Better finances, better health, more security and more joy. That’s what you want. You want to take you and those around you to the next level. You’re ready. You’ve been working towards this next level for some time, and yet it still seems so far away. But is it?
The last 12 months have no doubt resulted in a lot of change, difficult times and painful realisations, but also there has been learning and progress. Which in the coming 12 months, you can and will build on in order to obtain that upgrade you want in your life.
In order to reach those new heights, I know that both as a human, and as a Career and Life Coach how necessary it is to take the 3 steps below to acknowledge the progress, take stock of the current haves and future wants, before committing to sustainable actions that will help you reach that next level.
Reflect on the successes of the last 12 months
People often ignore or don’t recognise their achievements, which limits their ability to understand how much progress has truly been made. Quickly think of 5 things that you are proud of doing or trying last year and that should start to show you that you have indeed been moving forward.
Next, find a quiet moment and without editing, write down all of your achievements you’ve had over the last 12 months. Personal, professional, mental, emotional. Without judgement on the size of the achievement. If it comes to mind, write it down.
And then when you look at those achievements, acknowledge how you feel. And write that down.
Now you know where you’ve been and the true reality of your new starting point.
Acknowledge what you want
Imagine you are driving somewhere. When you get in that car, you know where you are going. You may get lost, be stuck in traffic or even end up at a different final destination. But all car journeys start with an intended destination.
Having this destination gives us a point to focus on, helps us to measure our progress and motivates us to keep going because we want to get to that destination.
Write a letter to yourself dated one year from today and that starts with “Today is [insert date] and I’ve had an amazing year. And these are the reasons why…”
Write the reasons why you’ve had an amazing year, but written as if those things have already happened. For example, in the letter I wrote myself last year I declared, “Although I was nervous about driving by myself I’ve become a confident driver and I am proud of myself for trying and achieving.”
Write this letter to your future self with true intention and no judgement. Putting in as much detail as you feel is necessary in order to help you define not just what you need but want from this next level.
Create new and beneficial habits
If you want to really progress and upgrade; trying new things that help you to actively improve your routine and way of doing is essential.
The magic wand in creating new supportive habits for me is making these habit changes small and simple. In Elevate, Robert Glazer’s simple recommendations of getting up 15 minutes earlier, not looking at emails for the first 30 minutes of the day, and completing the day’s top three priorities before noon may seem too simplistic. But I’ve found that these small habit changes have collectively had a big impact.
Establishing a supportive routine rather than a routine that stresses is key is facilitating the journey towards that next destination.
Schedule in a meeting with yourself. Challenge yourself to commit to trying 3 new small habit changes that will support you and your actions taking you and your journey towards the destination you now know you are committed to. The following week, schedule another meeting to reflect on what worked and any other small habits that could further assist you.
The next 12 months
Investing your time and reflecting on the past, will help you recognise where you are now.
Knowing what you want will give you more motivation and produce more action.
Planning your new and next steps will support you in further building on the person you now are.
A person on the up.
