At some point in their lives, everyone hits a dead end, finds themselves in a rut, or feels trapped in a life they did not plan for themselves. This is just one aspect of life. It can be easy to let these periods in life stifle the potential you have, and this is why it is crucial to pull yourself out of the past. Whatever it is that is holding you down can be managed, and there is always a way to make your life better. It will not be easy, but it will be rewarding.
Here are 5 steps you can take to forge a fantastic future:
1. Let go of the past. If you hold on to mistakes, regret, or long for something or someone that is already gone, you will never see the road that is right in front of you. If you are plagued by regret, realize that every decision you made had led to you become a stronger individual. You have learned lessons from your mistakes and you need to forgive yourself so you can move on. If you missed incredible opportunities because you were afraid, you are still missing them because you are spending time thinking about the ones that are long gone. The only way to have a great future is to let go of the past. The good, the bad, and ugly. Learn from it, and move on.
2. Determine where you are in your life right now, and why it is not working for you. You cannot possibly know where to go next if you won’t accept your current position and what is wrong with it. If you are not happy, something is wrong. It could be your career, your family, your health, or your dreams. You are the only person that knows what you truly want in your life, and you need to evaluate it thoroughly before you can make changes.
3. Determine what your dreams and goals are. Odds are that if you are not happy, you have at least one thing wrong in your life that needs to be fixed. Most likely, there is more than one. The only way to start initiating change is to understand what you really want in life, and to make a list of your goals and dreams. These are very different. I dream of being a successful writer, making enough money to live comfortably on, and speaking to people about social issues. However, I need short-term and long-term goals to get me there.
4. Prioritize your dreams and set dates to accomplish them. You cannot commit until you put a timeline to something. I can dream all I want, but my dream will never come true if I do not make it a priority and hold myself accountable enough to reach each goal along the way. This is one of the most difficult parts because it requires a great deal of work and dedication. You cannot expect the world to hand you success on a platter, and you must put everything you have into making your dreams happen.
5. Reevaluate and remind yourself of your dreams regularly. You need to check in every week, every two weeks, or at least monthly. Look at your progress, make sure you are on track, and if not, remind yourself of why it is important to you. If you change your mind along the way, that is fine, you can change your list if necessary. If you run into complications, you may want to remind yourself each day. Write it down, get a picture that represents your dreams or make a chart that you can look at each day. Some people will need more encouragement than others.
The important thing to remember is that as you move along your journey, you are learning and evolving. Your thoughts, ideas, and goals may evolve as well. Do not hold onto something if you lose the passion for it, let it go. But, when you do reach a goal and eventually behold a dream, enjoy it. Be proud of each accomplishment along the way because they represent a person moving forward in their life, not someone letting life pass them by.
Leading and Inspiring 