2016 was a year wrought by insecurity and uncomfortable developments often beyond our control. Thankfully by practicing Mindfulness we can at least reassert control over our own lives in 2017.
Start setting effective and reachable goals creating positive changes that ripple to all areas of your life. It is worth that goals you set are meaningful and that they serve you. It is good to start with making a plan and committing to it with smallest steps. This way dreams turn into achievable goals. Your goals may involve around career, fitness, meditation practice or whatever is important for you. It is worth to note that your goal maybe of inner change. That means purely giving the inner self a chance to improve that will inevitably change your outer world too. This is about you and your life so make sure to listen to your inner desires. You can ask yourself who am I, what do I want and where am I going? Asking yourself those questions goals you choose are truly are aligned with who you are and thus you find it joyful and easier to put down the work for it.
Hence I will share with you a method that I use in NLP coaching. Use also Everyday Meditation to help you to stay focused and true to who you are (More of Everyday Meditation and Mindfulness in my other blogposts also available in Thrive Global). Here are the 6 key steps.
- Write down very specifically what your goal is. That way it becomes concrete. Write down what you want (“I meditate every day 15 minutes”), not what you don’t want (“I will try to meditate more”).
- When do you want to achieve your goals? How do you know you have achieved your goals?
- What is your action plan? What is a reasonable timetable? What are you willing to do less if needed to make time for this? If your time feels limited you need to prioritize or contribute to your goal 5 minutes today anyway.
- Who can help and support you in this road? What exactly you need from them ? Is person helping you going to be a coach, mentor, family or group of friends?
- Visualize you have achieved your goals and what your life is like. What does it look like? How do you feel? Looking back to when you set your goal what was most important thing you did in the beginning?
- What is your concrete first step you take today?
Use your visualization as a powerful tool in this journey. It helps you on the way especially if setbacks or doubts appear. Notice how setting a meaningful goal increases and eases your motivation in each step. You and your goals are aligned. As you work for your goals, remember everyday is a building block towards your chosen future. Enjoy your journey and fill it with joy.
“The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness. Mindfulness means being awake. It means knowing what you are doing.” ― Jon Kabat-Zinn
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Originally published at medium.com