"Build a life you don't need a vacation from."

I love that quote. It doesn't mean a break now and then isn't nice, but I really love my day-to-day life...do you? Here's a check-up to consider:

1. Are you using your time, talents and treasures every day? Is the majority of your day spent doing something in which you are using your unique attributes? If the answer is no, consider how and what can change to align your day-to-day life with who you are created to be.

2. Is the first thought of the day a high or low? Positive or negative? Hopeful or hopeless? This is a key metric for 'how you're doing.' If most days starts on a down note, it's time to take inventory and make some real changes.

3. Is expectancy always over there? Is the grass always greener? Do you find yourself wishing your life resembled someone else's life or something different altogether? If you don't like the life you have, perceive it differently or get out your pen and paper and dream of what could be different.

We all have our seasons of challenge and difficulty, and sometimes it can be difficult to discern a season from a new normal. But strive to live a life you love to wake up to and build a life you don't need a vacation from.

-Mindy Muller, CFRE, President/CEO of CDP