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Imagine you are visiting a foreign country that you don't know at all, your guide brought you to a place and left you there. Now you have to find your way to the next destination without knowing the territory, without having a map, or a guide, or the ability to speak the local language.
It's a recipe for a lot of confusion, anxiety and questioning.
Would you really travel somewhere without any preparation?
And yet in life, we put ourselves again and again in this kind of scenario!
Why does this happen?
The times we live in constantly call on us to shed the old and throw ourselves into the exciting unknown of “our full potential”.
This is great when done correctly, because we have the opportunity to end generational limitations and reinvent ourselves in a way that allows us to consciously create more good in our own lives and in the lives of those who surround us, it has a positive reverberation in the world much further. that we can even imagine.
But when done without a proper plan, it can feel shocking, disheartening, and send us into spirals of fear and frustration.
Even discovery and exploration needs a roadmap (aka a container), just like this hypothetical you on this hypothetical journey.
When you have the right structure around you, exploration becomes fun and exciting, you are finally able to get out of your own way and have an open mind and heart to see exactly what might be possible for you, in a way that you will be able to follow and not protest against yourself.
In my coaching sessions, I walk clients through a process of exploring their goals, here's a little introduction to get you started.
Goal exploration exercise
* I recommend doing it on paper
Step 1: Assess your life experience in key areas of life
Rate the following areas of life on a scale of 1 to 10 based on your satisfaction, where 10 means the most satisfied and 1 is not at all satisfied.
Family and friends ____/10
Romantic ____/10
Personal growth ____/10
Entertainment and leisure ____/10
Physical environment ____/10
Business/Career ____/10
Finance ____/10
Health ____/10
Step 2: Think about the scores you gave to each area of life
Consider the rating for each life and for each point, ask yourself:
Why did I give him that note?
What could be better?
What would it take to make it better?
How long might it take to improve it?
Is there anything I can do to improve it now or in the next few months?
Stage 3: Mental Unloading
By answering the questions above, you will now begin to get an idea of the type of goals you could set for yourself.
Start with a mental dump!
Write down any goal ideas that come to you, don't think too much about whether the goals are feasible or not at this stage, every idea is welcome! do this for 5-10 minutes.
Step 4: Choose your goals
Now that you have a list of all your potential goals:
Circle the goals that have the greatest sense of urgency, importance, or personal worth.
Cross out goals that "would be nice" but aren't really that important. (you can add these to a separate page called "Parking Lot" and come back to it at another time.)
Highlight the goals that you know are the easiest to accomplish: either you've already started them, or you have all the information you need to get started, or they literally take very little time to accomplish.
Take a different colored highlighter or pen and highlight (or circle a second time) the goals that would give you the most satisfaction.
Step 5: Short and Long Term Goals
At this point you have a clear idea of what goals you want to focus on, you can now break down easy to complete goals into a short term column and larger goals into your long term column.
Step 6: Prioritize your goals
How to prioritize what to do next depends on what's right for you at the moment. I invite you to consider the following:
Do you feel like you are in a great place and are you ready to face whatever is in front of you? If so, you might want to start with something that feels challenging, but is generally exciting at the same time.
Do you feel like you've been struggling lately and have less energy? If that sounds true, small wins can make all the difference in building momentum. In this situation, I invite you to look at an easy and quick goal to immediately get a feeling of satisfaction that will help you carry you towards your next victory.
This reflection can help you set goals that are achievable and most helpful to you right now.
When I work with clients, I help them clarify their goals and life direction, as well as an action plan tailored to their unique situation. There is no single course of action, it's important to consider your unique circumstances, values and desires, find a path forward that feels achievable and feels the greatest. of satisfaction.
Want to know more? Book a discovery call with me here or explore my coaching packages.