Following your heart into a set of intentions is a far better way to make your plans for life & career come alive. And once you have a clear vision in mind, translate it into specific intentions.
Your intentions are the guiding principles that shape your actions & decisions. They provide a sense of direction towards what makes you happiest & fulfil a greater purpose in your life. This is not to make anyone else believe in what you are capable of but a way for you to see what you are capable of regardless of what other's opinions are.
By now I feel like a broken record when I remind you to write down your intentions as often as you can. But there is real value in this practice when you "Write it to Ignite" method is going to give you a clear concise direction to follow in a manner that gives you something as sure as the written word to hold yourself accountable. It's one of the ways you'll be able to make sure that what you are writing down is realistic & achievable. I cover this method in detail in the 21 Days of Mindful Sketchbook Practices
Reflect on your vision by taking some time to think about what you truly want to achieve in your life or business. What is your ultimate vision? Are you being realistic about it all? What does success look like to you? This will serve as the foundation for your upcoming goals but in the meantime be aware of the smaller things you didn't reflect on for your vision to come to life.
Right now where you are, take some time to deeply reflect on your long-term vision...
What Do You Want For Your Life & for Your Creative Career?
Consider what truly matters to you, what you want to achieve, and it doesn't matter if you are retired, craving change or simply feel like 2024 might be the year you finally reach all your aspirations. Showing up for what you want will make the biggest positive impact on your life.
This moment of reflection may feel like such a small thing to do but it will help you gain clarity & set aside a meaningful statement that aligns with your intentions, your values & your hearts desires.
Does it make sense to hear the words
"Stop Setting Goals?"
It might if you consider that Setting Intentions instead doesn't feel like overwhelm. Try it by saying it our loud...
"I'll set an intention to do something every day!"
As much as SMART GOALS help us stay focused, if we don't stand up for the intentions we set out to reach none of those Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals will go according to plan.
If there are just too many things far away from your grasp or if you only have half the information to get to where you want to go, these won't help you anyway.
When we make the effort to be responsible enough & take pride in keeping our promises to ourselves, life feels simpler to do.
Setting yourself up for success means you need make sure you are clear on the quantifiable, realistic things you want to achieve. Getting out of your own way to see what is really happening inside also means that you'll need to make changes that do align with your vision & a better outlook of your future.
Putting unnecessary pressure on yourself to have a specific deadline by which you want reach it is only going to make things feel worse than they are. This deadline in terms of goals will not guide you towards better actions & it will certainly not help you to stay focused. By placing so much pressure on yourself to continuously take actions is like a driver that is high on something dangerous!
Motivation comes when you see the results of the things you set out to achieve. So, instead of setting goals you'll never follow, go out into the world to make a difference with one small thing at a time. These smaller, actionable intentions are steps that make life more manageable & less overwhelming.
Maybe we've been taught the wrong way to think about setting goals... I know how Overcoming those Dream Crushing Weeds are especially when you have things you want to achieve but simply don't know how to get rid of the overwhelm, the fear & the negative self-talk. Today I want to invite you to take care of yourself by figuring out how to Overcome those Dream Crushing Weeds that do not serve your greatest good in any way.
Personal accountability tracks your progress & if you've never done something like this before, consider using a physical calendar to keep yourself organized. There's nothing as fulfilling as seeing the calendar fill with things we've done or are busy doing.
Staying motivated happens as a result of feeling of fulfilment as your visible actions remind you of where you are going & why you want to achieve them.
This also brings me to the point where a celebration must happen for when you get those wins along the way. Having them as shining lights to help you stay positive is like surrounding yourself with confirmations that what you are doing is working!
Remember that there is nothing wrong with goal setting, but if you have doubts, fears & an inner critic, the never ending cycle of never reaching a goal will be an ongoing process until you change that! That is also why we have regularly reviews to connect with ourselves, our visions & make the necessary adjustments as your goals change over time.
Lingering on in a place where there simply is no growth will keep you stuck in a place longer than what is needed. Make changes to the way you set yourself up & all the goals in the world will become so much easier to achieve!!!!
May you have a beautiful start to 2024 & all the days that follow be filled with new intentions you'll use to fall in love with your life.
Much Love
xo Tanya