Try to gain insight into what triggers you to react rather than respond thoughtfully.
“I want to move up in life, but I’m so busy.” “I have an idea of how I want to progress, but I can’t prioritize.” Does this sound familiar? Whether it’s getting a degree to get further in your career or improving your personal health and wellness routine, it’s important to have goals. It’s equally easy to believe there’s no room in your daily routine to add the steps necessary to work toward something new. If we let it, life can stand in the way of achieving our goals.
So what can we do to remove those mental blocks? To change your life, you need to change your priorities. Don’t wait – your life is not a dress rehearsal. Times are tough, but choosing to see the windows of opportunity taking action toward accomplishing your dreams, ideas and goals is one of the most rewarding things we can do for ourselves that will have a material impact on our lives. So it’s time to get to work, without getting overwhelmed.
To do that, follow the “rocks and sand” method. Everyone has two kinds of rocks representing what they want to do and achieve: big rocks and small rocks.
Big rocks represent your non-negotiable goals, dreams, and priorities. They’re different for everyone, but some examples are eating healthy, traveling abroad, spending time with family, going to the gym, and launching your dream business.
Small rocks represent the activities you should do and you enjoy doing, but aren’t absolutely critical. For example: brainstorming a new project, watching a favorite TV show, trying a new recipe, practicing guitar, catching up on your favorite blogs, and leading a book club.
And finally, the sand. Grains of sand represent the mundane, day-to-day tasks you’re responsible for doing. You know the drill: doing laundry, paying the bills, checking email, taking your kids to soccer, walking the dog, and going grocery shopping.
Our goals slip out of reach when we let the sand take over too much of our time, consuming our energy and leaving the big rocks by the wayside.
5 Tips to Help You Focus on the “Big Rocks” of Your Life & Achieve Your Dreams
TIP #1 Make a list every week.
Every Sunday night, write out the big priorities you want to achieve. These will get you closer to achieving your dreams, so it’s key to keep them attainable. Focus on your top three goals, write them down, and check-in throughout the week to make sure you’re making time for yourself.
TIP #2 Schedule your “big rocks.”
Schedules don’t need to be reserved for daily tasks. To make sure you’re setting time aside to focus on your big rocks, pencil it in. Giving these more lofty goals their own time slot on your to-do list will bring them down to earth, and you closer to getting them done.
TIP #3 Get support & be accountable.
By enlisting the help of an accountability partner, you’ll be more beholden to what you want to achieve. Tell your partner you’re going to the gym at 8 a.m. on Saturday no matter what. Tell your friend about your new website launch, and ask her to call about it. Get a babysitter if you need help with childcare. Everyone needs support to be successful.
TIP #4 Leave space for the small rocks & grains of sand.
Once you have your big-rock goals and tasks scheduled in, try to keep the rest of your calendar relatively free, giving you time to accomplish your less-important priorities and daily responsibilities.
TIP #5 Congratulate yourself.
It may sound funny, but we all could use a reminder to give ourselves more credit. When you’re pushing yourself to achieve something, it might be easy to focus on what you didn’t do that week or how you could be working harder. Instead, celebrate your success with your favorite dinner, a movie, or a glass of wine.
Remember: you are responsible for your life and what you make of it. Take control of that by organizing your schedule and your mindset. Big rocks, small rocks, and grains of sand can help you get to where you need to be.
Is Life Coaching right for you?
This approach to health is holistic. Every aspect of one’s life must be considered in order to thrive. A person’s health, nutrition, movement, environment, relationships, emotional health, and personal development are all connected and influence one another, which is why they need to be balanced. We can all thrive when we understand and appreciate the interconnection between our lives and our bodies. It often only takes a small change to have a huge impact on our well-being.
Are you curious about how easy-to-make changes can make a big difference in your health? Let’s talk!
Schedule a complimentary health coaching consultation with me today—or pass this offer on to someone you care about!
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