“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.”-Lewis Carroll
We are now about half way through the first month of 2014. I’m curious, have you thought about what you would like your life you look like in 2014? Do you know what direction you are headed in this year?
As a life coach, I believe it’s important to know where you want to go, because as the quote above reminds us, if you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.
But, how do you know where you want to go? Often in my life, I feel confused about where I want to go. My life sometimes feels like a giant vacation to Disneyworld and I can’t decide if I want to start at the Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom. So let’s say I choose Magic Kingdom, then that opens up more options…Where do we want to eat? Cinderella’s Royal Table?…The Crystal Palace?…Liberty Square Market?…The chioces can feel endless. Next comes the decision about what rides to ride. Do we want to start Space Mountain or It’s a Small World? Dumbo or the Tea Cups? Hopefully by now you get the point. Knowing where we want to go in life can frequently feel overwhelming and confusing.
So, to clear things up a little, I’d like to offer you 3 helpful steps you can use to design a 2014 of your choosing.
- Look back – For this step, I actually pull out my calendar as well as the pictures that I took over the last year. While I’m looking at where I’ve been, I am asking myself the questions:
- What worked for me last year that I want to carry with me into the coming year?
- What didn’t work that I want to let go of?
- What achievement and/or milestones did I reach?
- What goals did I set for myself that I didn’t reach?
- Look forward – I remember reading Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” many years ago, and the habit I use during this step is: Begin with the end in mind. I imagine myself during the first week of January a year from now and ask myself the following questions:
- What needs to happen this year in order for me to feel like I’ve had a successful year?
- Who do I want to be by the end of 2014? What character traits are important for me to develop or nurture?
- What changes do I want to make?
- Get into action – this step is about getting my ideas off paper and into the real world. This is where I set goals, tell my friends and family about what I hope to do in 2014 and who I hope to be, so they can help hold me accountable. I also pull out my calendar and start scheduling the things that are going to help steer me in the right direction.
As a recovering perfectionist, I find it necessary to remind myself that it’s about progress, not perfection. The value of setting goals and looking toward the future is in using it as a guiding star, not necessarily always reaching that destination. Life has been known to knock me off my planned path a time or two and what I’ve noticed is that 9 times out of 10 it was a course correction in a direction that was actually better for me! I do trust that my life is divinely guided! And even more important than what I am doing and how many things I am accomplishing, is who I am being in the process.
If you’d like to map out a plan for your 2014, I invite you to join me at Wholistic Woman Retreats first “retreat” of 2014. Our theme for the year is “Be Serene in 2014” and our first event is an evening workshop at Holly Hills Country Club in Ijamsville,MD on January 22nd titled, “Creating Your Vision for 2014”. For details click here! Don’t delay as the registration deadline is just a few days away on January 15th! Hope to see you there, and here’s to a serene 2014!
Today’s author: Laura Hall is an iPEC certified life coach whose business, Hall Coaching, was established in 2009 with the vision of waking women up from the nightmares of “How did I get here?” and, “Is this as good as it gets?”, so that they can begin creating and living the life of their real dreams, hopes and desires. She offers both one on one as well as group coaching services. She can be reached at [email protected] or check out her website at www.hallcoaching.com