It’s easy to lose sight of your goals amidst the craziness of daily life. In an effort to give yourself the gift of clarity with your values in life, it’s crucial that you find ways to build this into your routine. Luckily, Lively is here to help you out so that you can start out this next decade (crazy!) with as much intention as possible.
How to Cultivate Clarity on a Daily Basis
You don’t have to spend an hour meditating to hone in on what’s important to you. Lori Friesen, a Life Path Coach, outlines some easy tips to help you out. “Two of the most powerful tools you can use daily on the path to your goals and dreams are a vision board and dream sheets,” Friesen tells Lively. “Your vision board contains pictures, words and phrases that pictorially represent your goals, while your dream sheets contain your own words that describe what you desire to experience in life.” A vision board is a more visual depiction of your goals manifested in a physical form that you can look at daily. A dream sheet is more of a list format. You can include different facets of your life, such as health, career and relationships. Think about 1-2 years into the future and write out everything in present tense. Friesen recommends writing these things as if they are already happening such as, “I’m so happy now that (fill in the blank).”
You can create both a vision board and dream sheet, or just one or the other. There’s no “right” way to do it, but different methods definitely jive with particular mindsets. You can even record yourself reading out your dream sheet to listen to on a daily basis. Friesen recommends spending some time with them in the morning and at night before bed.
While creating your vision and dream outlines, Friesen advises to frame them as experiential goals vs acquiring material items. In the end, it’s about living an inspired and authentic life that is true to you. Instead of saying that you want to make a specific amount of money, note what you want to do with that money. Maybe it’s a trip, to design a new garden for your yard or to be able to invest money for your kids. The experience is what we are after, so depict it that way on your dream sheets and vision boards.
Finding Inspiration in Your Routine
The bottom line is that there isn’t one correct way to find inspiration. You have to work to find what sparks your inspiration. This work is important because it will enhance your quality of life. Friesen recommends looking at people who inspire you and note these things about them: What they read, who they surround themselves with (or do they prefer being alone), and how they give back to the community. This can provide you with ideas and clues on the types of activities and experiences that could bring inspiration to your life.
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Add Soul Work to Your Day
Your goals and values will remain more top of mind and present if you go over them for around 20 minutes per day. It’s straightforward and is rooted in the power of our thoughts. If you direct your time, energy and thoughts toward your goals, you will be more likely to create a life that moves toward those values. “As you go through your busy day, dealing with all of its demands, you will be primed to see any clues and evidence that you are actually moving in the direction of your dreams, as well as any opportunities that might be presenting themselves.” shares Friesen.
Why Reflection Is Important
If you don’t revisit what’s most important to you, then you will be less likely to take the daily steps that will help you reach that vision. Friesen equates working toward dreams to working out at the gym to achieve certain fitness goals. You have to dedicate time, effort and consistency to grow your “dream-building” muscles. In addition, you should celebrate the small feats just as you would with fitness gains. “Without a daily focus on your dreams, and a dedicated practice of connecting with those dreams, it becomes too easy for all the other demands of the day to push them down your priority list, and before you know it, completely off your radar.” says Friesen.
