Imagine working an unpaid summer internship.
That sounds great if you ignore the reality that:
…you graduated from college four years ago with a nearly perfect GPA;
… you have a child to take care of;
… you have rent to pay and you’re racking up credit card debt to keep food on the table; and
… you’re battling depression because you keep thinking “I should’ve been more successful.”
That was my story.
Today, I’m sharing what to do when you are struggling with the idea that you’re not where you want to be right now in your life.
There are many times that you could feel like this: when you’ve lost a job, when your income is lower than you expected, or when you’re looking around at all your friends getting married and you’re still struggling to have one good date.
This happens to all of us. So let’s dive into the strategies you can use to calm your soul and guide you when you’re not where you want to be in life.
How to Create Your Ideal Future
No matter where you are in your journey, what plans you have for your life, you can always count on change. And, you can often work with that change, in order to create the life you really want.
Understand that these feelings are a part of the journey
Creating your perfect life is a process.
It is full of highs and lows, ups and downs. Emotional swings are all part of that.
Your feelings will change as time goes on.
Focusing on your goal and how you expect to feel when you create that life can make the journey easier.
The voice that tells you “I should’ve been further along by now” is one you can ignore because everyone has a different journey.
Your journey to the person you want to be, the future you want to have, is completely unique and will take its own time. You can't rush it.
Visualize what your ideal future looks like
You need to know what you want your new future to look like in order to make it happen.
A vision board is a perfect tool to help you discover what your life will be like in your ideal future. It’s a reminder that even though you’re not where you want to be, you know what you want and you’ll get there.
You won’t know if you’ve reached your goal if you don’t spend any time defining what the goal is.
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Create a plan to turn your ideal life into your reality
Once you have your vision board, it’s time to move into planning mode.
Break down the steps that you need to take to get from where you are to where you want to be.
Refer to your vision board as often as you need to, especially if “I should be more successful…” pops into your head.
It will pop into your head from time to time, but you’ll be able to combat it with your plan, your vision, and especially, a group of people who support you.
Find a group of people to cheer you on
Everyone needs a support system, and it’s not unusual for that group to include friends, family members, co-workers and other women making moves in their lives.
These should be people who you feel comfortable turning to when you’re excited and making progress, but they should also be people who will listen when you’re struggling
People who understand what you’re goals are and what you’re going through can help you navigate the journey. They can provide a boost of positivity when “I should’ve been further along” pops into your head. They can also share their experiences and help you avoid mistakes that they’ve made.
Take small steps, consistently, to move toward your ideal future
Lao Tzu said, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”
Each time you take action based on the plan you’ve created, you’re making progress.
This is true even if you can't see it.
If you continually take steps to create your ideal future, one day you’ll wake up and feel surprised and joyful when you realize that you’re not in the same place in life anymore.
Let go of the outcome
A vision, a plan, and action are key to manifesting the dream life you want, but there’s another important piece to remember.
Clinging to a specific outcome or expectation of when things should happen may bring you stress, and that’s probably the opposite of what you’re looking for.
Along the way, you might find that your ideal life looks a little different than it did in the beginning. That’s okay!
It’s important to keep your initial vision in mind, so that “I should’ve been further along,” is less powerful, but it’s also important to be open to what may happen.
The events that shape your ideal future just might surprise you, and bring more power to your plans.
A vision board is a fantastic tool to guide your path and shush that inner voice that says “I should’ve been more successful.”
You have to take action to bring your ideal future into reality. These three steps can make a huge difference in how your journey progresses, especially when you have steps two and three on repeat.
Create a vision board of your ideal future.
Write down three things you can do this week to take a tiny step towards creating it.
Be kind to yourself.
Your journey will not be a straight path from birth to success.
There will be roadblocks and setbacks, but the key is to know that you’ll get through it. You’ll create your own path.
Instead of giving in to the occasional feelings of discouragement that do happen, focus on how you’ll feel in your ideal future. Act as if that future is now, and let your energy and vision board be the powerful tools that guide your journey.
In the comments, tell us what your ideal future would look like.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cyrene is a fun and accomplished workshop facilitator, learning and development guru and Human Resources professional. Being at the helm of Thrive Lounge has been a long-time dream. Through vision board workshops she plans to accomplish two-way learning. Sharing her vast years of knowledge to motivate and encourage others; while simultaneously getting the reward of great energy, ideas and questions to ponder back from each group. A super win-win. Please join our Thrive Lounge community so you too can benefit!
