When you feel like you’re making progress having to then take a step back is a big deal. It feels like you’ve wasted your efforts but more importantly time that you can’t get back.
But if you change your perspective, those steps back could actually be a good thing.
Perhaps you were heading down an unhelpful path and now gain clarity.
I think the main thing is to understand that a setback doesn’t stop you from reaching your end goal it just changes the path you take to get there.
Good news is worth celebrating.
When you set yourself big goals and have high aspirations it can sometimes feel like the little wins aren’t worth celebrating.
But when you get a some good news, why not celebrate.
You don’t have to go all out and do something grand. Perhaps you just eat your favourite desert or put on your favoriye music and have a solo dance party.
The purpose of celebrating is to acknowledge the good bits instead of letting them pass you buy. So often we’re just focused on the end goal that we ignore what it took to get there.
When thinking about what you want to do in the future, dream big.
You don’t have to be realistic and confine yourself to what you think is possible based on where you are in life right now.
In ten years time you’ll have more knowledge and experience so think of what is possible for future you.
It could be anything from writing a book, to owning a home in the countryside, visiting every country, moving a broad for a 6 months to a couple of years, starting a business, getting your products stocked in Selfridges or having a garden where you grow the majority of what you eat.
If those things don’t seem big enough to you then dream bigger. You don’t have to place limitations on what is possible for your life.
When Seth Godin answered this question he said ‘ I would like to be known by what the people who have learned from me have taught other people’.
I think this was said on an episode of Tim Bilyeus’ podcast, Impact Theory.
If you’re somebody that creates or puts stuff out there, I think it’s an important question to have regularly running through your mind.
Your answer will serve as a compass to help guide your decisions.
I often ponder on that question in relation to this blog and my answer is always about adding value and sharing something useful. And so I’m so I’m less likely to write about personal details in the day to day life because it doesn’t align with my answer.
Perhaps, it isn’t something you’ve considered much and maybe right now you can’t sum it up in 18 words. But it is definitely something worth thinking about.
When leading a movement or if you put yourself in a position to be a voice for change, a question to regularly ask is, what next?
What next, when things don’t go to plan?
What next, when people lose motivation?
What next, when you complete one of the things you were working towards?
The road to your destination will be paved with what next over and over again.
If you’re not ready to ask yourself (or be asked) that question and start figuring out an answer, then perhaps you’re not ready to lead.
To lead takes innovation, a strong sense of self, dedication and commitment.
Not everybody is able to hold out their hand and say come this way.
We are currently in the period where your new years resolutions may have fallen away and you’re now back to your normal (pre new years resolution) self.
It’s a common thing, it happens to everyone at some point, I’m certain.
It can get frustrating to feel like the person you thought you’d become this year might not be as feasible as you thought.
But a helpful thing to do is remind yourself that although it’s feasible it will never be as easy as simply wanting it.
So often we commit to the end goal but not what it takes to get there.
Go through your 2020 goals or resolutions and ask yourself what have I done to make this happen?
If you haven’t made much progress, chances are the answer will be nothing.
It could be helpful to reassess your goals and think not only about what you want but what you’re willing to work for.
It’s now a full week after New Year’s Day.
How are you goals, resolutions or plans coming along?
You might find that after 7 days you’re still enthusiastic and motivated or you might have found that you’ve lost steam.
If you resonate with the latter then it might be useful to ask yourself why?
Why after such a short period of time are you no longer committed or dedicated to the things that you were overflowing with excitement about less than a dozen days ago.
This could be the perfect time to call yourself out and acknowledge that the new year was not enough to change you into a brand new version of you.
There’s nothing wrong with that, in fact I’d say that’s the case for most of us.
Forming new habits or committing to new projects isn’t easy when you’re used to doing things a different way. And so the challenge or the work is to find a way of implementing new habits that works for you.
Or maybe it should be good vs better.
Sometimes better is worse than good but we think that good is enough so we don’t aim for better. The mindset of a Bare Minimum Betty often lies in the good zone.
Because when your bare minimum is good enough why would you do any better.
If you choose to aim for better that could mean a variety of things, a key one being commitment but it’s more than that.
Aiming for better is:
Trying something new that in the words of Seth Godin ‘might not work’
Doing more than you have to
Looking for ways to improve
Offering to help someone else
Asking questions
It might not be such a bad idea.
When it comes to creating content, you have so many options: blog posts, Instagram feed, Insta-stories, IGTV, YouTube, podcasts, tweets etc.
I’ve been thinking about how instead of just creating one thing, you can share one piece of content across different platforms.
That’s a great way to reach more people because blog readers might not watch YouTube and people that listen to podcasts might not be on twitter.
I think it can also be useful when building a brand and trying to grow your audience to not just be in one place.
With this blog I’ve been reluctant to do anything apart from write a blog posts each day because I don’t want to create more work than I can handle alongside a full-time job, part-time study and my lifestyle blog.
But I’m at a point where I’m close to 1 year of daily blogging and I’m opening myself up the idea of sharing things on Instagram and possibly having audio versions of the post or perhaps a podcast.
And so the blogposts are the molehills but the potential to create a variety of content from these posts is the mountain.
I’m realising that this writing practice based around personal growth and random musings can become so much more than I initially intended.
Just because someone is older than you doesn’t mean they’re the best person to seek advice from.
I think there’s a level of vulnerability that comes with asking for advice, to be open and honest enough to say ‘Hey, so I’m going through xyz and I just wanted to get some advice from you as I’m not really sure how to move forward.’
Something I’ve learnt is that when I have a difficult decision to make it helps to view the situation from a different perspective and sometimes that happens quickest when you talk to someone.
However, it’s important to make sure that you’re talking to the right person.
For me that would be:
Someone I trust.
Someone I look up to.
Someone I admire.
Someone who has my best interests at heart.
Someone who will give impartial advice.
Someone with experience.
When you feel stuck and want some advice you probably want it from someone who can help steer you in the right direction rather than someone who leaves you feeling stressed or further fuels your indecision.
Whilst recently asking for advice I realised that often the main thing I want is someone who can shift my perspective.
Perhaps to not even advise on my specific situation but to remind me that I’m capable of making the ‘right’ decision.
