From vision to reality lets dive into planning your midlife makeover.
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How many times in life have you had a dream to have or do something and then wondered why you didn’t get it?
I know I’ve had a few. And on reflection, the answer is in the quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
“A goal without a plan is just a wish” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Welcome Back
Welcome back to our "Midlife Makeover" series, where you are discovering how to transform your life from the inside out, just like you would a beloved house.
I'm Angela Rettie, your guide on this journey of self-discovery. Today we're moving from the blueprint stage to creating your plans so you can turn your dream, wish or vision into reality by planning your midlife makeover.
In "Blueprints for Your Midlife Makeover: Envisioning Your Future", we discussed the importance of envisioning what you want for your future.
You got to work through and create your outline, blueprint or vision and discover more options like how to really envision your future.
Now, it's time to turn your vision into a reality by creating your plan.
Just like the blueprint of a house that guides the construction process, your vision serves as a north star pointing the way and illuminating the path towards your midlife makeover.
We all know that a house isn't built or remodeled in a day - except on reality TV shows 😉, and neither is your new life chapter. It takes careful planning, setting of goals, and breaking them down into manageable steps or milestones along the way.
From Vision to Reality:
Planning Your Midlife Makeover Video
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Planning Your Midlife Makeover
You As The Architect of Your Life
Just as an architect prepares a detailed plan based on the blueprint, it's essential for you to lay down your own plans.
Why?
It's because planning yourself helps give you a sense of direction and provides a roadmap to navigate life's transitions with purpose.
Your plan serves as a GPS (or a good old route map if you prefer), guiding you from where you are now to where you want to be.
As we said before, it's not about completely demolishing the old to make way for the new. Rather, it's about renovating and adapting, just like how you would refurbish a beloved home.
Some rooms may need a fresh coat of paint, while others may need a complete remodel from the foundations up!
Similarly, some aspects of your life may need a small tweak, while others may require a significant shift.
The most important thing is to keep moving forward, no matter the size of the step or the speed with which you are moving.
“If you can’t fly then run,
if you can’t run then walk,
if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”
~ Martin Luther King Jr ~
Creating The Building Blocks of Planning Your Midlife Makeover
Goals (or outcomes, if you prefer that word) are the building blocks that take you from vision to reality.
They provide a sense of direction and motivate you to push past obstacles.
As I said earlier, it’s not about writing down a wish list and waiting for things to happen. The act of setting goals alone isn’t what creates your new reality.
It's about making a commitment to yourself to take the necessary steps to fulfil your dreams.
The Science & Art of How To Make Your Goals Work For You
It’s time to get more specific and structured in what you want your overall outcomes to be.
This is where you will put in a little effort, and maybe look at these goals in a different way than you have done before.
You may have set goals before, and they excited you for a bit, and then you lost interest when you didn’t feel you were progressing.
There is both an art and a science to setting goals. You will often see the SMART formula for setting goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Bound). That’s the science!
The Art Of Goal Setting
The art of goal setting is all about how they make you feel along the way, not just when you have finally achieved what you set out.
Being able to enjoy the journey, enjoy the process and not just hanging out for that final moment.
It's something we often lose sight of in life.
Goals should not only get you moving, they should help you to keep moving forward, even when things get tough.
First, your goals or outcomes should excite you, stretch you a little and take you out of your comfort zone.
Second, you must believe that you can achieve them.
The balance between these two parts is definitely an art!
4 Tips On How To Set Your Midlife Goals
If you haven’t already got out a journal or notebook, now would be a great time. It's time to start working specifically on planning your midlife makeover goals.
And here are 4 tips to get you started and keep you on track.
Tip #1: Make Sure You Are Focusing on the RIGHT Goal or Outcome.
Sometimes, we can focus on the doing goals, because they make us feel good, and they don’t necessarily lead to the end goal – what we really want.
Check that you are setting the right goals.
Are they the goals that will get you the outcome you really seek?
Could there be a better goal for you?
Side Tip: Finding Inspiration
Want to find examples and inspiration?
Look for women who started out just like you and have what you are wanting. This can save a whole lot of time and heartache chasing the wrong goals!
It doesn't mean you have to end up exactly like them. Create a mix and match role model by taking the best of what you are looking for and making it your own.
Word of caution, choose your role models carefully.
Tip #2: Be very clear on what it will look like, and feel like, when you’ve achieved your goal.
One of the ways I do this is to ask myself, and you can ask yourself this question:
"What has to happen in order for me to achieve my goal or outcome?"
If you aren't clear on what you want, and how you can know for sure, then you may never get to feel like you achieved what you set out to.
By asking, and answering this question every time you set a new goal or outcome, it makes it really clear.
And then, when you get there, you will know for sure you have reached your outcome AND you can celebrate.
