If you start with a clear vision of what you want your life (or your appearance or your home) to look like, you will know what doesn’t fit with your vision and what does.
“How can you get there if you don’t know where there is?”
If I really wanted to get to Denver, but just started driving, you’d think me pretty silly for complaining if I ended up in Nashville. I need to know where I am going to be sure I get there, then take steps to figure out how.
Know where you are now
Whether or not you think this way, you are the center of your universe. For your life to work well, you need to take care of yourself. Your family, your friends, and others in general are not as important in determining the way your life will turn out and the path it will take as you are. Even God won’t give you what you need if you don’t ask.
So, you are responsible to take care of yourself. I know it sometimes seems scary, but actually it’s pretty liberating. The only challenge is knowing how to take care of yourself, and that is the purpose of this website.
It’s important to know where you are starting. Look at the different areas of your life and evaluate how you are doing, where you need it to improve and where you are right on the road to where you want to be.
The usual areas to look at are:
- Physical
- Relational
- Vocational
- Creative
- Financial
- Spiritual/ Emotional
Have a vision for your life: Start with the end in mind
Take time to know what it is you want to accomplish in each of these areas. It is very important to have a road map for where you want to be at the end of the year, in 5 years, in 20. This is a journey.
Pick the area or areas that are most important, or that the others are dependent on. When I first did this, everything depended on making more money. Pretty clear where I needed to start. Another place you may want to start is in an area that would be easy to accomplish. Starting there will give you self confidence and a belief in moving forward.
Don’t make yourself crazy by trying to do everything all at once. Focus big-time in one or two areas, or start making very small changes in more areas.
Put it on the calendar
A dream without a deadline is just a wish. A goal is just a dream with a deadline.
Decide on a date by which you want to have each dream accomplished and put it on the calendar.
Break down the steps necessary to accomplish your dream, determine how long it will take to do each step and then give each of them a date on the calendar. Simple, but not easy.
At the beginning, its best to practice by focusing on one or two dreams at a time.
Change is a Habit
It takes a month of daily change to break a habit, so be tough with yourself daily for at least a month. Stick with it. Remind yourself of your vision and what you want to accomplish.
Keep your vision in front of you
One of the best techniques I have learned to stay focused is based on the main one in the book, “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill.
Envision what you want- fully envision it. What would your life look like, smell like, taste like, and how would you emotionally feel if your vision were a reality?
Daily bring that vision as fully to mind as possible and recite:
By (this date)
I will have (or be)
I believe (what you want to achieve or receive) will happen (or come to me).
My faith is so strong that I can see or feel myself doing (what would you be doing or feeling if this vision were true).
This will come into my life in exchange for (nothing is free- what are you going to give or exchange to have this become a reality).
I am waiting for a plan to come to me and I will act on it as soon as I receive it.
Reward Yourself
We all work better with rewards, so spend some time thinking of rewards to give yourself- not just when you complete your goal (because that sort of is its own reward), but at milestones along the way to keep you going.
Give Yourself Grace
If we were perfect, none of us would need any help at all. We are not starting perfect, we will not end perfect and we certainly wont be perfect as we strive to improve. You are working to improve your life so give yourself high-fives for that!
Be as loving to yourself as you would want Mom to be if you didn’t do as well as you wanted. Encourage yourself, focus on what is going right and stay positive. Give yourself grace, patience and understanding and determine to start again tomorrow.
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