How to Go from Surviving to Thriving by Creating Actionable Goals

And just like that…a new year started! 

For most of us, a year can go by in the blink of an eye. Between work, home, family and friends, a healthcare or fitness regime, the days fly by. When you do stop to think about it, do you find yourself wondering what you actually achieved during that year?

We all want to live a meaningful life filled with success and happiness, but few of us know how. Many of us live in the moment, in survival mode, or get caught up in the distractions of everyday life and time continues by us.

However, it’s important to stop and ask yourself: Who is in control of your life? Who is telling your story? Are you? Or is someone else? If you are not telling your own story, you are leaving it up to fate and let’s be honest, fate is a terrible writer. Think of it this way – would you get in the car and drive to an unknown destination with no map? No directions?

Probably not!

A new year is a great time to reset and create your vision for your life and set actionable goals to achieve success. You can move the needle! This will not only give your life meaning but create a sense of forward motion. Rather than focusing on the day to day, define where you want to be and reverse engineer your life to get there. 

Remember: Success is not a happy accident.

“Taking a messy journey to a place you want to go is a lot better than staying in a place you are not satisfied.” – Donald Miller

To get started, you need to create your vision and your goals. This might take some time to visualize if you have never done this before and that’s ok! It’s also important to understand the difference between the two. 

Your vision is your destination. It’s limitless and full of possibility, but the path to get there is unknown. Your goals are how you will achieve your vision. They need to be actionable and create forward motion. This will help give your life a sense of meaning and help you manage your productivity and tasks daily. 

Here are some tips to get you started:

Define your vision:

1. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 5 years? 1 year?

2. How will you feel? Where will you be living and working? Who is with you?

3. Think about your wants and don’t wants.

4. Apply this to your health, personal life, and work life.

Create your goals:

1. Use present tense and be specific.

2. Include a start and/or a by when date.

3. Include how you will feel when you achieve this goal.

4. Identify an accountability partner.

5. Track and Monitor your Progress.

Challenge yourself to create your vision, set goals, and track your progress and go from surviving to thriving!

Here are some additional resources to help get you started:

Books:

1. Hero on a Mission by Donald Miller

2. Win at Work and Succeed at Life: 5 Principles to Free Yourself from the Cult of Overwork by Michael Hyatt

Business coaches and/or platforms:

1. Business Made Simple

2. Curate Well Co

3. Boss Babe

Written by: Angela Gerber