Today, we are going to hit the pause button as you continue to craft your One-Year Vision from the last blog post of this series, and take a moment to put the things that truly matter to you at the front and center of your life.
So let’s take a look at your yearly calendar with fresh new eyes!
At Visionary Yoga, we believe that true success must include the experience of happiness and fulfillment.
It is important that your calendar reflects what you hold most important and meaningful for you – your life priorities, not just work or business priorities.
This means designing your year – your life around the priorities that create the most meaning and joy. In the Envision 2019 Planner, there is a section that asks you “How do you want to feel in the coming year?” This is something most goal-setting systems ignore.
They overlook the truth that the end result of achieving any goal is a feeling.
Whether it’s exhilaration, a boost in confidence, or a deep sense of satisfaction, we human beings live for the experience of feeling something deep and authentic.
So take a moment to answer the question on page 14 of the Envision 2019 guide – and contemplate a few words that represent the inner state you want to resonate with and embody as you move through the year.
Personally, I like to choose 3 words that are aligned with my goals for the year. For example, one of the words I chose was “supported” because one of my big goals this year is to grow a stellar team that can support me in getting Visionary Yoga out in a bigger way.
How you want to feel is a destination. And when you take the time to define the destination, you’re much more likely to get there!
So that’s where we’re going today – mapping out your annual calendar so that it reflects what you truly value and find meaningful.
Most people let work and business take over their lives, and then try to cram the rest of life into the minuscule cracks
So it’s time to shift the paradigm in how you schedule your life.
Instead of designing your life around your business or work, you can actually design your work and business around your Life – what a concept!
When you give yourself the gift of taking the time to take an overview of your whole year and crafting your Vision, you can actually design the structure of your life that creates the inner experience of fulfillment you are looking for.
In his well-known book, The Seven Principles of Highly Effective People, Stephan Covey suggests that in order to be truly successful and happy, one must first design their life around the priorities that create the most meaning and joy.
I love his famous saying, which, while being witty, points to something most people have a very hard time doing:
“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”
– Stephan Covey
So let’s put this principle into practice and begin to map out your year in a way that honors your life priorities.
1. Get some version of a Yearly calendar. You can download this Year-At-A-Glance, or invest in something online, but the key is that you can see the landscape of the entire year at one glance.
2. List your personal priorities, such as vacations, family gatherings, birthdays, personal retreats and date nights on a separate piece of paper. Now pencil these activities in just next to the month you’d like to do them in. You can also use Post-it notes and stick them on the months you’d like to experiences those events.
Most likely, you don’t have specific dates for most of these yet, so jotting these down in the margin will help you keep them in your awareness as you build your annual calendar.
3. Now list your professional commitments such as business trips, important meetings, speaking engagements, marketing campaigns, work-related events and any engagements you have already booked with clients.
With this bird’s eye view of the entire year, you’ll be better equipped to consciously plan out your key business projects and events, and create a life that is balanced and honors the personal relationships and experiences that important for you.
You can get as creative as you like with this step. The key is that you take this time to honor what matters most to you, and make space to have those experiences.
If you have a life partner, you’ll want to engage him or her in this step too. Nothing is set in stone, but simply the act of taking the time to plan your long-term vision together is a meaningful gesture that honors their role in making this your best year yet.
At this point, take a moment to scan the year ahead. What do you notice?
- Is your calendar too full or too sparse?
- Does it offer a balanced mix of business and pleasure?
- Does your calendar reflect your personal priorities and values?
- Have you made time for the relationships that you cherish?
What needs to be taken off your calendar? Is there something missing?
The practice of zooming out and looking at the whole year from the perspective of what matters to you most builds anticipation and excitement. It sparks motivation for you to dive in and take action. At the same time, it allows you to relax, knowing you have thought through what matters most to you.
This is a beautiful place to
I’d love to hear your
