I would have to say that besides working out and eating healthy (most of the time), I have had a lot of A-Ha moments about my aspirations in life that haven't occurred at the gym or in the kitchen. It's been truly inspiring to take a step back and look at my life and come to some conclusions about what I want, what I don't want, how I want to feel and what I want to accomplish. I know, sounds deep, doesn't it? Well it is but the cool thing about it all is I feel a sense of direction now. I feel motivated and I feel happy about the opportunities that I hope to face in the future. My hope is that you can take away some ideas on where to start when it comes to goal setting, gain some inspiration to start writing ideas down and get excited about the possibilities.
I recently found the most clarity when I was on vacation last month. I mean who doesn't? It's tough to go to a beautiful place and not forget all the stresses you left at home. I was able to think or not think and have almost a whole day of quiet. I literally can't remember the last time I had a day where I didn't say much of anything besides minimal conversations at stores and restaurants. My career involves talking...and a lot of it. I'm in pretty constant conversation most of my days with clients and guests in the store. I never really realized until I could get away from it, how draining that can be. I have become a pretty skilled conversationalist but I found it really nice and refreshing enjoying the silence...well besides the sounds of the city and the ocean.
Why am I telling you this? Well I think we all get caught up in our lives and the stresses of it. We spend so much time working that we rarely get chances to step back and evaluate how we feel about our current day to day. I think it's really important to take some time for ourselves every once in a while to recharge and I'm encouraging you all to do so. I know what you're thinking...between work, family, friends and sleep I don't have time to take for myself. Well I'm telling you that there's always time for things that you prioritize for. You make time for the things that are important. When you take this time investment for you, I have a few ideas of how to use that time and check in with yourself. These ideas are not my own, rather things I have done or been taught that have really helped me.
1. What do you want? What don't you want? Make lists, with one being what you want in your life now or in the future and one being what you don't want. Be specific with your lists because these will set the baseline of where you see yourself a year from now and even ten years from now. Examples from my own list are: I want health benefits/vacation time and I don't want to work late nights. They can be about health, career, family...really anything that is important and of value to you.
2. Make your goals solely based on what you want. Not what other people want. Not what you think you want or think you should want...if you had nothing holding you back what would you do? What career path would you take? How many kids would you have? What would you feel like if you had all those things? It's hard to think this way because we have things that hold us back...financial burdens, work, etc. if you could let all of that go for a moment, what would your life look like?
3. Set small goals that lead up to your big goals. It's hard to have a end goal without the steps in place to get you there. Who do you need to know about this goal to hold you accountable and keep you on track? When do you want to accomplish it by? Are there things you need to get in place in order to make it reachable. Think about the steps you need to take in order to make your dream come true.
These goals should make you excited...they should scare you a little but ultimately they should inspire you and make you realize that you can do anything you want to...it just takes time, hard work, focus and drive. Plan your next vacation or staycation to give yourself some time to focus on you. Step outside the stresses of your daily life and find some clarity. Write your goals down. Let others know what they are to keep you honest and on track. If they don't work or you realize you don't want that to be your goal, change them. It's your life...live it up.
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