Oftentimes on social media or even in our own friends’ circles, we see “the best” of someone or an illusion of “the best” that someone wants us to see. You might have a friend who frequently shares their luxurious life – from amazing trips to fancy cars. Maybe someone else posts about winning award after award. There might even be someone in your life who appears to have the perfect relationship. It is wonderful to celebrate your friends’ success and achievements. Share in their happiness and be proud of them, but don’t allow their success to diminish your own sense of worth.
If you become so wrapped up in achieving the lives of others you may miss out on the life that truly makes you happy. Behind all their shared success there can also be unhappiness, loneliness, and pain that they are not willing to share. In order to achieve the life that makes you happy you have to know what fills you with joy. So I ask, do you know what makes you happy? When you envision living your happiest life, what does it look like? Have you ever thought about it before? Let’s do a quick activity.
Activity
Grab a journal or a laptop, whatever your writing instrument of choice is. Find a quiet place and spend at least 30 minutes writing down what you want your life to look like. Answer the following questions. Ten years from now, what does your life look like? Who is in it? Where are you? Where are you in your career? What have you achieved? What impact have you had? What do your relationships look like? Be sure to consider your health and faith throughout this process.
After you answer these questions, I want you to take all of your answers and summarize them into one sentence that inspires you. This is your vision statement. It is the future you want to achieve. From here on out this statement will act as your north star. This is part of developing your Strategic Life Plan© (SLP). Your Strategic Life Plan can help you achieve the life you want by keeping you focused on your priorities and establishing measurable goals to achieve success. Other people are not your competition, you are. So set yourself up for success.
Three (3) tips for achieving your vision
- Always strive to be better than you were yesterday. Compete against yourself. You get to decide what success is for you. You determine what your goals are. Maybe you choose a health goal and today you will eat better or run farther than you did yesterday. Maybe you choose a productivity goal or what about a relationship or career goal?
- Set goals that are meaningful to you. You should be working towards the life that makes you proud and the one you want to live. Don’t strive for the life someone else shows you. You get to determine what success is for you. Your goals should align with your vision. They should help you achieve the vision you have set for yourself.
- Remember to put your health and wellbeing first. You can’t be the best boss, parent, spouse, or friend if you are not feeling your best.
Use these three tips to keep your focus on achieving your vision, not someone else’s. Emerge Brighter makes achieving success attainable so you can live the life you want. Stay tuned for more Strategic Life Planning tips and resources.