Create Your Best Life – Part 2

Turning Insight Into Action!

Welcome back!  If you implemented some (or all) of the recommended practices described in part 1 of this series, you likely have additional insight into things you want to change, explore, or create in your life.  In this post, we’re going to talk about taking that insight and moving to a place of action.  The action you will take is unique to you and what you’re working to achieve, change, or create.  Therefore, this post is focused on helping you create action-oriented lifestyle habits that will support you on your unique journey.  Before we dive in, let’s take a moment to celebrate you and your commitment to creating the life you want.

Moving from insight to action requires:

• Living with intention
• Creating a plan
• Implementing a support structure that works for you

It’s helpful to look at these as practices you will continually revisit and refine, as opposed to steps in a process that you check-off.  As you gain more clarity through action, you will hone your intention, refine your plan, and optimize your support structure. 

Live with Intention

Get clear on what you want and create lifestyle habits that support your intention.  The following steps can help you get clear on your intention:

• Step 1 – write your intention down.  Be specific about what you want and why.  Use words that evoke positive emotion and resonate with you.  For example, if you want to start your own business, your intention could be something like, “I will grow my own business so that I can decide which projects to work on and provide financially, physically, and emotionally for myself and my family.  
• Step 2 – spend time with your intention on a daily-basis.  Post your intention in several places around your home, car, office, phone – anywhere you will see it often.  When reading it, take the time to notice how it makes you feel.  Take time to visualize your intention.  Does it excite you, motivate you, and inspire you to keep going?  If not, consider refining it.
• Step 3 – tell people about it!  One of the best ways to get momentum going in the right direction is to tell people about your intention.  Find a friend, a loved one, or post it as a comment to this blog.  I’d love to hear from you!

Create a Plan

Once you have clear intention, you’re ready to create a plan to make your intention a reality.  There are many approaches to planning and I could write several posts on this subject alone.  For now, I’m going to keep it simple and recommend a few ways to approach your plan and some things to incorporate:

• Create a mission and vision statement to guide you
• Write down where you are now, where you are going, and steps to get there.
• Write down your long-term goals and break them down into smaller pieces e.g. lifetime goals > three year goals > one year goals > three month goals > one month goals > weekly goals > daily goals
• Spend time with your plan on a weekly basis to evaluate progress and refine your actions

There are many wonderful tools available to guide you in creating your plan.  One of my favorites is the Law of Attraction Planner by Freedom Mastery©.  You can find this planner and many more on Amazon.com.  After all, no need to recreate the wheel. 

Strong Support Structure

Last, but not least, you will need a strong support structure in place to help you on your journey.  By support structure, I’m referring to the people, institutions, and lifestyle-habits you put in place to help you achieve your goals and hold you accountable.  The support structure that will be most effective for you depends on your goals, self-discipline, time available, relationships, and resources.

Many people find the following support structures helpful:

• Join and participate in a group focused on your goal (in-person or virtual i.e. Facebook)
• Enroll in a program geared towards your goal e.g. if you want to become a health coach, enroll in a health coaching program
• Talk to your family and friends about support you need to be successful e.g. if you need to study in the evenings, you may need help from your partner with the children or making dinner
• Be conscious about your priorities and communicate them to the people in your life
• Create a schedule that makes time for your priorities – and stick to it!
• Find a mentor to learn from their experiences
• Hire a coach to help with accountability, motivation, and moving past blockages

We’ve covered a lot of ground in this post.  The most important things to remember are to trust the process and aim for progress over perfection.  You won’t have all the answers at the start.  You may even realize what you initially thought was your goal, is not at all what you want.  Embrace it.  That’s what keeps the journey interesting and how you create your best life!

I’d love to hear how you’re applying the practices covered in this post and the results you’re achieving. Please comment below.

Want to learn more about how taking care of your whole-self leads to greater health, stronger relationships, and the confidence to live big? I thought so…