This time of year, we often take time out of our busy days to spend with friends and family during the holidays, and we may even find ourselves considering a career transition as one of our New Year’s goals or resolutions.
But what happens if you take that career leap of faith? Is it the right next step to get where you want to go if you aren’t quite sure where exactly that is?
Perhaps we didn’t accomplish that ever-elusive goal or dream that has been on our minds this year, but we are just too busy and don’t have enough time, money or energy to pursue it. If you are finding yourself saying, “Next year will be different,” then now is the time to dream again and think about how you want your life to look and feel.
What does success mean to you?
Whenever I feel “off” or lost, wondering how I got here, I finish this simple phrase and remind myself of what is most meaningful to me right now: “I feel successful when….” This journal prompt can, in an instant, re-center you and remind you of what is most important and meaningful right now, at this moment. Then, ask yourself to complete this sentence: “I can accomplish this by….”
Any time you find yourself saying, “I can’t” or “it’s not possible for me,” that’s a clue to rephrase that thought into, “but if I could, how might I accomplish this? What can I do to get one step closer?”
Success is deeply personal and different for everyone, which is why, “What’s your definition of success?” is one of my favorite questions to ask on my podcast.
Here is my favorite way to align goals and dreams, no matter my current situation, to achieve my definition of success with the three steps to “Key Decision Framework:”
1. Complete the sentence, “I feel successful when ______.”
Write this at the top of the page in big, bold letters and make sure it resonates with you. If you accomplish this, even if it’s not how you imagined, will you still feel successful?
Can you change your perspective on how you have to accomplish being successful?
Keep working through this process until you can let go of “how” you accomplish your definition of success. Then, you might even realize that you are successful right now, at this moment, and are living the life of your dreams. How cool is that?!
2. List your goals in each of the five key areas of life.
The five key areas of life are Health (physical, mental, wellbeing), Relationships (interacting with others), Career (mission, purpose, improving skillsets), Spirit (hobbies, spiritual) and Finances.
3. Ask yourself, “What is the one key decision that I can make or have been avoiding making that would help me progress towards my goals in ALL five areas?”
These areas of life are not mutually exclusive, yet all intertwine and overlap. Think of a Venn diagram with five circles, one for each of the five areas of life. Write your goals in each of the five circles, then ask yourself, “What’s in common with them all?” And, finally, “What would be the key decision that fits into the overlapping space?”
That decision might be about a hobby you’ve been putting off, but when you look at your life holistically, it’s the one decision that is like a stick stuck in the wheel of your bike. When you remove that obstacle, it propels you forward in all areas, or unlocks the wheels of your bike, so that you can more clearly see opportunities to accomplish all of these seemingly disparate goals.
There is no one right way to achieve your goals and dreams. They are your dreams, so dream big, live life to the fullest and enjoy this crazy journey we call life. +
