice of everyday life. Today, we are living in a stimulus-reaction driven society where we are always busy reacting to things -- your phone calls, emails, business reports and your kids. We try to put our personal goals in the mix of these social obligations, and soon come to realise that "life's tough." It's gets burdening, overwhelming and we fatigue. 

Goal setting and using to-do lists are good tools to keep track amidst all the chaos in life. There are many articles and literature that helps us do it the right way. For example,  New York Times bestseller, Michael Hyatt shares his "The Beginner's Guide to Goal Setting" here. But the problem is, we eventually burn out. We continuously set goals, think of all the things that needs to be done. But as we fail to complete those tasks, we begin to feel underachieved and the senses of failure creeps upon us.  Below are 5 steps to your daily enlightenment that will help you stay conscious and empower you to achieve your goals in life and have fun doing it. 

1. Discover Your Self Worth

"It is important to note that the most sensitive, self-reflective souls among us -- those of us with the highest visions, ideals, and standards -- often have the lowest sense of self-worth, because we consistently fail to meet our idealised standards. George Bernard Shaw once remarked that the "ignorant are cocksure and the intelligent full of doubt." 

Dan Millman cleverly explains that making mistakes, slips in integrity and moments of mediocrity are normal part of living, not unforgiving sins. We are the ones that are consistently judging ourselves, forming detrimental evaluations on our performances and outcomes. Perceptions become realities; it defines who we are and what we are capable of. Learn to appreciate yourself and accept that failures and little slips in life are normal. 

2. Accept Your Emotions

Emotions are powerful feelings that can override our thoughts, rationale and actions. Everyone knows how to embrace the feelings of happiness, senses of achievement and success; but the more important thing is, how we handle the emotions of fear, depression and anxiety. You must learn to accept them as they are. Feeling depressed and upset because your business sales are gradually plummeting is completely normal! In truth, the feelings of depression is not the problem, your business is. Accept your emotions and learn from these emotions. Like I mentioned before, emotions are powerful feelings that can allure you into making the wrong decisions. Do not make your emotions run your life. 

3. Live Your Life, Moment To Moment

Carpe Diem!

Live your life moment to moment, seizing all the opportunities life throws at you. 

It's common practice to regret the past and worry about the future. A famous study funded by the National Science Foundation and conducted by Dr. Walter Calvert concludes that, 30% of our worries are about events in the past, 40% on thing that never happened, 12% on unfounded health concerns  and 10% of our worries are over minor and trivial issues. It was shown that only 8% of our worries are real and legitimate! Don't be hung up in your past or trying to look into your unforeseeable future. Be conscious, live the moment and never lose a second; your time right now isn't coming back. 

4. Money: The Insatiable Hunger

Why to most people set goals? Why are words like entrepreneurs, financial freedom and passive income such a big thing? The reality is, it all comes down to money. Money is important -- we all know that money does not necessarily bring us happiness, but it sure does make our lives easier. Understanding that our "wanting mind" is limitless is important, and sooner the better. As you feed your greed and desires, you will soon see yourself repeating, "just a little bit more...", and it will never end. True wealth is not his who has it, but his that enjoys it. 

This is one of the most important reasons why your goals shouldn't be based on monetary gains, but your personal values and higher purposes in life. Don't let money lead your life. Follow your passion and purpose in life, you will be compensated naturally as your vision slowly materialise. 

5. Know Why You Are Here

Like we discussed above, trivial failures and brief moments of mediocrity will surmount to a point where we begin to feel helpless. The irony is, the ones that are trying to be more productive, successful and become leaders of today, are most affected. Discovering your self worth, accepting your emotions, living your life moment to moment and not being money-centric are all values. But to succeed and overcome your flaws, you must know your purpose. 

Without a purpose in life, it's easy to side-track, get lost and lose sight of your final destination. But with a clear purpose, "everything falls into place, the people, resources and the opportunities you need will naturally gravitate towards you. The world benefits, too, because when you act in alignment with your true purpose, all of your actions automatically serve others."