A month ago, I felt like I wasn’t accomplishing enough. I also felt like things were at a standstill. When you make a decision to change your life, you want things to happen quickly. You want to be there and not here. Emotions arose out of those thoughts which I didn’t care for either. For instance, I felt impatient all the time. I felt like I was doing all of it for nothing and that I wasn’t taking the required steps to get me to where I needed to be. I felt trapped in my full time job and actually felt ill every time I walked into the office. Sometimes, I still do. What I failed to admit to myself is that my dreams won’t materialize overnight. I need to practice living in the present moment and appreciate the experiences that have led me to who I am today. From every book I’ve read, successful people always share this advice: Focus on your dreams, visualize the end result of what you want and take action on a consistent basis. Eventually, you will be where you want to be.
So that’s what I am doing. Every single day, I do something. I plan, make goals, set deadlines and visualize where my life will end up in 6 months, 1 year and 5 years from now. I’ve created my Smart Plan (S = SPECIFIC, M = MEASURABLE, A= ACHIEVABLE, R=REALISTIC and T=TIMELY) which guides me to the steps I take to get closer to my dreams. This plan is a vision map towards my future. It is very detailed, specific, measurable, and achievable and it keeps me focused on my deadlines. It’s every bit real as the air that I breathe.
Recently, I developed a tool to keep me on track. Feeling like a lack of time was keeping me from accomplishing my goals, I created a weekly task in Outlook which reads: WHAT DID YOU DO THIS WEEK? Seems simple enough doesn’t it? This task pops up every Thursday morning when I open my computer at work. My job is to write out every single thing I did that specific week to remind myself of how awesome I am and how much work I have actually done.
The outcome has been amazing. Not only have I discovered the immense amount of stuff I get done in a week, but it gives me permission to congratulate myself on taking the steps necessary towards my future. It’s a proven method that helps me focus on my vision of becoming a well-known motivational speaker, a successful author and an entrepreneur. Having this task on a Thursday also helps me to measure the quantity and the quality of the work I’ve performed that week. If I’m not happy with the outcome, I still have Friday to accomplish more.
This simple method has pushed me to move past my fears because it creates accountability. WHAT DID YOU DO THIS WEEK? If I write “nothing”, how will that bring me closer to reaching my dreams? It won’t. So I work hard every day knowing that every little thing I do is getting me closer to my goals. For instance, one day I might translate a chapter from my book. A chapter doesn’t seem like much but translating one chapter a day is getting me closer to my goal of publishing Armed for Greatness in French by December. Another example is making two new contacts a week. It might not seem like much, but multiply two individuals a week and in six months, my contact list will have grown to 48; and we all know that it only takes one person to change your life.
Am I afraid as I step out of my comfort zone? You bet I am! But I’m constantly reminded by my angels that I was born to heal and teach people. My inner self cries out to touch every human that I encounter to better their life in one form or another. As I get closer to my workshops, my body has let me down a few times. Anxiety pops up and when I don’t deal with it, pain arises which forces me refocus on why I made a decision to change my life. In my quiet moments, I hear a voice reminding me of why I must face my fears and why I must move forward. I have a calling and I possess the strength required to get through anything. We all do.
As I write these words, I get emotional and tears sting my eyes. It takes a lot to be vulnerable and to let others see who you truly are. But I am willing to do that because I believe deep down inside that I can help people overcome their own fears and clear their limiting beliefs. Life is precious and dreams do come true. I don’t want to go through this journey alone, I want you to grow with me.
As I pour my heart and soul into my work, I feel like I’m getting closer to something really big. I’ve had this feeling before. There was a moment in my life when I was single. As I approached the deadline to renew my mortgage, I knew that I wouldn’t be living in that house for much longer. Two months later I met my future husband. I never did renew that mortgage but signed a new one for a house I was to share with the love of my life.
Until the next time we meet, your only job today is to remember that you are cherished, you are loved and you are powerful. Tomorrow is another day and what you do with it is up to you.
All my love,
Christine