Good Tuesday Morning, Everyone;
We are in the melt! Yes, the snow is melting, and it is a great time to share and be creative!
I hope everyone reads today’s message
Do you know how to read a map?
To know how to get to where you’ve never been, you must have a map. Today, let’s talk about creating a map for your future. To go on a trip, to somewhere you’ve never been before, directions are needed to get you there. With today’s hi tech phones, it’s hard to get lost. However, before you venture out, you must know where you want to go and how to get there. Turn by turn you travel; sometimes there is bad weather, and other times there might be a wreck in your way so you take a detour, and then other times, it’s a long, boring stretch of highway that never seems to end. Sound familiar?
When it come to our lives, it’s much the same. Many times we travel down the road, and we have no idea where we are going or how to get there, so we end up making wrong turns that could have been avoided if we’d only taken the time to make a plan.
Benjamin Franklin said, “If we fail to plan, we plan to fail.”
I have to agree. Having directions is vital to getting to your life destination safely and at the time you intend to arrive. The best way to do this is to set GOALS.
There are many types of goals, so let’s talk about the process, instead of the goals themselves, to get you started. Setting goals starts with the first step of deciding you need them, then you grab a clean sheet of paper and start with today. What do you want to accomplish today? Write it down. Next, let’s continue to look at “Short Term Goals.” Consider tomorrow, next week, next month. Write it down in the order you need to get them done. Next, let’s talk about “Mid-Term Goals”; these are goals you want to accomplish in the next three months, six months or even as long as a year from now. Next, let’s looks at “Long Term Goals”; these are three years, five years, ten years or longer. Write them down in the order you hope to accomplish them. Now, after you get all this in writing, get someone you are close to to look them over, discuss them with you, and then sign the bottom of the paper like a contract. You have just been held accountable and have taken the first step to your new life.
There are several things that you will achieve when doing this very important life change. First you have decided to take action to improve your life. Next, you are creating a “Road Map” that is your guide to get you where you want to go. Keep in mind this doesn’t mean this can’t change or take a detour along the way. Sometimes you might have some bad weather to deal with. Next, doing this builds confidence that you can accomplish what you want to accomplish. As you complete each goal you need to reward yourself and keep going.
Next, your self-esteem will increase because you start to believe in yourself and your abilities. After a period of time of getting these life goals done, you start feeling really good about yourself, and the life you envisioned back then in your past is now in your reach. Next, having someone review and discuss these with you and sign the agreement you made with yourself holds you accountable to what you agreed to accomplish. You will have changes to your plan, just like changing direction when traveling; that’s OK, refocus and get back on track.
Next, that person that signed for you now can become your guide, someone you can discuss ideas with before making major changes to your plan. Next, this is very important. DO NOT create unrealistic goals. These are goals that most likely will never happen, like flying to Mars or becoming a billionaire in the next six months. Although these might happen, they are unrealistic and can hurt your progress in moving forward.
A couple of years from today you will look back and see how far you’ve come and see all the changes you’ve made to your life. There will be bumps in the road, detours and changes to the plan, but the most important part is staying focused and following the directions. Your life starts with your plan to start your life.
I love the Southwest and traveling there makes for a great trip; however, without a plan, you might miss a sunrise like this one in Monument Valley Utah.
Have a wonderful day.
