Independence Day: Declare Your Independence Create the Life and Work You Love and Feel the Freedom!

July 4th is fast approaching and as we prepare to celebrate the birthday of our independence from Great Britain in 1776, I'm reminded of the lessons of our forefathers.  They fought so that we could have freedom; so that we could declare our independence and create the life and work we love.

How is that going for you?  Do you have a life that you love?  Is your work fulfilling and fun?  Do you have the freedom that you crave?  If not, it might be time to take some steps in that direction.  It's not as difficult as you may think to focus on your priorities and make the change necessary to meet them.   Here are some ideas to get you started in re-creating the freedom that comes from aligning who you are with the life and work you love.

• The first step is to decide what you really want.  Change takes time, but when you know your purpose, you become more intentional, and with a real focus and goal plan, each baby step will lead you toward your desired outcome.
  
  
• Here is an exercise to discover your purpose.  Make a list of the areas of life you want to work on (e.g. career, family, health, spirituality, relationships, fun, finances).  Get a piece of paper for each category and write the category at the top.  You are going to be listing your dreams on these sheets.
  
  
• Set a timer for 3 minutes.  On each sheet of paper you have 3 minutes to brainstorm what you really want in that category.  Don't filter anything.  Don't worry at this point how achievable it is or not.  Write down your wildest dreams.  What do you want to be, do, or have in this area?  At the end of this exercise you should have several lists of dreams that you want for your life.
  
  
• The next step is to go through your lists and create timelines for them.  When can you realistically expect to achieve these goals (e.g. within a year, 1 to 3 years, or 3+ years)?  This will allow you to focus on the goals that are more immediately achievable.  After all, "goals are only dreams with timelines" ~ Stephen R. Covey.
  
  
• For the goals that are realistically achievable within the year, make a list of one or two from each list and prioritize them.  Ask yourself why you MUST achieve this goal.  Is it really a MUST or just a SHOULD?  How would your life change if this goal was reached?  How would your life be if you didn't work on this goal?  This will help clarify the goals that you want to work on first and then you can decide which goal will have the greatest impact on your life when achieved.  It is very important to only work on one goal at a time.  The key here is to focus your attention on one goal so you don't get overwhelmed and quit.
  
  
• After you have decided which goal you want to work on first, it's time to write your action plan.  Make a list of between 5 to 10 steps that you need to do to complete your goal.  You will know instinctively what you need to do to reach your goal.  If you are having problems coming up with the steps, do some research?  Look on the Internet, or in books, or magazines for information.  Better yet, ask someone who has accomplished what you want to achieve and how they did it.   Not only will this give you the information that you need, but you might have found a source for support when the goal seems challenging.  Most of us like to be asked for our help and advice (even if it's not taken!).
  
  
• Once you have your list of steps, it's time to create the timeline.  Your timeline is the incremental deadlines you set for yourself to complete each baby step.  To set the deadlines you first have to decide the date that you want to achieve the goal by - remember that for this first goal this is going to be sometime within the next year.  With this final date you are then ready to work backwards and put dates on your baby steps.  Make sure that these dates are reasonable and achievable so that you don't get overwhelmed and ride off the rails.
  
  
• The next step is to figure out if you need any resources to complete your goal.  Do you need time, energy, emotion, or money to complete your goal?  If yes, do you have that already or not?  If not, how are you going to get it?  If you need to get the resource, you may have to make another action plan to get the resource before you can work on the original goal.  If you have all these resources already, are there any other resources that you need to complete your goal?  If so, write them down and use the same steps as above.
  
  
• The final part to creating your action plan is to set measurement dates where you will measure your progress.  On these dates you list what outcome you wanted to see happen by that date.  This is a critical step in the action plan.  If you don't take time to do this you might be heading off in the wrong direction.  When you take the time to stop and re-assess your progress and make adjustments for the things that are not working, you will ensure a much more successful journey.  There is no shame in making adjustments to your action plan or even your goal.  Life changes and as you grow and change, your goal might too.  If something isn't working, change it!
  
  
• So now you have everything that you need to begin your action plan.  The next step is to work those baby steps.  Remember to be gentle with yourself as you go through your action plan.  The trick is to understand that you may not see the progress along the way because it is scary, new, risky - but you must be your own coach and know that all action leads to change, you just can't always see it.  Being patient and taking care of yourself and getting the support of others is important.
  
  
• So the day has arrived - you have completed your goal!  It may not be on the specific day that you envisioned when you started out but that isn't important.  The important thing is that you have accomplished something that you only dreamed about before.  You are successful!  Now what are you going to do to celebrate?  This is the final important step to your action plan.  Treat yourself to something that you want.  You deserve it after all of your hard work.  Let's face it; sometimes the reward at the end was the only thing we were working for when the going got tough.  Celebrate!
  
  
• Although these are some good steps to get you started in creating the life and work that you love, you may feel that you would like some extra help in creating your action plan.  Coaching does just that.  Finding a coach you trust will help you clarify what you really want, pick a goal that you want to work on, help you create an action plan, and set realistic deadlines.  A coach will also help you measure your progress and make any adjustments necessary.  Your coach will hold you accountable for your goal but he or she will not help you complete that goal since it is YOUR GOAL.  Your coach is there to provide you with support and encouragement and to help you celebrate your successes, thus giving you more freedom and energy to dream and go for your next goal. 

If you feel that you are stuck in a rut, that your life is going nowhere, and you don't know how to change it, I urge you to follow these steps.  You will gain clarity and as you begin to complete the baby steps, you will create a momentum that will carry you through to the completion of your goal.

On the other hand, if you feel that your life is going great and you just want to make it even more successful and dynamic, then intentionally focusing on your dreams and following the goal setting steps will get you what you want much sooner. 

Your life doesn't have to stay the same.  You can change it.  You can throw off the shackles that are holding you back.  You can use your strengths and talents to move yourself forward.  You can have all the freedom that you want.  You certainly deserve it.

Happy Independence Day!

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