Monday, September 28, 2015

Check Yoself: The Art of Planning and Reflection

So many people tend to go through life simply reacting to situations and continually letting the same setbacks hold them back.  It doesnt help that there are endless distractions all around in todays world, makeing it incredibly easy to get side tracked and become offbalance in life.  People start overlooking important priorities, placing less rewarding priorities over the ones they truly care about and simply go through days without much thought or direction.  Learn to break out of this downward spiral of a habit!  Instead of wandering aimlessly through life, identify exactly what it is you want and go get it, no matter what obstacles you may face along the way, no matter who tells you to do otherwise.  
It's amazing what the mind has the capability of doing and how people can go through much of life without harnessing their maximum potential, settling for a life so much less than what they are truly capable of. Habits are hard to break yes, but with consistent monitoring and reflection of day to day actions, one would be amazed at all that can be accomplished and overcome.  Find the time and get connected with your true values and priorities, focusing on what YOU want out of life and stop wasting crucial energy on anything unnecessary, anything holding you back from reaching your goals and dreams.  Just 10 minutes of planning and reflecting on a day to day basis can make a world of a difference in your life when practiced consistently.  
Know Your Core Values
Its important to always have a general plan, some form of direction for your days, weeks, months and years to come.  This can be hard to do however when you dont fully know yourself and what it is you really want out of this crazy life.  Often times we let what others want for us affect our actions and decisions even if it means our own happiness is sacrificed.  To get on the right track, take the time to turn off all distractions and take the time to identify your core values in life, what truly adds happiness, purpose and energy to life in your eyes.  Do this and you will start to see clearly what is most important to you and what actions or changes need to happen in order to maintain these values.  You may also come to realize that you are putting other aspects in life ahead of what's really important to you or youve been focusing too much in one area while neglecting another area just as valuable. Write your values in a place you can always refer back to if ever feeling doubtful.  Values could range anything from health, family, your spouse, security, travel, wealth, knowledge, adventure, fame, you name it.  There is no right or wrong answer, just be honest with yourself! Once values are clear, it will become so much easier to put some meaningful plans into your days, brining both focus and direction to your day to day actions and more success in accomplishing the life you've dreamed of.
Planning Time
A lot of times we know exactly what we want but somehow never aquire this goal.  This can happen due to a variety of reasons but often it happen simply because we become distracted and fail to plan how to go about every aspect towards actually reaching our goals and pursuing our life long dreams. We don't follow through!  It becomes more of a wish than an actual attainable dream or goal.  Find a space  space and time in day to day life, away from any distractions to truly go inside your mind and make some serious plans!   Answering simple but crucial questions often overlooked can add more focus to any circumstance.  Ask yourself and answer as clear as possible, what needs to be accomplished, how you will go about conquering these tasks and dont forget to ask yourself why you are making these plans.  If the reasons why are not to satisfy core values then reevaluate!  Are you truly happy with the choices you are currently making and thoughts you are creating? If not, make the decision to change, it is always in your control.  Once clear steps toward your goals have been made, the goal becomes so much more attainable because you have direction.  Learn to create a cyrstal clear visual of your end goal along with a clear vision of the steps needed to reach the goal.
Reflect
Just as critical as planning is the act of reflecting, which will also help ensure you are putting plans to action.  Humans have this crazy habit of getting way too comfortable in life, often creating a falsified ego about how much they are doing.  There is always room for growth, no matter what your age, remember this!  Learn to always recap your days to look for mistakes you may have made, for areas of improvement, even if it's the slightest change.  Step out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself  to be the best version possible of yourself.  When reflecting, focus attention first on the accomplishments of the day, then look for any possible areas of improvement.  Were your accomplishments in line with your priorities and values?  What went well?  What could have gone smoother?   Are you focusing too much in one area of your life and not enough in another?  Look at both positives and negatives of yourself and actions throughout the day.  Dont judge yourself in a negative harsh way but also dont let yourself start forming an ego, thinking there are no faults to your being.  Simply be aware of the faults so you know what may need improvement tomorrow, what could be avoided in a similar situation in the future, and start solving your mistakes before they repeat.  

Give it some effort and over time watch yourself start to plan and reflect out of pure positive habit and notice yourself making less mistakes while accomplishing more in day to day life.  Be sure to check my recommended reads on the sidebar.  The Outliers by Malcom Gladwell is a great read that expands on just how crucial small habits can be in the lives of the most successful.  What are some of your goals for the upcoming weeks and month to come? 

 Wake up, stay focused and make the most of your day!


Peace & love,

Bri

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