“So long as the thoughts of an individual are scattered he will achieve no results, but if his thinking be concentrated on a single point wonderful will be the fruits thereof.” – Abdu’l-Baha
It all started with a New Year’s resolution of fiscal and physical fitness. To be honest, at that point I was equally motivated by the alliteration as I was the potential for personal transformation. In hindsight, that year’s resolution seemed to come at a turning point in my adulthood and it has dictated the trajectory of my career and hobbies. Up until college, I led a relatively healthy lifestyle. With my parents at the helm, I ate home cooked meals, swam competitively, and participated in myriad activities that supported my spiritual and social development. Much of that slowly went by the wayside in college and health-wise, things became downright out of control in my first job after graduation. The resolution of fiscal and physical fitness was my first attempt to turn it all around. I figured that finite and focused goals would help turn my ambitions into reality. And they did. That year, I joined our local YMCA, faced my aversion to running, and began cooking and eating at home more regularly. Those small changes created the foundation upon which I’ve structured my habits, interests, and goals for the last eight years.
Though, I’m sure many things have contributed to my growth, these 4 steps below are imperative.
Identify the area of proposed improvement.
Write it down!
This may be self-explanatory for goals that are quantifiable, but I also do this with less concrete goals as well. Often, my areas of improvement are virtues I’d like to cultivate. In that case, the process usually begins and ends right here. I find a quote that inspires me to explore a virtue and I tack it up in a location that I’ll see frequently (usually at my desk). Over time I become accustomed to it and stop glancing at it as frequently, but by the time that happens, I’ve already made much progress. The Passion Planner has also been instrumental in helping me to record and track these more amorphous goals.
Establish a reasonable deadline or timeframe for execution.
The key here is to determine an ideal schedule. A fitness goal or desire to practice mindfulness might require a daily work, whereas a goal to experience more art might end up on a monthly schedule. Whatever the goal, it’s important to have some way of tracking your progress.
Find someone to help you be accountable.
A good friend has recently helped me formalize my own process. We established quarterly goals in a number of areas of our lives and are chatting via phone biweekly to discuss our progress.
For me, going through this exercise regularly seems to prime my thoughts and actions for continual improvement. And there’s nothing like realizing you’re forging the path to becoming exactly who you want to be.
“Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habits, your habits become your values, your values become your destiny.”
-Mahatma Ghandi
