Preparing to set off …

Geraldine

It’s time to start living the life we dreamed of. It’s our life and we’re in the driving seat. The ‘right time’ has come to change things, and we need to start now. If we delay, other things will always crop up that need our attention, and our time will just drift away.

Preparing

If we were planning to go on holiday, the first thing we would decide is when and where we want to go. Then we would look at accommodation and how we would travel — flights or trains etc. When the big decisions are made and everything is booked, we would begin researching the area and maybe make a list of nearby places we would like to visit and plan activities we would like to do. As the time draws nearer, we then start to think of packing clothes suitable for the weather or for the location — like good walking shoes, sportswear, or more exotic items suitable for a beach holiday. We would think of the smaller accessories like a camera, jewellery, maybe binoculars, sun cream etc.

Destinations and Goals

Starting out on a new journey in life follows similar rules. We need to decide on our destination — where we want to eventually arrive at at some point in the future. It’s great if we already know the direction we want to head for — if you already have a map or a plan for this pivotal new stage in your life. If not, then it’s time to get started on our life-plan. It’s time to start making a list of all our options. The options that will lead us to the life we really want.

When we have decided on the destination, this will become our main goal , and might be something like planning a new career, a new relationship, a whole new lifestyle, become a freelancer or start your own business. The list will be as individual and endless as you.

When we have our main goal pinned down, we then have to work out how we are going to get there.

First steps first …

Ambitious goals can be inspiring and exciting, but they can also be intimidating and cause feelings of anxiety. When we look at where we are starting off from and look forward to where we want to be — it can make us wonder if we are setting ourselves with an impossible task. Fear of stepping into the unknown is a perfectly natural feeling, and one we have to get past in order to live that life we truly want.

The secret to making it come to life is to break your big goal down into lots of smaller steps that will gradually get you to where you want to be. It helps if you work backwards from your end goal. So, for example, if our ambition is to re-train for a new career, we have to research the courses available in the right college or university. Then, we have to find the one that suits best, and check out dates the course starts on and send off for a course syllabus and an application form.

It might be a new business we are planning, so our first steps will include basic things like working out finances, checking out how valid it is in our area in case there are too many similar shops or restaurants or bed and breakfasts etc. When that is sorted, we then might want to look at available premises. Some steps are small and involve little risk, others are bigger and we might find stretch us further than we are used to.

But … each step brings us closer to our mail goal.

If you have now taken that first critical step, you’ve already done the hardest part! Don’t become overwhelmed by everything that has to be done. Just keep going, taking one step at a time. If things don’t work out exactly as you planned, you can stop again and re-evaluate where you are up to, and which direction you are going to move in next.

With consistency and determination, moving one step at a time will take you closer to achieving the life of your dreams.

Check Anne’s post on Setting Goals for more on this.