Design Your Year: Taking Action
Last week I made an attempt to convince you that setting goals rather than resolutions was the best way forward for you to have an awesome year — as you are back and reading this then — woo hoo! — my pleas were not in vain.
If you are just discovering Design Your Year then head to my first article to get you started with aims, ambitions and planning them out.
Enjoy reading!
Today — we are going to move on from our planning stages and head into taking action.
After all you can visualise as much as you want but the only way you will see and experience progress is if you actually go out and do it.
I was once asked at a coaching seminar what is the best piece of advice anyone has ever given me — that is a whopper of a question folks and it took me a while to really think it through (don’t get excited now — I wasn’t singled out as some guru — we were all asked the same question)
Truthfully, I had to credit my dear dad with this one:
JFDI
Not the most PC but it’s punchy and it works.
Whenever I came up with a teenage ‘lazy’ excuse or mid-20’s meltdown his reassuring tone was there along with the proverbial kick up the rear — stop wittering, faffing and panicking and just f*****g do it.
I hasten to add that I have never actually heard my father use the F-word, however, when he mentioned JFDI I knew exactly what he meant — stop worrying, start small, do 1 thing however innocuous it may seem — but just go and start.
You have to start somewhere
And that’s the point — often by just starting something whether it’s a new project, taking that box of unwanted stuff to the charity shop, going for that walk, emailing your boss to say you want to talk about your progression — we can diminish the worry, the fear and halt the faffing in it’s tracks.
By taking one step in doing something we want to and that we have a goal for, we have proven to ourselves (and perhaps to a few others) that we are capable, that there is a way forwards and that we can go for it.
Feeling inspired and energised? Great! Read on to make sure you are taking the right actions at the right time.
Key Questions
Clients of mine often don’t know where to start — the old adage of not being able to see the wood for the trees often crops up so we work together to gain clarity on what they could do, what they definitely will not do and what they ultimately will do.
We all panic if we feel we don’t know what to do or we do know but have no idea when we should do what we know we should do. Eurghhhh — what exhausting and time wasting thoughts.
How do we untangle that inner mess? With some classic and fantastic coaching questions of course!
Next time you are in a quandary, not sure how to start or what to do have a think through these gems to help you regain sanity and push yourself to just “ahem” do it:
- What is the easiest thing you can do to start that will take you closer to your goal?
- What would be a quick win — something you can do in 24 hours or less and see the benefit of?
- What action would bring about the biggest change or propulsion towards your goal?
- What would be the hardest step and how can you make it easier?
- Who can help you? When can you ask them? Don’t forget to say “please”
There’s a multitude of questions we can ask ourselves to help get us going and keep us going — don’t worry we’ll come to tackling obstacles in due course.
For now though — just take that first, initial tiny step — yes you may stumble, hell you may fall but you will always get up again and find a way.
Kx
For more help with achieving your career, confidence and life goals — talk to Kate: coach@kate-bishop.co.uk
