You know that phrase, “you can be anything you want”? Wanna know the one problem with that encouraging phrase..?
It lacks direction.
It is wonderful to think, to believe that you can be or do anything you want, however… when you don’t know how to decide what you actually want, it leaves you treading water, not really making progress anywhere. So let’s take a look at a key factor in deciding on your direction and crafting your goals: Clarity
Crafting Your External World for Clear Thinking
One often overlooked hack for finding clarity in your life is to de-clutter your environment. Now, I’m not a neat freak or an organizational guru… but, on a fundamental level, your external environment does reflect your internal environment, and vice versa. It’s been found that messy or cluttered physical areas make thought processes more chaotic. So, if you’re having a hard time thinking clearly or making decisions, consider cleaning your area. Remove clutter, organize papers and receipts, dust your shelves. If you can, let in some natural light, and clean the floors. Other areas to consider decluttering are your email inbox and your social calendar – small changes can have a huge impact. Then, make this kind of tidying a regular habit to maintain clarity in your thinking.
Clarity for Focused Goal Setting
Now that you’ve set yourself up for clear-thinking success, let’s talk about setting goals. How do you set goals if you’re not sure which direction you actually want to go? Finding this direction is where your Life Force Statement comes in. Your Life Force Statement, or LFS, is a snapshot of your most important beliefs in life. Here’s how to write it out:
Close your eyes and imagine you are at the end of your life, with only 60 seconds left to live, and your 5 year old great-granddaughter is standing there with you and asks you, “Grandma, how should I live my life?” What would you say?
Now set a timer for 1 minute, grab a pen and start writing! Don’t overthink it, just write down whatever comes to your mind, and be sure to stick to the time limit! And remember, this is your final advice to your gorgeous little grand-daugther who is just starting out on her life journey. What are you going to tell her?
The great thing about this activity is that it really helps unlock the things that are nearest and dearest to you. You are not only giving powerful advice to your grand-daughter, you are actually also giving this advice to yourself!
Once you write this out, take a moment and consider two things… first, how much of your advice are you actually living? Second, based on your LFS, what are your top 5 priorities? Go ahead and write those out, and put them somewhere that you can see them everyday – then filter your decisions and goals through these priorities!
Clarity in Progress
Another thing that we also forget to incorporate into our daily life is to celebrate our successes! When we forget to celebrate, we get onto a hamster wheel and just keep trucking… which eventually leads to burnout, lack of vision, and loss of creativity and joy. So what’s a great way to actually mark and celebrate our progress? Rate yourself!
You can make this a daily or weekly habit, but I recommend making it daily.
There are 6 Streams of Positivity that fall into 3 sections – physical health, spiritual health, and budget health, and to have a well-rounded life it’s important to rate and develop all of them.
- Physical Health includes sleep, nutrition, and movement.
- Spiritual Health includes quiet time and clear thinking.
- Budget Health is the area of connection, which includes your career, your time with family and loved ones, and even your connection with finances!
To rate yourself on these, I suggest using a 1 (worst) – 10 (best) scale… with one caveat! You can’t choose 7. A seven is a happy medium number, so force yourself to be brutally honest.
If you can create a daily habit around rating yourself on these streams, you’ll be able to track your progress towards your goals and celebrate when you reach milestones!
As with everything, I want to encourage you to try using these tools, and notice what comes up for you! Try using just one at a time, and build the new habits gradually but intentionally. To sum everything up, I want you to be able to live a life of freedom, pursuing what you truly want. I know that pursuing what you truly want requires clarity, and I’m here to help you discover your motivations and desires. Three simple ways to start gaining momentum are to create a clutter-free area for thinking, create your LFS to create a framework to filter your decisions through, and regularly rate yourself in the 6 Streams of Positivity so that you can celebrate your wins!
If you’re ready to gain clarity and pursue Lifestyle Freedom, schedule a free Strategy Session with me!