Every day we decide what we are going to do and plan out how to get there. It could be going to the grocery store, going to a class, meeting a friend, etc… The plan is simple. You decide where you want to go and then decide how you are going to get there. Some of these decisions are automatic. You know where the grocery store is and you just go there, get what you want and come home. Dead simple.
There is no difference in making decisions that won’t happen immediately. For instance, we make destination decisions for events like Christmas. We know this will happen Dec. 25th in the morning and we need to create presents under the tree ( if that is your tradition) for each person we decide we want to gift. We go through a process of choosing an appropriate gift, looking for good value, shopping, wrapping it and placing it expectantly under the now decorated tree. We have anticipation of the event and the reward ( satisfaction) of seeing our gift opened and appreciated.
Longer term, there is deciding what you will be doing in 5 years. You know where this destination is: Feb. 10th, 2017. You know how old you will be : ___ years old. No matter what, you will be that old in 5 years. You have a choice as to whether you create the path there or not. Well, actually you are always creating the path there but deciding what that path will look like for you takes a bit more thinking and self- discovery.
That self- discovery is looking inside and choosing what is most important to you. What do you really love to do? What are you doing right now that you would like to keep doing for the next 5 years? What results would you want to create over those 5 years?
There is no more “luck” involved in this than there is in being “lucky” to get to the grocery store. In creating your daily decisions, like going to the store, you go through the same process you can use for bigger goals and ones that are further away. You decide what you want and you take the first step toward it until you are there.
What is curious to me is that most people seem to feel that the daily decisions are easy, even routine, but the longer term decisions are unsure, difficult and scary. I want to take some of these qualities and explain how you can make these decisions easily, with security and with a lot of fun. Graduates of www.creativepeoplecoaching.com all say “ I didn’t realize how much fun this would be!”
It is fun because the process of discovering what you truly want in 5 years is like being a little kid again. If you feel you don’t know what you want in 5 years there is a simple process to discover it. Here is the process and I have had this process work for every single person who has done it!
Using your imagination, project out to what your life could look like on Feb. 10, 2017. What would make you deliriously happy to have in your life? What is your day like? What amount of money do you make? Where do you live? Who do you hang out with? What is your health like? What is your family and friends or social situation like? Where have you traveled? What are you surrounded by that you know is really important to you?
Just play with this picture. Enjoy being creative and choosing to put whatever you want in that picture. It doesn’t cost you anything to dream. If you want to you can actually create a hard copy of that picture: a Bristol board with pictures, saying, photos on it or a movie on your computer or decorate your practice room wall with pictures etc..
If you are still not sure about what that picture could look like then I would suggest you start a file called: “Things I really love … to have, to do, to be, to see, to look at, to touch, etc.” Take a month to fill the file with pictures or whatever you decide to put in there. At the end of the month, schedule some alone time and take out your file. Buy a $1.50 Bristol board at the drugstore or $1 store and sit down to paste your pictures on the board. This is really fun. I have had people draw, paste, knit, colour, sprinkle sparkles on it…endless ways to create the picture of their life, their complete life, in 5 years. For more details on this process and support to complete it, I suggest you check out www.inconcertcoaching.com. This is a wonderful process and fully rewarding at the end. You will have a very clear picture of your life in 5 years. You will be totally motivated to take the first step toward that destination.
With this board in front of you, you now know your destination. Now it is very simple to know what the steps are to get there. The HOW is not that important. The HOW will present itself as you go along your path. What is important is knowing the specifics of the destination that will make you very happy in 5 years. Many people feel scared to commit to a vision in 5 years but there is a different way to look at it…
Is this etched in stone once you create it? Absolutely not! As you go along your path to 5 years from now, you will change and your priorities will change. I suggest you plan on re-doing your board once a year, just for fun! Any good business does this. They create a strategic plan for 5 years out. At the end of Year ONE they do the plan over and create another 5 year plan adjusting for changes and new data and reviewing what works best for their company. You want to do the same thing. At the end of Year ONE you will redo the 5 years vision board to reflect the new you and how you see yourself 5 years out. This will not change drastically if you have been honest from the start about what makes you happy. You will change for the better over a year but your basic loves and passions will remain constant.