We often live our lives according to others’ expectations. Everyone wants us to graduate from high school, go to college and get a “nice” or “good” job to pay the bills. But in this day and age, there are so many ways for you to make enough money to live comfortably that you don’t have to take such a linear path. I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to take this path if you don’t want to. However, you do need a plan for what you’re going to do with the 4-8 years you’d otherwise be spending studying.
So, what do you want to do?
Before you begin the exercises I listed below, I want you to know that you can achieve anything and everything you want to. There is nothing off limits to you. With precise planning, immense execution and undying discipline, you are unstoppable.
Here are 3 steps you can do to get to the root of what you want to do with your life.
1. What do you fantasize about? Write it down!
This challenge is all about helping you bring your dreams to life. You don’t have to keep them locked away, where the only place you can access them is in your head. So this first exercise is writing down your fantasy life. Answer these questions:
What does your dream house look like? What country is it in?
What does your body look like?
How is your family doing? Are they even in the picture?
In your fantasy, are you going out to work everyday? Or do you make your own schedule and work from home?
What does your dream work day look like? What about your dream work week?
Where are you travelling? And how often do you travel?
What are your spending habits in your fantasy?
How many pets do you have? How many plants do you have?
As you’re writing, remember that all of these are achievable.
2. What is keeping you from achieving these?
This next exercise is where the real change is made: identifying what you are doing (or not doing) to get your dream life. Answer these questions:
Are you actively working toward accomplishing these goals? If so, what exactly are you doing? How can your current methods be refined to expedite the accomplishment of these goals? If not, what can you do to start working toward these goals?
Is your body as healthy as you’d like it to be? If you have fitness goals, are you working to accomplish them? If no to either, what can you include in your daily routine that would help accomplish these goals?
If you want to get away from your family, are you working toward a sustainable plan to live independently? What are some ways you could become financially independent? What are your options? What can you start doing everyday that would allow you to eventually become financially independent?
What occupations could allow you to work from home? Can you start this occupation now so that in a year or two, you could live off of it? How can you start working on this occupation in your daily schedule?
What occupation would you be happy with leaving your house for everyday? If none, go back to the question before this. If you have an answer, what is this occupation? What do you need to do to get this occupation? What can you add to your daily schedule to start working toward this occupation?
Really flush out your answers. This is where the meat and potatoes of your life’s transformation is going to occur. Once you figure out what you need to do to get to your goals, the last thing you’d need to do is violently execute your plans everyday until your goals are met.
3. Plan. Plan. PLAN.
Open up a calendar, a notebook, a planning app or something! This exercise is all about incorporating the ways you can start working toward your dream life that you’ve identified in the previous exercise, into your everyday life.
Answer these questions:
What things do you HAVE to do everyday? These include walking the dog, watching your siblings, showering, brushing your teeth, sleeping, eating, attending your classes/internship and practicing your craft -- which could be dancing, singing, drawing, writing, playing your instrument, etc.
Where are these things that you HAVE to do placed around your day? Where do you have free time?
How much time do you spend on social media, Netflix, Hulu or the like? Could you take one hour, everyday, from the overall time you spend on these to just focus on your goals?
What do you want to do with this one hour? Do you want to allocate more time to chasing your dreams? How much? Is this number sustainable? Can you commit to it for six months? 3 months? One month?
If yes to any of the last 3 questions, when do you want to start this journey? If no to the last 3 questions, what is a realistic amount of time you can spend everyday working toward your dreams? When do you want to start your journey?
Write these answers down and create a realistic schedule you know you can commit to.
Closing remarks:
I want to remind you that this is definitely a journey. You may feel really motivated as you’re reading this. But this will fade, and discipline will be the only thing that keeps you on track. You have to push through the fatigue you will face. You have to fight through the urge to give up when you’re not receiving the attention you thought you would. You have to push through that fear in your heart as you start to do things you never did before. It will all pay off in the end.
Also, don’t be afraid to change your plans. If something isn’t working for you. Try something else. I don’t care if it takes creating and trying ten different plans if it means the 11th one is the one that brings you the success you desire. It doesn’t matter how many times you have to rethink your plans, as long as you don’t quit.
Love and Light,
Azé
Commenti