Carly Ries
“Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.”- Zig Ziglar
With all the distractions we encounter throughout the day, our attention spans are dwindling as the years go on, making it very difficult to stay on track and choose a direction to stick with in order to accomplish our goals.
When you actually have direction, it is amazing how productive you can be in a given day.
Here’s how to find it.
Actionable Steps
Focus On Your Strengths and Personality
Deciding which directions to take throughout your life can be overwhelming, so it’s important to rely on the strengths you already have to help guide you. Choosing a career path? Think of school subjects you thrived in. Want to move to a new city? Assess your personality and see which types of cultures would be a good fit.
Develop a keen understanding of who you are so that you can best decide where you want to go.
Go With Your Gut
As cliche as it sounds, when it comes to choosing which paths to take in life, you often have to go with your gut. I wish I could provide a more profound and concrete rubric for how to make those types of decisions, but your gut feeling really can be insightful when you’re trying to make some of life’s biggest decisions.
Take Time to Plan it Out
Once you have a hunch on the direction you want to take, do your research and make a plan. Document the various steps you’ll need to take to get from point A to point B and be very specific so that you can limit the number of surprises along the way.
Interview People Who Have Taken The Same Path
To assist with building out your plan, it’s often helpful to have an understanding of what people have gone through who have stood in your shoes and have already embarked on the adventure you want to attempt. Hear about their triumphs and failures and see what you can learn from them as you head in the same direction.
Avoid Analysis Paralysis and Get Started
Look over the plan you’ve put together, make sure it’s a solid approach, and have faith you’re starting off on the right foot. Don’t overthink things. The more you dwell on it, the harder it will actually be to get started. Your plan is unquestionably going to change when it meets the real world, so over-engineering it is a waste of time and energy.
Prepare for Setbacks
When you get started down a given path, the plan should serve as a guide of how you’ll get to your final outcome, but it’s just that, a guide. At the beginning of your journey, nothing is set in stone. You will have to adapt your plan as you go and anticipate challenges and obstacles. They don’t mean you’ve gone off course. They’re simply roadblocks you need to overcome, so mentally prepare for them.
Embrace Fear of the Unknown
Often times people lack direction because they fear the unknown of what might happen if they take a certain path. It’s much easier to stop what you’re doing and change course so that you can continue to maintain control of your situation, but where’s the reward in that? Life truly can begin outside of your comfort zone.
Food for thought: If you had 24 hours of free time, what would you do with it to get closer to your goal? How does this influence your plan?
This post is a part of series of posts that give a preview of our upcoming guide, Unleash Your Inner Awesome: Motivational Quotes With Actionable Steps to Help You Reach Your Goals and Achieve Great Things. To learn when this guide will be released and get access to it, be sure to follow us on social!
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