The Motivation to Get Things Done

6 weeks ago, I embarked on a new journey toward the life I envision several years down the road. The challenge hit me right when I was experiencing a slump between recovering from a broken ankle, and looking for a new job.  While I still had my startup business to develop on the side, I had no particular plans for it to be my main career anytime soon. I panicked at the thought of it being my only source of income when it wasn’t where it needed to be in order for that to happen yet.

I really was at a low, low point where even thinking about what I enjoy most about my own business wasn’t helping me move forward. I sought video after video on better understanding myself, job searching tips, and I was applying to jobs and getting discouraged from never getting anywhere with them. In the midst of my video bingeing, I finally came across THE ONE. It spoke to me in a way that broke down achievable results until the bigger picture was achieved, and it reminded me of the few years I followed something similar for productivity unlike anything I had done before, which ultimately turned me into a goal-oriented powerhouse and published author. Every year since I have tried to keep that process going, but I definitely had noticed a shift in my thinking towards it over the course of the last 3 years. I think a lot of THAT had to do with my schedule, where I thought my life was heading at the time, and family circumstances that eventually led to the passing of my father as well as our beloved cat of 14 years.

In short, fresh motivation was critical! I loved the idea of doing what I wanted to do for a long time now, but it scared me not knowing what comes next in vivid detail. I had written out a short term business plan that got me out of the gate in a hurry earlier in the year, but then stalled because I didn’t have an even bigger picture of it, and I became literally and figuratively stuck. There were financial hurdles. My mobility issues. Our kid going to college. A dog to finish potty training. I was alone in the house with the dog (the cause of my broken ankle!) and my rampant thoughts, and all I wanted to do was to feel normal again.

And then the video. Like so many other times I’d heard ad-nauseam, it spoke about planning as being intentional about where I ended up. But what stuck out for me this time was the process described, and as I followed along in real time to first see my dream and what it feels like as a day in the life, I realized for the first time ever what truly was important to me, and what was not. And it made me also see why so much of what my life had consisted of for so long was a series of frustrations and misunderstandings and exhaustion.

To say that what I envisioned was peaceful would imply I would be living life at a slower pace, but that wasn’t necessarily so. I had peace because I was focused on what was important, by spending my time with the people and work that fulfilled me. Yes, I had the freedom to do what I wanted, but I was also doing more, and enjoying it. Why? How? Because they served a greater purpose. And I rose to that level because of the decisions it took to get me there.

Switching back to the present was somewhat jarring. As much as I wanted to be in that future I saw, I knew I needed to work hard for that day. That was how I’d start having peace. So I dug in to learn more about this new process I could easily incorporate into my waking hours on a daily and weekly basis, to get myself on a plan that would cover a period of 3 total months. After that, I would need to start again, based on where I ended, and keep at it until I am able to look back a year, 5 years, and even 10 or more years down the road until the dream I saw for my life comes to be.

With frenetic energy, I turned to my one weapon in my arsenal that kept me organized unlike any other method I’d used to record my steps before - my reusable Rocketbook and pens. I quickly converted it into what I now needed it to become as I mapped out more of what I wanted my days to look like, and how to keep myself accountable for them. 

The process itself is a system of taking one overall goal that can be achieved in part by 3 main goals for the quarter, further broken down into 3 smaller tasks for the week, and then 3 tasks for each day.  The planning for these goals is done at an hour 5 days a week, giving myself the weekends to unwind.  And since I was already making sure to avoid lazing around in my pajamas, it was easy enough to make notes while sipping coffee, then get ready for the day, walk the dog, and start on my goals.

I’m now six weeks in and have to celebrate the halfway mark with some awe. As of today, I accomplished my 3 big goals for the quarter! But rather than feeling like it’s a stopping point, I actually have a lot of other tasks to keep my momentum going. And now it really does seem like I’m working toward my dream! I really do think this system has been just the motivation needed to break out of my rut to rebuild my focus. I can’t wait to see how this quarter ends!

If I were to give anyone else advice in life, it would be this: if you have a passion for something, do it. It may never make you money, but just because it doesn’t, doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing. It can open up doors you never thought possible, which can very well lead to where the money is, but you’ll never know if you don’t first start where you are. Your greatest gifts are who you are for a reason. Don’t deprive yourself and others of what brings you joy, or you will ultimately spend your days bitter and unfulfilled. Even if you can only spare a total of one hour a week on that meaningful thing or things you do, your days will start to look less weary, and your stress-levels will start to even out too. Life is too short to live for someone else’s ideals and not your own. The dreams you dream are for you alone to discover. What will you do today to make them happen?

#lifegoals #happiness #dreamsintoreality #goalsetting