Focus On Your Future
Original photography posted on Unsplash by Katie Drazdauskaite.
Original article posted at Gail Doby.
Everyone faces challenges during their lives but rather than focusing on the “woulda, coulda, shoulda’s” focus instead on how to use past experiences to your advantage. What seemed like roadblocks can be used to help you to be better able to get through adversity and become stronger because of those experiences. The bigger the challenge can translate into the bigger the opportunity for growth. Challenges make life interesting and often it is overcoming those challenges that help us to shape a more positive future, so focus on using them to do just that.
Don’t spend too much time on rethinking the past. Focus on the fact that challenges build strength and character, see that as a positive and then identify how you can use those experiences to your advantage and move forward. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “the best way to predict your future is to create it.” So focus on creating your future rather than reliving your past. If you find yourself overwhelmed by what has happened in the past and you are stuck – then search out help and guidance to help you get refocused and back on track.
Do spend time on identifying what we like to call “Big Hairy Audacious Goals”, lay out a three-year plan, and then clarify what needs to be done to make those big moves in your business to be able to reach those goals.
Don’t forget to regularly allow yourself time and find or create an environment to help yourself stay focused on your future and the future of your business. Taking a break to spend time in nature – whether it’s an early morning walk or blocking out a short time during the day – can allow you some quiet time to be open to those subconscious thoughts and ideas. You might set your alarm just 15-20 minutes earlier each morning and use that time to meditate or journal – or combine time spent in nature with your meditation or journaling.
Keep a sense of optimism and stay open to and be ready to embrace new ideas, new technologies and new experiences. Remember that if you have set goals and clarified how you will reach those goals, you need to stay true to what you have identified as your future self and future business. Don’t let yourself get drawn back into past mistakes. When that starts to happen and you may have the opportunity for a huge design job with a client who does not fit your ideal profile and you have already identified those red flags that signal past challenges – trust your instincts and back away. That is when you rely on the lessons learned from the past and they will steer you away from a repeat performance!
And as you plan your future, keep in mind the advice of French poet, Anatole France: “To accomplish great things, we must not only act but also dream. Not only plan but also believe.”