You’ve no doubt heard someone say, “It’s not that easy to do. [this] gold [that].” They go on to say that there is more to it than simply deciding that you will do something different. While the actual tasks to change one’s life can be challenging at the best of times, the decision itself is not difficult to make. In other words, he is It’s that easy, if you want it to be. The keys to making a decision and changing your life for the better include the following high-level steps:
1. Decide to do something different in your life
2. Visualize your desired end state
3. Believe that you can achieve what you have envisioned
4. Identify and take small steps towards your final visualized state every day
5. Celebrate each step taken
As you can see, first you make a decision. An example might be that you have always wanted to write a book, so you decide that you will be an author. At this point, don’t worry about how long it will take and the detailed steps involved. Your only thought at this step is that you have decided to become an author and write at least one book.
The next step is to visualize and see yourself as an author. You think of your book in the finished state. You can even display your book cover with your name on it. You can see it for sale in hardcover, paperback, and electronic format wherever books are sold. You see yourself signing copies of the book for your family, friends, and colleagues. In his mind, the book is already written and published. Again, at this stage you are not concerned with exactly how you will get to this point. It is important to create an image, as vivid as possible, of yourself achieving what you want. You will repeat this visualization exercise every day until you reach your goal.
The next step is to believe that you willpower achieve your goal. This is also a very important step. You have to believe deep within yourself that you will reach your goal. You must believe, because you will invariably find people who will tell you otherwise. In the example we are using, some people will tell you that it is very difficult to write a book. They’ll tell you that you don’t know anything about writing a book and wonder why you think you can do such a thing. The only thing that matters is what you you think and more importantly, what you believe.
Now that you believe you will achieve your goal and no one can stop you from reaching it, identify small steps that will help you achieve your goal. Once you’ve identified the small steps that lead to your goal, be sure to take one or more of these steps every day. If you miss a day or two, that’s not a problem. Just pick up where you left off and continue the next day. In the example of becoming an author, you might decide that every day you will write at least one sentence, paragraph, page, or chapter no matter what. You will find that some days the words flow like water and you will write a chapter. Other days, you may only be able to collect one prize. Alright. Whether you write a sentence or a chapter, you’ll be one step closer to achieving your goal at the end of each day.
The last important thing is to celebrate the achievement of your steps. Continuing the example used so far, you can celebrate the completion of each chapter by going out to dinner with friends in recognition of your achievement. Alternatively, the celebration can be as simple as taking a day off from writing and just thinking about the progress you’ve made. No matter how you choose to celebrate, just make sure it’s something meaningful to you.
Before you know it, you will have reached your goal. The steps outlined above can help you achieve almost any goal. The first step is the most important. You must make a decision. No matter what situation you find yourself in at this point in your life, the decision to achieve most, if not all, of your goals remains entirely yours.
