I left off yesterday with a few questions – hopefully it didn’t sound too preachy. I shared those activities with you because they worked for me and for more than a few of my friends. Let me know if you tried the exercise and what came up for you – I would love to hear.
So much came up for me when I got serious about setting my next big thing that I decided to leave my corporate job for a new life. I cannot even begin to tell you what a difference it has made for me, my career, my husband, my children, my health and my happiness, not to mention my dancing, whoohoo!
This is Part 2 of getting a life ‘goal,’ which is more about breaking it down without freaking yourself out. I will tell you up front however, if there was ever a time when you thought about hiring a coach, this might be the time to do it. Why would I suggest a coach? Because, unless you are extremely focused, ready and brave during the first few steps, you might retreat when the first tough obstacle rears its head. And it wouldn’t be because you were weak, it would be because most of us have not been trained to go our own way. We have actually been taught to follow everyone else, which is great if all your friends are enterprising and successful self starters. But if most of your friends and colleagues are worker bees, you may be just a little afraid to make waves…friends, colleagues, and even spouses often fear these leading edge behaviors because it makes them feel insecure about what choices THEY are making (or have made).
There are many, many reputable coaches out there and I’d be happy to refer you – yes, I coach too, but this not a sales pitch. It is about you, so let’s keep going, shall we?
Remember that exercise where I asked you to circle the item or items that frightened and excited you? Let’s start there.
In setting your next big thing it is important to get clear on why you want what you want. Understanding the reasons and motives for a goal will ensure you don’t trip yourself up down the road. And it’s the reason I had you do the second part of yesterdays exercise.
So now that you have one, two or three really exciting “next big things” rewrite it or them with the most positive and complete descriptions you can muster. The better written and more personally understood a goal is, the more pull it will have on you – hence the easier it will be to believe it is possible to achieve.
Next, convert your goal into real images through pictures (real photos or magazine cut outs). I felt a little silly doing this part when I started, but it didn’t take long for me to realize the power of pictures. Try it, you’ll like it.
Now, the part that’s scary: take one actionable step. It doesn’t matter how small, it only matters that you actually do something. No, you can’t just daydream and fantasize, you must also take an action. This is where most people ‘fail’ to realize their possibilities. They think, just like the fantasy, that our dreams will turn into a reality with no action on our part. Silly huh? Well we all are guilty of this. But you can change that by taking one step, then another, and another, and another…just like the big school project when you were younger. It seemed overwhelming until someone helped you break it down into smaller, more manageable pieces.
Now make the beginnings of a plan. The plan can be anything really, just steps that make sense. And if you are nervous about not knowing what to do next, simply do something. It can be a trip to the library, town hall, or health department. It can be a phone call to a non-profit, or corporation to get information, it can be looking something up online. Once you do something (that’s ACTION, right?!) you are on your way. Just don’t stop taking an action every day. IT IS THE KEY.
And record your progress every day – it helps to write about everything you are experiencing.
You can’t reach your goals if you’re not taking action, so get going.
I find that reading inspirational quotes each day helps too, as does setting a reminder in my email and online calendar everyday with a thought about what I might do tomorrow.
Remember, a specific step each day is a confidence builder too. As you succeed in doing something small each day, you are stroking your fragile ego and stoking the fire of your idea into a virtual bonfire! You’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish once you start. But don’t let yourself stop, no matter what. Don’t go to bed until you have done one thing towards realizing your next big thing; if you do go to bed before you did something, GET BACK UP and do something – even reading one line in a book that is related to your next big thing counts. It will help you sleep and will allow your subconscious to chew on your ideas overnight. Hey, you’re not doing anything with your brain while you sleep…might as well put it to good use.
Be sure to review all your actions at the end each week and remember to record your progress. Sound like a plan? So what are you waiting for?
Please let me know what you’re up to. I would love to hear what you’ve got cookin’ for your next big thing.
shakeupyourlife 