Rachel Grunwell: How to avoid a 'beige' life

Rachel Grunwell

Stuff living a beige and boring kind of life. Live life in full colour, fully and be fearless instead.

If you are not living the kind of life you dream about, then you have the power to work on it and change it.

The first step is knowing what you really want. Define that dream. Get specific. Then you can break down the steps on how to chase it and fully live it.

Ten tips to step into a more vibrant life you love

Never act like life is a gift and live in hope things will happen and fall into your lap. That isn't how things generally play out.

Do the mahi (Māori for "work"), get the treats. Yeah, that saying is gold. You really do have to work hard for what you want. No one skips that process. Besides, it's the journey that can define you anyway.

Buy my book Balance: Food, Health + Happiness ($40 via inspiredhealth.co.nz or it's in PaperPlus and Whitcoulls ). Thirty global experts share science-backed advice on how to live healthier and happier and, importantly, how to live your very best life. All these experts helped to change my life. They include nutritionists, psychologists, happiness researchers and doctors.

Be hungry. Not for food, obviously! I like food too much for that nonsense. What I mean is be hungry for your dream. Let it drive you. Get revved up and go for it!

Collaborate and magic can happen. I'm a yogi who firmly believes that if you lift others up then the universe listens. Well, at least you are a decent human being and the appreciation from others will be heart-lifting. That's enough, right? People who always feel like they are in scarcity only ever get that feeling back. Give out more into the world and the rewards will flow.

Have clarity about your "why" behind your dream. If it's all about money, that can leave you with a very empty feeling past a certain amount of cash in the bank.

Visualise that more vibrant future and imagine what that feels like. Hold onto that feeling that stirs within you when you question if you are good enough. Because you will ask yourself that question along the way; everyone does.

Take the giant leaps to make stuff happen. Being brave is part of the process. Embrace it.

Know that you deserve to live your dreams. Praise yourself, use kind self-talk.

Never give a stuff what others might think. Other people are generally focused on themselves anyway. Besides, it's wasted energy if it's not energy focused on your dream.

— Rachel Grunwell is a wellness expert and author of the book Balance: Food, Health + Happiness (featuring 30 wellness experts & 30 recipes). Follow Rachel via her website inspiredhealth.co.nz, Instagram, rachelgrunwell, or InspiredHealthNZ's Facebook, InspiredHealthNZ.