You can (and you will) plan ahead for your ideal life
Start with a plan
By Jennifer Hakim, founder and director of Jennifer Hakim Communications, a marketing and PR agency for mindful businesses.
I remember the days when I just followed a path without any awareness, working jobs because they were the logical next step fresh from university. After a few years I realised living this way wasn’t leading me anywhere near my end goals, or dream life - in fact I didn’t even know my goals because I hadn’t taken the time to put them down on paper. But a life-affirming burnout and months of depression allowed me to press the reset button and establish what really, truly made me happy, and where I actually wanted to go. I created a masterplan for my life (leaving no area out), starting with my career, and have been sticking to the plan ever since. Although there is always room for spontaneity and the unexpected, mindfully holding the reigns for my life has been revolutionary and has boosted my confidence: It has allowed me to advance fast and efficiently build my the life I wanted, without wasting time on what is unnecessary (or unworthy of my efforts). Here’s how you too can become the confident architect of your dream life, starting with your career.
Start With a Plan
Create a masterplan of your life with the steps taking you to your end goal, while keeping the door open for spontaneity. Having clear goals helps you keep your eyes on the prize and go through struggles, whether in your career or personal life. Draw that plan on paper, and take your time to do it. Leave no area out, starting with your career, relationships and home life. Considering your life is your big project, view this plan as the base of your project. The overall framework is the first step before you can go into detail of what your passions, strengths, weaknesses and dreams are (and the steps to get there). This process will change your life, as you will know where you’re headed, and why you’re going there in the first place.
Be Truthful
While making your plan and steps, take realistic and truthful notes of your strengths and weaknesses, and what makes you happy and miserable. Be honest while doing so, as this plan is just for your benefit, and its sole purpose is to bring you your best life on a silver platter. Be respectful of your passions and your least favourite things, as only a totally honest map of your personality will guide you in the direction of your perfect career. You need to really know yourself to be able to build a life that is tailor-made for you. This works for all areas of life, from career to home life. For example, if you know you have an entrepreneurial profile, don’t limit yourself to executive jobs. If you know you like spending time in and ‘hygge’, don’t settle for a flat that doesn’t feel like you.
Break Obstacles One by One
Most obstacles to our dreams are in our heads. We often make up these obstacles to distract ourselves from the responsibility that comes with living our dreams. This is true for everything in life, starting with our careers. It is never too late to reboot and start over, so don’t let the fear of making a mistake stop you. List the obstacles you feel are in the way of your dream career, and find a way around them one by one. There can be many plans within the masterplan, and overcoming each obstacle can take an actual detailed plan with specific steps, but it will be worth it once you realise you have broken each one of your limits to be truly happy. You’ll soon look back on these obstacles and wonder why you ever let them stop you.
Take Action
Once listed, obstacles seem much smaller than they once seemed in our heads. Once you have put them down on paper and have cooked up a plan to overcome each one of them, you can now take mindful action. This means taking it one step at a time, having assessed all the tools you have and all risks, to pull through the fear and run to the finish line. We often feel like we are not good enough or do not have enough resources to hit our goals. In most cases, we are wrong and underestimating our own capacity to bounce back. All we need to do is stop making excuses for ourselves and start taking action. This works for all areas of life, from fitness to ethical business. For example, if you want to be seen as a spokesperson for a cause that is close to your heart, but feel you are limited by your network, list everyone you would like to be connected to in relation to this goal, then get in touch with every single one of them. One person will eventually respond and give you a hand (people are nicer than you think). No one is going to come pull you out of your house to offer you your dream career, you have to be active (and selective) for it to happen.
Give Yourself Credit
While the journey to your dream life may be long, give yourself some credit for your accomplishments along the way. Every new step you take is a step closer to your end goal, whether it is finishing up your CV or getting a promotion. When it comes to business, you will take so much pleasure becoming the conscious architect of your dream career that you will want to celebrate each step, small or not. You’ll know your efforts are targeted and you’re not wasting time or energy on anything that is not serving your purpose. So reward yourself. I was a freelancer for years before I launched my agency, and bought myself a gift when I got fully booked by clients. This was an important step that needed celebrating, and the day was marked in my calendar. I knew I had come a long way and was headed in the right direction. The bonus of rewarding yourself (whether it is a self-pat on the back or jewellery) is that it will instantly boost your confidence and self love.
Life isn’t always easy and you may feel many obstacles get in the way to your big dreams, but it doesn’t have to be all bad. If you are lucky enough to be free in this world, you have the power to build the perfect life for yourself, so embrace it! You can start with your career plan and by sticking to it: establish what the big end goal is, all the steps that will take you there, and what is necessary to reach these steps, and get going. Think of your life the way an architect would go about building a house: It takes some serious planning, consideration of external factors and the unexpected, and of course a huge sense of accountability and responsibility to build your perfect life, but it’s all worth it in the end.
Advancing in life while being mindful of your strengths, weaknesses, dreams, goals and passions will help you achieve even more greatness than you initially imagined.
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