If you read my articles, you know I’m always talking about living a life of passion and purpose. And while that sounds great and most people nod their head in agreement; they find it difficult, if not impossible, to know how to get started. Or they simply feel overwhelmed with the fact that the timing just isn’t right. The immediate response is usually, “That would be nice, but now I need to focus on (fill in the blank). The reality is that getting the kids through school, saving some money, getting a promotion, etc. are your priorities and you’ll get to the important stuff (living your ideal life) later…when life settles down and you can focus on you.
Guess what? Life rarely settles down. And if you don’t make your desires a priority, you’ll get to the end of your days with a lot of pent-up regret and a ton of missed opportunities.
The good news is doesn’t have to be an either/or scenario. That is, you don’t have to choose to take care of your pressing responsibilities now or live your life with passion and purpose.
Here are three simple steps you can take to get off the starting line and move closer to your ideal life today without abandoning your current reality.
1. Create your vision. Most people are immediately intimidated by the thought of creating a vision. Don’t be. It provides your road map for your future, but it’s not cast in stone. So it doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to “be.” For now, I just want you to sit down a write a one-page narrative of what your ideal life would look like. At this stage, don’t worry about how you will make it happen, what all the details are or even how you word your narrative. Just start writing down what you want your life to be like in 5-10 years (or whatever time in the future you want). Think about the different aspects of your life – your work, your greater contribution, your relationships, your health, your hobbies/interests, etc.
2. Chunk it down. Review your vision narrative and divide the thoughts and ideas into three categories:
Immediate – Create a list of things that can be done in the next six months to move you forward with your vision. Start where you are comfortable and where you can build some instant momentum.
Short-Term – Come up with your list of things that can be done six-months to three years from now. Be as specific as you can be, realizing that your vision and the steps you take may change or be clarified as you move forward.
Long-Term – This list is for all the things that you will do three years or more down the road. While the action steps on this list may seem a long way off, the act of writing them down will make them seem more tangible and doable. That alone will create some excitement and passion to keep the ball rolling.
3. Take action. Start on the things that are in the Immediate Category. What can you start doing right now that will move you closer to your ideal life? Each week, over the next six months, review this list and determine what action items to work on.
Stop feeling badly that you’re not where you want to be. Stop making excuses why the timing is not right. And start creating your ideal life NOW.
