These 5 Simple Steps Will Change Your Life for the Better
“I’m a failure”, “I need to change my life around.” How often did you hear somebody say these? Or, perhaps, you’ve been saying these, too?
The truth is: nobody is broken. That’s one of the five fundamentals of life coaching.
Not only is the belief that you need to change your life around damaging to you (it’s a painful, overwhelming decision to make: how do you even begin something like changing your life around?), but it’s also completely wrong.
The decision that you’re somehow “broken” and need “fixing” is based on your limiting beliefs. You have some ambitions somewhere inside you (for some people, somewhere very deep inside) but you can’t fulfill them because you think that you’re “too poor,” “too ugly,” “too fat,” “too stupid”(the list can go on). If you truly believe that you can achieve your ambitions and write down a plan for doing so that you follow through with, your life will improve drastically.
Making a decision based on the thought that everything is going wrong is not going to work long haul.
Here’s a simple guide to moving towards your vision.
Step 1 is to determine your vision in life. What do you want people to remember you for once you’re gone? What legacy do you want to leave? You need to come up with your great vision, something you can imagine written on your tombstone.
Thinking in this way — although maybe a little frightening — helps you figure out which things you would absolutely regret not having done and achieved when you’re on your deathbed.
Step 2: Write down your long-term goals that go in line with your vision. They can be as unrealistic and ludicrous as goals can go. Want to work on a project together with Michelle Obama? Write it down. Nothing is too crazy if you really want it. “Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen,” said American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Step 3: Now think of your medium-term goals. These are the ones that can be done in a more foreseeable future. What can you do in the next 15–90 days to bring you closer to your big goals?
Step 4: Break down your medium-term goals into bite-sized chunks. What can you do today for one of your bigger goals? Even if it’s something like “read XYZ book”, put it down and cross it off once you’re done.
Now you have something of an action plan. Make your goals tangible by adding numbers (i.e. make $20,000 by the end of the year, NOT just “get rich”). Create deadlines for each of your goals. Write how you’re going to achieve each goal, what blockages can emerge on your path and how you’re going to overcome them. Then follow through each step. Journaling in the mornings and evenings will help you with following through. Read this article to find out more about journaling.
Step 5: Finally, track your progress. The reason you have numerable goals is that they’re easier to track. But also, use the lead indicator to track progress, not the lag one. When you measure your goals by lead, you write down “run 20 kilometres this week” as opposed to “lose 0.5 kg this week.” Because the former goal depends strictly on your actions, it is far easier to control and track. If you run the 20k you set yourself as a goal but did not lose any weight, you still feel good because you followed through your goal. And if you run 20k every week, you are guaranteed results. Remember that it’s not about the achievement itself, but about who you become in the process.
