The Creative Genius Corner
Lessons, musings and advice from the author of ‘The Life I Won’
When Setting Goals Feels Like The Last Thing You Want To Do…
We hit the start of a new year, a new relationship, a new job, a new business and feel motivated to do it better this time. Drawing on all our previous experience (failures and successes) the beginning of anything always feels like an opportunity to reinvent and refresh.
But how often do you end up making the same old mistakes or feeling like it’s Groundhog Day?
It’s the same with goal setting, we are in the second month of the year and everybody and their granny started the year by talking about setting goals and going for it in 2022.
But what if in February you still haven’t been able to get your goals written down?
Or maybe you have written them but don’t feel connected to them. You look at the piece of paper, the planner or diary and feel BLEURGH. It’s like someone else wrote them and you feel anxious and overwhelmed that everyone else is nailing it and shouting about success and you are still in the same place.
You are not alone, gorgeous, believe me. I have spoken to so many creative women this year so far who feel the same. So how do you manage to connect and feel motivated by your goals again?
It starts with connecting to YOU!
How do you feel?
I am not being polite here; I genuinely want you to ask yourself that question right now.
Are you happy?
Are you doing the thing you love doing right now?
How much time are you investing in your own growth and development?
How happy is your relationship with yourself?
How busy are you?
What are the other relationships like in your life?
How much do you love your job or business?
How healthy are you?
How are you creatively expressing yourself?
There are a lot of questions there, I want you to answer all of them. How you feel and how you want to feel is everything. I set ‘Feel Goals’ with my clients, because it is just as important to know how you want to feel as it is to achieve the more tangible things such as money or other assets.
How often are you doing the things that bring you the most joy?
What is it that brings you joy?
How is that thing linked to your earnings?
What changes do you want to make in your life now to do this more often? If not now, when?
When you make money from the thing that brings you the most joy, it genuinely doesn’t feel like work. I can vouch for this as I am doing it right now in sharing what I know with you. I want you to imagine yourself creating a life filled with joy and feel it.
How often are you listening to and comparing yourself to others?
Stop for a moment and listen to the voice in your head that is telling you that you can’t, or you shouldn’t. Whose voice, is it? When you scroll on social media and compare yourself to others, how do you feel? What does this do to your self-worth?
Here are my suggestions for you to reconnect with who you are and what you really want:
- What keeps you awake at night?
Are you worried about not hitting your targets at work or does the thought of going to your day job fill you with dread? Think about how aligned you feel with the responsibilities you have and work that you do. Maybe you are doing what you love but not making any money. What action have you taken to remedy this, because if it keeps you awake at night and you do nothing then you are going to be really tired by the end of the year. Act now.
- Obstacles. Time to be honest, what or WHO is holding you back? If you are making no progress you need to analyse if it’s you or someone close to you that is in your way. Maybe it’s circumstances beyond your control like health or even money issues. Identifying exactly what the boulders are on your road to success and finding the help to move them to the side so you can pass can bring huge epiphanies in your planning. Be honest and see those boulders for what they are.
- Your real secret desires. Remember when you were young and ready to take on the world, what was it that you wanted to be? Did you sing at the top of your voice into a hairbrush in front of the mirror and picture yourself on stage in front of millions of adoring fans? Maybe you saw yourself as the great artist opening a major exhibition that instantly sold out? How often do you lean into these desires now and bring them into the real world by setting goals around them? Don’t let them slip away, tap into what will truly make you happy.
- What makes you angry? Think about this, when you hear yourself complaining to a friend or family member what or who are you complaining about? Are you angry at them, the situation or yourself? Anger can be present in our lives because of our own lack of courage to face and deal with people or situations. The boss is constantly bugging you and you suck it up because you need the job and the money, guess what, they are also stealing your happiness. Act now.
- What are you afraid of? What is the cost of you not acting and what is the cost of you acting? Think about the cost to your happiness as well as your pocket if you stay in that job you hate. What if you changed things and started the business you loved, it may cost you a predictable income for a short while, but the improvement on your joy cannot be measured in cold hard cash. We often stay way too long in relationships, career’s and underperforming businesses without seeking help or advice to change things. Make 2022 the year to stop being afraid.
My objective in writing this blog was to get those cogs whirring at a time when you may feel a little less overwhelmed than at the start of the year. Everyone launches into January with resolutions, goals, and big ideas. 80% of people have failed or given up by February. That is OK, but I don’t want you to take that lack of fight into the remainder of the year.
Find the fight, find the warrior, and bring her to the surface now.
You’ve got this creative lady, I see you.