Tip #3: You Only Ever Have To Know What The Next 1 to 3 Things You Are Going To Do In The Pursuit Of Your Big Goal.
Were starting to feel overwhelmed that you needed to know every single step of the way?
It's all okay. Take a breath!
You don't have to know the whole plan to get started!
You've got your north star - you know where you are heading.
Flexibility is your friend.
Sometimes, we get so stuck in the way we think we have to do something, that it can end up keeping us from achieving our goals.
What if, you just have to know what your next 1 to 3 actions are?
Tip #4 – Check in with yourself that you believe that you can achieve it.
Belief is a very powerful thing and we are going to be going deeper on this later in the series.
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.” - Henry Ford
You know this to be true.
Think of a time in your life when you were absolutely certain that you could do something. What happened?
And think of a time in your life when you didn't think you could do something. What happened?
The power of belief is super important and sometimes we need to be reminded of that after we have lost belief in ourselves.
Believe and achieve! You can do anything in your midlife makeover.
Setting Yourself Up To Win At Planning Your Midlife Makeover
You've just read about some ways we get tripped up with goals and how to look at both the science and the art. So how can you really set yourself up to win?
In the same way when building something new it is made with a series of smaller things. For example if you are building a wall, it is made up of bricks. Each brick, no matter how small, contributes to the overall structure.
This is the same principle. You break down your larger goals into smaller, more manageable steps or milestones. And with, each step, no matter how insignificant it may seem, it brings you closer to your overall outcome.
These smaller steps help to build your belief and confidence until you are ready to make them into bigger steps.
So let's look at this in action. What might it look like. Here's an example below about having a big outcome to Run a Half-Marathon.
Outcome: Run a Half-Marathon
What Will It Mean When I Achieve It?
This makes me feel so proud, I have never been a runner and completing this is an accomplishment that fills up my cup. It means I will have become fit enough to run this distance, I will have had to adopt more healthy lifestyle and exercise regularly and that serves my overall desire to become a healthier, fitter version of myself.
How Will I Know I Have Achieved My Goal?
When I cross the finish line of my first half-marathon, then I will know I have achieved it.
Do I Believe I Can Achieve This Outcome?
Right now, it's hard to believe. What I do believe is that there are other women who started where I am and have done the same. So there's no reason I can't do it. I also know that right now, I am aiming to complete the half-marathon, I don't have to run it to win it. I know that in the past, when I have set my mind to things I have achieved them. I know that I can research how to get started and build up so that I can do this. I also know that if I set small realistic milestones for me, I can do this and enjoy it.
3 Small Goals I Can Start Working On That Will Get Me Moving Forward
Looking at these first 3 goals or steps, do they sound reasonable? Are they something you feel you could commit to, if your goal was to run a half-marathon?
Can you see how breaking it down into these first few small steps (or little bricks), that this would be easy to commit to and would start you moving in the right direction?
- How does that sound to you?
- Do you feel this is achievable?
- Could you make it fun? (eg. enroll a friend or friends to join you on your walks)
- Could you gamify it? (eg. use a step tracker and have it play a tune when you reach your step goal for the day)
Every step you are building your belief that if you can do these 3 simple things, then you can do whatever the next step is for you.
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."
~ Lao Tzu ~
In making a commitment and following through, you are telling yourself that you believe in yourself.
Set yourself up to win, by taking the first small believable and achievable goals or steps and building your belief.
It's Time To Get Serious About Planning Your Midlife Makeover
By now, you you should be starting to see what is possible, when you break it down.
You’ve learnt about not just the science of setting goals, you’ve learned even more about the art of setting goals.
You've got four tips and questions to check that you are on track with your goals and you know that it's just about taking those first steps.
So now it's time for some ACTION!
If you haven't already, now is the time to go through your top three values (if you haven't done this, head on back to read about it here) and create your top one to three small steps to get you started on translating your vision into reality.
If you are after even more support on the art side, then join my FREE 7 Day Envision & Experience Your Future Class delivered straight to your inbox and you'll also get the updates for when I release new content, classes and more. The daily lessons in the class will support you in building your creativity and belief in yourself, so that you can enhance the plan you are creating for your midlife makeover.
Key Takeaways - Planning Your Midlife Makeover
As I wrap up, take in this quote by Henry David Thoreau,
"What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals."
And as you set out on your journey, embrace the transformation that unfolds along the way.
It is not just about reaching the destination, more importantly it is about enjoying the journey.
If you are chomping at the bit for the next part, follow me on Facebook and Instragram, or subscribe to our weekly newsletter to keep you in the loop.
Join us next time as we continue to explore the Midlife Makeover series, where you will learn how to overcome the inevitable obstacles and deal with life's curveballs as you work towards your midlife transformation.
Until then,
LIVE LOVE THRIVE
Angela
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