To ensure success in achieving your goals, you must have an authentic and honest starting point. It is important to know where you are trying to go and be clear about your destination. But it is equally important to know where you starting from, which requires you to take an honest look at yourself. You cannot start from what sounds good or what makes a good story. It is crucial to start from the true essence of where you are. If you don’t, you will only be cheating yourself.
Please allow the following 5 steps to help guide you in creating your own unique and authentic starting point!
Step 1: Ask yourself… “What do I want?”
With the billions of people that are on the earth, we don’t all want the same things. Everyone does not want to drive a Range Rover. Everyone does not want to live in a mansion. Everyone does not have the desire to be rich. You can copy what other people want or have, but it may not necessarily bring you happiness. Your desires and wants should be unique to you. Only you know what you want. If you don’t know, this is a wonderful time to explore!
Step 2: Be specific!
What does it look like? What does it sound like? What color is it? What does it feel like? Be clear and concise in what you want. See the vision before you physically have it. No one wants to travel on a journey and not know their destination. Living with purpose and vision can relieve you of unwanted stress. If you say you need more money, be specific. A vague description would be… “I want to earn more money.” A more specific description would be “I want to earn $10,000 a month.” You have to have it in your mind before you can have it in physical form.
Step 3: Take an Honest Look at your Obstacles.
By avoiding this step, it can be a crucial mistake!
It is often overlooked and leads to self-sabotage.
You must be truthful with yourself about what has held you back.
You don’t have to tell everyone else, but you MUST be honest with yourself. What has stopped you in the past? What were your obstacles? Acknowledge your behavior that contributed to not getting the outcome you would have preferred.
Once you have acknowledged your part in the situation, there is no need to beat yourself up over it. This only establishes your starting point!
Dr. Phil McGraw stated, “You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge.”
You cannot move forward if you don’t know where you are.
Blaming others will only hinder your progress. Blame creates cobwebs around your dreams. It is possible that you did not receive the support you would have preferred. Those people may have been wrong, disrespectful, dishonest, or unsupportive. However, we cannot change other people. We only have control over changing ourselves. Those people may have taught you in reverse of what NOT to do. We must acknowledge we cannot change the past!
If you are living in the past, I guarantee you cannot clearly see your future.
It is like driving a car from California to Nevada, but you are only looking in your rear-view mirror the entire trip. If you only look in your rear-view mirror, you will certainly run into something. Furthermore, rear-view mirrors are smaller than front windshields for a reason…lol!
Nevertheless, the point that is being made here is…
Never beat yourself up over the past, but acknowledge where you are so you can heal, move forward, and improve.
Step 4: Get Help from Those Who Are Where You Want to Be.
There is no shame in getting help when it is needed. Sometimes, we don’t know where to start and we have to look to mentors, counselors, tutors, advisors, and prayer to assist us in getting direction and clarity. Seeking advice may come from various forms, including verbal and written communication.
Maya Angelou stated, “When you know better, you do better.”
With all due respect, do not seek advice from people who are where you don’t want to be. They may be wonderful people with great testimonies, by which some aspects are valuable in relaying to you what not to do, but it should NEVER be your sole source of direction to get you to your destiny.
If you want to know how to have a loving and happy marriage, do not seek advice from someone who is not happily married. You want to seek advice from someone who is in a loving and happy marriage.
If you want to know how to be wealthy, do not seek advice from someone who is living paycheck to paycheck and barely able to pay their bills. You want to get advice from someone who is wealthy and has more than enough money to meet all of their needs.
If you want to know how to stay out of jail, do not seek advice from someone who is always in jail. You want to seek advice from someone who knows how to stay out of jail.
You get the point from here!
Step 5: Expect change and be in position to receive it.
When you are at the starting point of a race, you don’t know everything that is going to happen before you get to the finish line. You are not going to know all of the details from the starting point to the finish line. You may not even know who will still be in the race with you when you reach the finish line. But the crucial factor is to put yourself (as best you can) in the best position to reach the finish line and expect nothing less!
In using the analogy of a race, there are some things you are going to have to do beforehand to be in position to successfully reach the finish line.
Just to name a few…
- You will have to train to strengthen your stamina and endurance.
- You will have to wear the proper clothing and gear to be comfortable.
- You will have to get a health check to ensure optimum health.
- You have to make sure your body is hydrated and have enough water.
These are some of the things you would have to do beforehand to ensure you can successfully reach the finish line.
Well, your goals are the same way!
You must put yourself in position that it has already happened. Test drive the car you want. Make sure you have all of the proper paperwork organized and ready. Get your parking space ready and make plans for any old cars. Go to an Open House in the area you want to live. Experience walking in the house and feel the feelings of having it already. Drive in the neighborhood where you want to live. If you want more money, make sure your current finances are in order. Know exactly what is coming in and what is going out. Eliminate unnecessary expenses. Make sure your wallet is organized and big enough to accommodate the increase. If you desire a mate, be clear about what type of person you want to have. More importantly, make sure you have healed any baggage from your past. Make sure you have healed any past relationship drama or mommy and daddy drama first. It is not fair to bring that drama into a new relationship. Create the best version of yourself on the inside and outside.
By taking action and expecting change, you are walking by faith.
2 Corinthians 5:7(New King James Version) “We walk by faith, not by sight.”
Fear of the unknown will keep you stuck and stagnant and we are no longer living in that space.
It’s a New Day!
Regardless of what has been, you can change the way you think and behave today.
Be excited about the new direction of your journey!
Be bold in who you want to be and what you want to achieve.
Be bold in encouraging a better you!
