We live through times when we have so much to focus on and so little time at hand. We need to do this project at the job, get the kids from school, and remember our marriage anniversary, Friday dinner night out and so on. Even the most organized people could get lost in this maze of responsibilities and tasks.
Hence, what is the tendency? We tend to place ourselves on what is similar to an auto pilot. This means that we focus on one thing and meanwhile say a couple of meaningless “yeses” and we are not even sure what to but we know yes is far more acceptable than no. and we end up doing a bunch of things we don’t actually want to, still miss a couple of important dates and not having time to figure out what the heck is going on in our lives.
So how can we fix this?
- Set a goal
It might sound silly but it helps a lot on the long term. Set a goal that represents something for you. A goal that can give you a path for the future, something you can focus on and envision. Maybe you could turn to a life coach in order to help you set and achieve certain goals. Take a look here at what life coaching really is about.
- Don’t use time as an excuse
I know even I use time as an excuse, from time to time. Get it? For example, I have been working full time jobs for the past years within fields that did not really interest me. I always loved reading and writing and I was in sales. What? People kept telling me try to find a job that involves writing but I always considered “N, I am already too old for that, I cannot change my career 100% now”. And look at me now. This is just an example but the point is, if you do like something, don’t give up on it, it gives you meaning and keeps you kicking.
- Get down to work
Having a vision, as mentioned above is a great first step but if you don’t start acting about it it will always remain a dream. You don’t have to make big moves at the very start but create a plan and try to stick to it, baby steps as it’s said.
- Follow your path
Many times we are tempted to “go with the crowd” because it’s the easiest way and nobody will judge us. However, in order to be able to follow your dreams you will be required to walk away from the beaten track and not be afraid of what people might think about you.
- Reconnect with your goals
It is a great idea to simply pause yourself at times and review what you achieved so far. Are you still on the right track? Notice if you went astray or adjust in case changes happened and just check in with yourself so you don’t have the feeling of just constantly going forward with no vision.
- Keep track
I know this will sound a little funny but think of it this way. If you try to keep track of things during the day, for instance how many times you said yes or no, how many people you met during the day, what your lunch was and so on, you are forced to pay attention and hit the pause button for a second.
As a conclusion, the point is not to examine and analyze your each and every move just to be a little more attentive to the actions you are taking and the results they have. Try not to go on the so called auto pilot for so long without giving your actions a thought and without having a plan.
