There’s a question I’m asked almost as often as I’m asked “Is that your natural hair color?” (The red is real, the blond highlights are fake – just in case you’re also curious about this).
It’s an important question (not about my hair of course, the one I’m about to share with you) because the answer is what frames your life. It’s what gives you focus every single day, and it’s what gives you that greater sense of purpose and meaning.
Not having an answer to this question is like trying to find the waterfall in Central Park without the help of your handy turn by turn navigation. Hard to do, even for a native to the city (at least that’s what I’ve heard).
So here’s the question, “Emily, I’m not sure about my personal or professional goals – any tips to help me figure it out?”
As a matter of fact, I do!
Here’s the thing, the vision you have for yourself now is not the same one you had 10 or 20 years ago. So your first step is to get clear on who you are and what you want now.
Start by brainstorming a list of all you’d love to do, be, have and experience in this lifetime. Just free write everything that comes to you. Then, look for themes and patterns. Use this information to build out your vision.
My book, Happiness Happens is exactly for diving into this process of self-discovery. It’ll help you to not only get clear on the vision you have yourself right now but also to take the steps towards that vision.
DO NOT SET GOALS UNTIL YOU HAVE A CLEAR BIG PICTURE VISION.
I had to go all caps on that because it is so so important. If you set goals before you’re clear on the big picture of what you truly want, you’ll end up right back where you are now only feeling more frustrated, overwhelmed and confused.
It’s easier to hop on your exercise bike at 5 AM (you know the one you’ve been using to dry your clothes) because it’s part of your big picture vision to hike Machu Picchu with your sister vs. the standard “lose 10 lbs so I can fit into those dark wash bootcut size 7 jeans I wore back in 1999.”
Throw the damn jeans out and focus on something that actually matters to you – something that actually feels good.
Goals are your guideposts. They give you direction. It’s how you filter what you do each day. Knowing how to set goals the right way makes all the difference in you achieving them.
And it starts with first getting clear on your big picture vision. This’ll help you commit to the goals you set because you’ll actually want to achieve them. They’ll be about expressing who you are and enjoying life. Not some mindless thing you think you should do but don’t actually want to do.
You’ll prioritize more easily, feel more focused and take consistent action. And since your goals will be on point – you can say so long to self sabotage!
Achieving your goals is easier because they’re part of your big picture. Always wanted to write a book? Start a business? Travel the world? Now you can see how this fits in with your life.
You see that what you want is actually possible. You don’t have to wait, you can start moving on it right now.
I walk you through all of this, step by step in the Laugh More, Live Louder course. If you’d like that kind of guidance – a framework that’ll help you set goals and take action so you can bring your vision and goals to life – then this is the course for you.
With the start of the summer season, we’re moving into a new focus in the course which makes now a great time to join. Over the next 90 days we’ll be talking about how to set goals and take confident action so that you can get exactly what you want in life. Click here to join.
