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Give Your Life Direction
by
T.W. Winslow
Life is a grand journey indeed, but without direction it's easy to get
lost along the way. Direction also serves to keep us focused and helps
us to maintain a positive outlook. In my own life, I've found three
basic principles helpful in adding direction and increasing positive
forward momentum; Establishing Goals, Maneuvering Past Obstacles, and
Conquering Problems.
Establishing Goals
Setting goals is one way to give our lives direction and purpose.
Without these, it's easy to fall into the trap of running in circles –
never achieving what we want in life.
When setting goals it's important to set both long and short term goals.
One function of your short term goals is to keep you on track to
accomplishing your long term goals. Think of it this way; your long term
goals are something you put up on a high shelf, and your short term
goals are the ladder you use to reach that shelf – each rung of the
ladder being a different short term goal. With each step up the ladder
you achieve another short term goal and get just that much closer to
achieving your long term goals.
When you apply this "ladder" approach to setting and achieving goals,
you do two things: First, you give yourself positive reinforcement by
achieving a different goal with each step up the ladder. This gives you
a feeling of success and provides a sense of continual forward motion –
forever moving closer to your long term goals. Secondly, your short term
goal ladder provides you with a roadmap of sorts – guiding you to your
long term goals.
No matter what goals you set for yourself, this simple technique can
help keep you focused and positive, better allowing you to achieve
success.
Maneuvering Past Obstacles
Even with the best of planning, one thing is certain – life will always
throw us a curve ball. It's not possible to make contingency plans for
all possible obstacles that may block our path down the road. A more
realistic approach is to simply accept the fact that along our life's
journey we will encounter obstacles. By accepting this fact and
resolving in our minds that when we encounter these obstacles we will
not allow them to impede our forward progress, we better enable
ourselves to deal with these situations when they arise.
Think of it as going on a road-trip. You select your destination and
carefully plan your route. You pack your bags and have the car serviced
in preparation for the trip. You've done all things necessary to ensure
a safe and enjoyable journey. However, after driving only a short
distance you encounter an unexpected detour. This wasn't part of your
original plan and certainly wasn't accounted for in the route you
designed. What do you do? Do you stop and do nothing? Do you turn your
car around and head for home? Of course not. You assess the situation,
check your map for the best way around the obstacle, follow whatever
detour signs may be posted, and continue
on.
Accepting the fact that we will encounter obstacles along our journey is
the first step to being able to maneuver around these when they
inevitably arise.
Conquering Problems
Conquering problems and maneuvering past obstacles go hand in hand. One
key in effectively dealing with the problems we face is dispatching them
as quickly as we encounter them. Ignoring problems may work in the short
term, but without fail these problems return, and when they do, they are
often much larger and more difficult to manage.
Unfortunately, there will be times when we are faced with problems that
appear ominous – problems of such magnitude we feel overwhelmed and
helpless to resolve them. When we encounter these types of problems it
is crucial that we don't focus on the problem as a whole. Typically
these ominous problems are not just one problem, but rather a series of
small problems all rolled into one.
Break down the problem into parts. Then focus on resolving one part at a
time. Just as the short-term goal ladder gives us confidence and
direction, so does conquering each part of a large problem one by one.
As we move forward, solving parts of the larger problem, we get a sense
of accomplishment which provides us with the confidence and direction
needed to continue on. Before we know it, that once ominous problem is
now completely and effectively resolved, allowing us to get back on
track.
One last thing about conquering problems; sometimes, no matter how hard
we try, there will be problems which cannot be solved – problems which
are out of our control. When we encounter these types of problems we
need to recognize them for what they are and focus our energy on
revising our "roadmap" rather than butting our heads against something
which is not within our control and cannot be changed. I once heard it
said, "If there is a solution to the problem, why be unhappy? If there's
not a solution to the problem, why be unhappy?
Give your life direction – set some goals, design your own life's
roadmap, have the courage and confidence to move past whatever obstacles
and problems block your way. Remember, life stands still for no one. If
we're not moving forward, we most assuredly are falling behind. And
perhaps most importantly, don't forget to enjoy the journey itself.
Happiness and fulfillment are meant to be found along the way, not some
prize to be had at the journey's end.
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