“You can achieve anything in life if you have goals and a dream,” sounds like great advice except the larger question is do you have enough time and energy after a workday to begin working on something new. Most of us have not achieved that sort of balance in our life yet. As we approach the second quarter of the year, March through June, usually we find ourselves battling the struggles of not meeting all the resolutions for the New Year. We find ourselves wondering “Where did all of that energy and motivation go in January and do I now have to wait to recharge my batteries this Summer before I feel motivated again?”
You can achieve anything in life if you have goals and a dream
If “not working on your goals after a workday” seems to be an unfulfilled obligation to yourself, you are probably not alone. Families, children, spouses, friends, and responsibilities usually take priority when you leave the job behind and are heading home. Many of us try to disconnect on our drive home because it may be the only “alone or me,” time you might get all evening. You mostly wonder, as you see others succeed in reaching their goals, “How did they get there and what would work in my circumstance.” Now let’s start building on that dream!
Do you know what you want?
In establishing a goal to start something new like…pursue more education, make a hobby into a business, or become self-employed, you will want to first find your purpose. Your purpose can be defined as your aim. Your reason to get up and face the day. Purpose will drive, guide, influence, shape and define everything about your life. When purpose is connected to goals, life will become more satisfying.
Have you defined yourself?
We just established that you need to know your purpose but how about your “why.” Finding out more about yourself can help you to know your likes and dislikes, talents, sparks, and genius. You can do this through self-exploration, journaling, trial, and error and asking others. Sometimes your “why” may not be ready to emerge. Focus on what you seem to be drawn to doing, what you want to get better at, what feels successful, and what makes you feel fulfilled. This will help you to establish your “why.”
How will you accomplish your dream?
Goals, benchmarks, milestones, patterns, practice and processes are all very important in successfully achieving your dream. Seems overwhelming to begin? Not really, if you start with small doable steps that will lead to bigger results. There is an old question, “How do you eat an elephant? Answer – One bite at a time.” Lay out the steps necessary to achieve your dream. Goals will become benchmarks along the way that can be measurements of success. Build in flexibility and adaptability into your plan if something goes awry. Celebrate as you move through your journey. Small victories can add up to larger ones over time.
How does anything happen when you are exhausted?
Life is exhausting and it seems to never get easy for those who are driven and passionate about achieving their goals. Tips on life-balance include prioritization, scheduling, time management, organization and functionality. Take two weeks to a month and chart your daily routine using a code for work, education, recreation, family/friends, spirituality, sleep, exercise, leisure, and food. Code each hour of the day with the behavior that you are participating in. Chart how you are spending your time. This will allow you to dig deeper into the larger parts of time that seems the least productive. No judgement here because you are trying to achieve balance not punish yourself for enjoyment. From charting, you should be able to make some decisions on where you can make changes in your time-management and daily priorities. Nutritious meals, exercise and sleep will be the best way to recharge your energy levels. Family/friends, recreation, spirituality, and leisure will be a great way to fill your social-emotional tanks. Work and education are great sources of financial resources.
To have a dream fulfilled, would be the accomplishment of a lifetime
Building on the dream takes some thought, time, and reflection. Knowing what your purpose and “why” are will assist you in understanding what you want while setting goals and implementing a balanced lifestyle will help you to achieve. At the end of the day, life can be exhausting so it is a good thing that we have a long journey of many years ahead of us. Imagine if we had to get everything accomplished in one day, 24 hours? It would be impossible! But to have a dream fulfilled, would be the accomplishment of a lifetime.
Here’s to the good life. Cheers!