Sometimes the simplest tools can lead us to our biggest breakthroughs. Here are three tips that can help you achieve the vision you have for yourself.
Visualize Your Way to Success
If you have a pair of scissors, some old magazines, glue or tape, and some sort of poster board or canvas, you can make your own vision board. You don't need to be a talented artist - you really don't even need to be particularly creative - the purpose is to make your vision come alive through meaningful images.
You can cut out pictures, single words, and entire quotes - anything that you can dream of! Choose images that really resonate with the goals you have. You can create multiple boards if you're the type of person who loves organization - for instance, one board for your personal goals, another for business oriented ones.
To get the most out of this exercise, I recommend setting aside about an hour where you'll be undisturbed. Remember, there is no right or wrong way to create your board - have fun with this!
A Secret Productivity Tool
Journaling is an excellent way to discover more about yourself - but did you know it can actually be a powerful productivity tool? In a Forbes.com article called The #1 Productivity Tool You Aren't Using, author Dorie Clark cites Harvard Business School professor Teresa Amabile who says journaling is one of the top strategies for enhancing your professional performance over time.
Keeping a journal can help you record little victories you might otherwise overlook. And, you can "leverage the progress principle and allow yourself to get that boost from realizing you are making progress", explains Amabile. You can also write down setbacks that happen in your life so that you can become more aware of how you might eliminate what's stopping you from achieving the progress you want.
If journaling is new to you, I suggest starting small - give it a try for a month to determine if it's a good fit for you. Try to journal at the same time each day to make a ritual out of the practice - the key is to remain consistent.
Create the Space You Need to Think
"Clutter gets in the way of being able to see the life you want." -Warren Talbot
If you think the only purpose of de-cluttering is to have a neater, more organized home (and maybe so your husband will stop nagging you to get rid of some of your shoes!), think again. De-cluttering is a powerful tool you can use to create some space in your life to finally achieve the clarity you need to get your goals in order, and ultimately, achieve them.
In a Forbes.com article, author Laura Shin shares the story of Betsy and Warren Talbot, a couple who decided to spend the remainder of their lives travelling. It took them two years of selling before they actually embarked on their worldwide voyage. Now living their vision of a "dream life", their journey inspired them to pen several books.
Warren Talbot explains that one of the steps they took to achieve their goal was de-cluttering. Clutter, says Warren, keeps us tied down and makes it that much more challenging to actually envision the life that we really want to achieve.
Here's my tip to get the best results: Think simple, five-minute changes at a time. This way, you're less likely to fall victim to feeling overwhelmed. As it can easily happen. Set aside just 5 minutes a day and commit to taking a few steps toward de-cluttering - sort a portion of your closet, 1 or 2 drawers, a few files in your desk...
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