My mantra for a long time was…go as fast as possible at ALL times!
So, let me start by saying “go slow to go fast” has been a learned behavior on my part.
Our capacity to grow and change is enormous and… it’s within our control. In learning how to slow down and reflect and savor the good feelings (and also learn how to be with the not so great feelings) I have found that I can ultimately move faster towards to my goals and dreams for one reason. I have a clear vision of what I want.
But, when I don’t take the time to get clear on my vision, well, there can be a lot of floundering around. Though, it’s not necessarily easy to recognize that you’re floundering around, because you may be running around, doing this and that, and generally feeling productive and busy and happy with yourself.
There’s a couple of things you can do to check yourself and determine if you are, in fact, on track. Ask yourself the following questions:
- “Where am now on a scale of 1-10 with my vision?” Where 10 means that I have completely reached my vision and 1 means the opposite.
- “If I were to move up just one step on this scale, what would be different for me?”
- “What is the one specific action or step I can take this week to help me get to the next step?”
Here’s the key thing to remember, if you’re on the lower end of the scale, then there is only ONE thing to do, go slow to go fast and get back to your vision. When our vision is murky, our actions follow and they too can be murky and undefined.
This is the perfect time of the year to go slow to go fast. Forget the platitudes and resolutions and forget the list of all the things that are wrong with your life.
Focus on your vision. What’s next for you? In your life, your work, where you live, how you live, your relationships. What does that look like and feel like? What are you doing? Who are with? You can journal, doodle, create a vision board, or just think about it. Don’t overcomplicate it. But, once you have your vision, write it down. You want to see your vision and read it on a daily basis. You’d be amazed at how well this works in bringing your vision to life. Use the questions above on a weekly basis to check your progress and keep adjusting and redefining your actions as needed.
You don’t need anyone’s permission to be your authentic self. You are the expert of your life.
Our life experiences and choices become the laboratory for our own investigation of what is and isn’t working in our lives. If you don’t take the time to investigate, you may wake up one day and find you are living someone else’s vision. Maybe that’s happening to you now. It has definitely happened to me. And then I decided it was time to bet on me and be the expert of my life.
When we align to our vision, we feel good about our lives and we are in a better position to help others. Each of us has the ability to ignite positive change in our lives through our work, through our buying decisions, through our friendships and partnerships, and through our communities; which all translates into making a positive impact in the world.
