I am going to ask you to do something that might make you feel a little uncomfortable.
Take a look at yourself in the mirror. Really. Right now. If you don’t have a mirror nearby, pull out your phone and take a selfie. You’ve probably posted a few selfies on Facebook, so I know you can do it.
How do you feel about what you see?
Even when we feel pretty good about who we are, we all know the up close blemishes that we’d like to change or improve upon in our lives. As you look at your image, think about what you would like to change or improve upon in your life. What do you feel you need to do differently to help you achieve your goals?
What’s holding you back? Why not get started right now. Here’s how:
Fast forward 12 months. What would you like to see in that image of yourself one year from now? Is there a new skill you want to learn? Perhaps you are striving for better work-life balance. Think about where you want to be in a year and what is involved in getting you there. It’s a heck of a lot easier to develop a strategy to get you where you want to go if you have a clear picture of where you are headed.
What can you control? One of the biggest roadblocks to change is that people often feel much of what they would like to do is beyond their control. What are the incremental steps that you CAN control? You might be amazed about how things that seem out of your control today will seem reachable tomorrow if you take those little building block steps that are achievable in the next few months.
Commit to one thing. Prioritize your list. What is number one? Make a hard decision that you are going to do that one thing in 2014.
Develop a strategy. Let’s say you’ve committed to do more networking in 2014. Develop an action plan to include a target of how much networking and what specific in- person events you will attend. Evaluate your social media strategy and determine how that will help you connect with more people. Break your year into four quarters with specific goals for each 90-day period. Commit to reviewing and adjusting your goals at least every three months.
Finally…
Get Started. NOW! Research has shown that if you start a new habit and practice it for 21 days, you’ll have a much better chance of making it permanent. In three weeks, you could be on your way to a transformation that can last a lifetime.