What does it mean to you to live an easy life? Do you
envision a life on the beach or around a pool, surrounded by
everything you need for relaxation and entertainment? I’m
talking about something else--to me, an Easy Life means a
life that is easy to live--a life without struggle or
hardship--a life that flows naturally through its cycles--
including pain as well as joy, perspiration along with
relaxation, and death as well as birth.

The Easy Life requires energy expenditures--often very large
and challenging energy expenditures. The Easy Life is not a
life without effort and perspiration. You know what I mean--
you’ve worked very hard at times yet felt no stress, nor
struggle. Perhaps you experienced this in sports
competitions, or in exercising, or in a very challenging
project requiring long hours of labor. These efforts, though
challenging, were also easy, in that they felt a natural
part of your life.

Life can be easy and each of us can live a life that feels
easy--even when life brings us difficulty. The ten steps I
list below are my view of the steps to a life without
struggle--the Easy Life. Only the first is in priority
order--without it, none of the other steps will have the
desired impact. I’ll amplify each of the ten steps in future
articles. For now, briefly stated, here are my Ten Steps to
an Easy Life.

1. Know that an Easy Life, a life without struggle, is not
only possible, but is natural. If you do not intuitively
know this to be true, or know that an Easy Life is within
your grasp, your life will, indeed, be a struggle. This is a
fundamental sponsoring thought--life is either easy or
difficult--you choose it and then you get it.

2. Understand yourself--recognize your calling in life and
live it in all possible ways. Do what you love and love what
you do.

3. Spend less than you earn--live within your ability to
earn while honoring your calling in life.

4. Feel your fundamental connection to all people, all
living things, the earth, and the Universe. You are not
alone--never have been, never will be.

5. Judge nothing--no event, no circumstance of life, and no
other person--regardless of how foreign the observation may
be to you. Know that every being is being who they must be
at this time--and doing their very best at it.

6. Live with intentions, but embrace and honor what shows
up. Know that each event, each circumstance, and each person
appearing in your life is a gift to you--receive it
graciously. Know that the value of each gift depends on how
you choose to accept and utilize it.

7. Love fully and unconditionally. Unconditionally love all
beings--including your self--all living things, all animate
and inanimate objects. Love simply because love is the
essence of life, the source of life’s joy, and because you
choose to love.

8. Know there is enough of all of our precious resources for
everyone--enough money, food, land, and love. Give
generously of your treasures and your special skills.
Compete with another only when both parties agree that a
competition will be great fun--never compete under other
circumstances.

9. Live in the present moment. Learn from past behaviors,
but harbor no guilt, regret, or resentment. Anticipate the
future for the adventure it will surely bring. But live
now--for now is all you really have.

10. Know that the joy you seek is already with you--deep
within you, not outside of you where you’ve been seeking it.
Joy will manifest itself in your relationships, but the
source of joy is within you. Regularly achieve a quiet mind
through meditation and meet a wonderful soul--you.

Author's Bio: 

Copywrite 2003, all rights reserved. Jerry Lopper is anauthor, personal coach, and consultant. Jerry will offer afree teleclass on step two. The teleclass called Purpose inLife will provide interactive exercises that will help youdiscover your unique purpose in life. There will be nocharge for the class, but you may have long distance charges to connect to the telephone bridge. If you areinterested, send an email with the word "purpose" in thesubject line to jlopper@att.net. Visitjlopper.home.att.net and www.keen.com/CoachJerry to learn more.