Work In Colour - Work. Think. Live. In Colour
Tuesday 24th January 2012 | 6 comments
Towards the end of last year, I decided that next year was going to be MY year. I would achieve some goals I have long held, get back into a consistent writing habit, restore my vim and vitality and generally let it rip. (I did have just enough sense not to wish for the fountain of youth...)
You get the look. Maybe you have a similar list.
I had a fantasy that all I had to do is decide 2012 was going to be my dream year, create a clear and compelling vision of all those great things that were going to come my way, and the rest would somehow just happen. I expected to work hard, but basically it would all come together through vision and willpower.
When 2012 began, I was on a boat in Myanmar (Burma). We wrote down all our wishes, stuck them on big red paper balloons, then these were lifted from the deck into the sky by burning wicks soaked in diesel. (Please don't try this at home, it was very lovely, but OH&S is not a central feature of life in Burma...). Very beautiful, nicely symbolic and sure to attract the attention of whoever or whatever was up there arranging the universe.
Or not.
I came back home to find that apart from the memory of the red balloon stuff, not much had changed. Same business challenges, same roof leak, same inner critic babble, same family dramas, same productivity challenges...hmmmm.
Think, think, think. I have a clear vision, I have commitment to it, what's missing?
Lightbulb. I hadn't thought about the need to have a plan for the inevitable bumps in the road. I needed a Plan B (and C, and D...). So, now I am thinking through contingencies and responses - and accepting that hassles and hiccups will occur, whatever my plans.
Lightbulb 2. I also hadn't thought about the need to change any of the underlying structures in my life. Which is odd, because I write about this often. And my take on restructuring your life comes from the work of Robert Fritz, whose 4-day workshop I did in Vermont in October 2011. Clearly I'm a bit of a slow learner on this one.
So, I re-read my old blog post. And I'm now developing a structural chart to cover the things I need to sort out in the areas of prioritising, planning, self-talk, personal health and the like - and find someone to fix my leaking roof.
Now I have a fighting chance of achieving my dreams.
What about you? What do you need to restructure or sort out in order to get what you want in 2012? How will you make it happen? I'd love to hear your ideas.
Tag: planning
I try to doing something every day towards achieving my goal - a daily action.
I find that seeing progress is a huge motivator so if I do something every day - make a phone call, set a meeting, pack the gym bag, towards my goal I am more likely to achieve it. And more likely to remember that I had such grand plans at the beginning of the year!
Sally, thank you. I like the idea of doing even a small thing every day - and it also has the merit of breaking those grand plans down into manageable chunks. Much less scary, and much harder to procrastinate about!
Hi Joanna :)
Thanks for being stimulating as ever!
I have 3 things I do every day:
1) Make sure that I am focussing on my "Big Rocks" - the things that are most important to me from a whole of life perspective i.e. what will make me happy.
2) Meditate on my vision and the way I want to be EVERY morning. (I really notice the difference in my day if I do miss a day)
3) Constantly ask myself through the day "What is the best use of my time right now?", "Is this contributing to my progress?" and "Is this serving my Higher Purpose?"
These things really help to keep me on focus and to get back to focus when the inevitable distractions occur. I find having this structure to my day really works for me.
David, thanks for the great reminders - especially for me, meditation. It's one thing that I KNOW is vital, and also one thing that is so easy to postpone. I'm going to do mine right now!
This is spot on - and it's where I come a cropper every time. I think I can just barge ahead but fail to put plans in place to address when things get hard.
It's a good lesson to be reminded of at this time of year - thank you!
I like the way you describe the coming a cropper, I know that place! Thanks Grace, and good luck with your plans.