Written by This is the time of the year where many of us look at our lives and feel like it’s time to make changes; for some of us it’s major life changes, for others it’s just minor tweaks. The beginning of a New Year marks a new start for us all, and it gives us added incentive to consider that by the end of this year we could be living the life we’ve only dreamt of.
As I sit here writing this, I have lofty goals for myself this year. After my first year of self-employment I have learned a lot about my strength and weaknesses, the things that are truly important to me, and even where my breaking point is! My “career” goals for this year are include growing my local business to at least double the size it is now, and growing my blogs in the same fashion. Financially, I hope to remain debt free (I say this but I have a giant school loan I choose not to count because I will be paying on it so long!), purchase a house with my family, and begin the process of saving again (my saving habits have suffered after a year of struggling as a new business owner. I’m hoping to change this!).
I’ve written about many of the things I believe most impact our ability to affect last change in our lives. I just don’t think I’ve ever put it all together. So, that’s what I’m going to do today.
- Know who YOU are and what you stand for. Sometimes we can’t accomplish goals we think are important because they’re actually important someone else (and so we believe they should be important to us). Make sure you’re being guided by your values, not others. By that same token, make sure that you are in control of the direction you’re heading!
- Make sure your goal (or destination) is clearly defined. There’s nothing worse than having a goal in you mind and realizing that your best efforts to accomplish it is at best keeping you running alongside of it! The more clearly defined your goals (think I want to make “more” money vs. I want to make $27,000 more this year), the more efficient you’ll be at getting there.
- Practice Gratitude. No matter how far away you may be from your goal, being grateful for your present situation is key to long-term happiness. It will only make you that much more appreciative of your new life when you get there!
- Keep your Spirits High. Don’t let setbacks get you down. These kinds of things are a normal part of life, and if making changes in your life were easy, everyone would be doing it! If you find yourself unmotivated, depressed, or deflated, remind yourself of number 3 (gratitude!) and get back on the horse. You’ll be glad you did.
- Stay Motivated. Do whatever it takes. Visualize, talk to yourself in the mirror, tell the world on Facebook- whatever it takes! This is the number 1 reason I think people fail to make significant changes in their lives; at some point, you start to forget why you’re doing all of it and you just… quit. Don’t be a quitter!
- Keep Your Life and Yourself in Balance. Letting things get out of control in the interest of going after life change might sound like a good idea, but all that focus you put into change will eventually be ripped out of your hand and brought back to your current life and current situations. Maintaining balance is difficult. No one is perfect at it, but it helps to keep things as simple as you can, to appreciate the present for what it is, and to be at peace with your life as it is, while you work toward your life changing goals.
People who are into personal growth are always thinking “How can I be a better ______”? It’s a great way to be, and I am glad to consider myself one of those people who actually thinks about those things. Thinking about it and doing it are not the same, as we have all learned over time. These six steps are truly what I think makes all the different between success and failure.
Recent Comments