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Do you dream of having a better life but don’t know where to start?
Does the idea of getting started overwhelm you?
Do you tend to loose focus and motivation when you are pursing a goal?
Do you really know what you want from life? Do you believe you can make a change but don’t know the first step to take?
If someone asks you where you want to be in 5 years, do you have an answer?
Lack of clarity is one five key reasons people fail at their goals. We will be exploring those reasons, and more, over the next few weeks. January one of the key times during the year where we tend to step back and think about where we are and where we want to be.
It is important to take time to create a vision of the future. A vision of specifics gives you the clarity so many people lack.
Five steps to create clarity of vision
Know your principles and values. Your values are a reflection of who you are, or who you aim to become. Your values help you decide what life means and what actions are the right actions to take. All the things you believe are important – they help you stay true to yourself. These are things like – being honest in business dealings, or treating other people fairly, or the importance of having time for family and fun, being in good health, expressing gratitude. Make your list now.
Who do you want to be? Review your list of values and decide if there is anything you want to add or take away. Many years ago I decided I wanted to express gratitude – simple ‘thank you’s’ and recognizing when someone does something for me. A decision on who to become. Make sure your list reflects who you want to become.
What do what to have or do? When making this list, it is important to come from a place of empowerment. And to do that you need to be in a powerful state. By this I mean feeling positive, believing you can accomplish anything you set out to do. One way to start is hold in your mind that you cannot fail. Write ‘what would I do if I knew I could not fail’ on a piece of paper. Make a list of 100 things big, small, short-term, long-term, lifestyle – all the things you want to have, be, or do. Think about family, career, personal development, spiritual, relationships, health, finances, fun & recreation. We will call this our 100-list.
Ensure your list is inline with your principles and values. By taking time for this step, you will ensure that when you achieve the goals you have set for yourself, you will experience fulfillment, happiness and a positive impact on your well-being. For example: if you have a principle or value that it was important to teach others what you have learned, but you do not have anything on your 100-list that supports or achieves that – then you have something you need to add to your 100-llist. Add it now. If you have something on your 100-list that contradicts a principle or value, then achieving that will be counter-productive to your vision and leave you feeling hollow or empty. A value of spending quality time with family contradicts a goal of spending a year in Antarctica doing research. In this extreme case, you would have to find a way to balance the value and the goal or change the goal.
Take three more passes through your 100-list to begin to solidify and clarify your long-term vision: 5a. Mark how long it will take to achieve this goal – one month, one quarter, one year, 3 years, 5 years, 10 years and lifetime achievements. 5b. Highlight by category – typical categories are family, career, personal development, spiritual, relationships, health, finances, fun & recreation. 5c. Identify your top 3-5 long-term or lifetime goals. Identify your top 3-5 shorter-term goals – within the year. Ideally your shorter-term goals will in some way support your long-term or lifetime goals. Look for the connection
Your challenge for today is to take action. Take pen to paper and create your 100-list. Know that you can revise it at any time. Just get started.
Know that feeling resistance to getting started is common and there is something you can do about it. See The Art of Letting Go - a step-by-step guide to the Sedona Method. And schedule your complimentary session for one-on-one personalized assistance and let's get started on your journey to success. Success by design.
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Linda Short of Elle Short Coaching is a certified health and life coach specializing in goal achievement. As a goal achievement coach, I support people struggling to get started and take action toward their life vision. So that they can get unstuck, find joy in each and every day, and live their best life.