Part one is all about exploration. Our first priority is getting clarity. Clarity on where we are currently at and where we want to get to. And to do this we need to commit to finding our ‘truth’. The truth about what we want and why we want it. Every time I’ve done this exercise I’ve found there are differences between what we feel we should say vs what we truly feel.
In order to know where to go, we first need to find where we are, and then once we know where we are we can map out where we want to go. If you don't know where you are now, there's no point mapping a destination - A GPS is pointless, unless it knows where you are right now.
For most people, it's not that they don't have goals or destinations they want to reach. It's usually a case of not knowing where they are, they keep ignoring this, it's too painful to locate themselves. Many are lost at sea with a lot of goals but no path to achieve them.
I call this our ‘dots’, which are generally a collection of ideas, dreams, thoughts, fear and beliefs. The game of life is collecting these dots and then making sense of them by connecting them.
Closing the gap between the BS and the truth is what most dramatically improves our lives. Let’s find your truth!
I want you to take a balcony level view of your life as you go through this process. To look at everything from the lens that you were advising yourself.
Our attachment to our identity, ego, decisions, thoughts, roles, relationships and things is what often holds us back. We need to separate ourselves from the things we are attached to for a little while, while we do these exercises. So we can objectively review everything. No one needs to read what you write. This is for you only.
For some context, if you’re worried about where this is going - By the end of this process you will end up with clarity on your:
Values and key themes - your truth and who you are.
An overarching vision and strategy for your life - what you’re about and who you want to be.
The things that are great in your life that you need to amplify.
Understanding your passions and what you love.
What brings you down and how to solve it.
Clarity on the outcomes you want to achieve.
Action plan, schedule and key routines.
Scorecard to measure your progress
You will also leave this process with a life strategy document that we includes the following
Vision Statement
Values
Freedom
Connection
Growth
Memorable Moments
Impact
Key metrics
Tracking Process (time, actions, and progress)
Memorable Moments
Down Moments
Passions
Actions / Key moves - scheduling these.
Habits
What I’ve found is that universally, most of us are driven by three broad categories of values.
Freedom - time, money, wealth, work, business, finances, things, having, security.
Connection / Impact - love, family, friend's, generosity, community, events, memorable moments
Growth / Memorable - learning, reading, hobbies, travel. passions, skills, mind, body and spirit.
We are starting the process of exploration. And as we progress through this exercise you will have a scorecard aligned to your truth that allows you to measure your happiness and progress.
Like all great businesses and organisations as CEO of yourself, you will embark on the process of creating a robust strategic and action plan for your life!
We will get granular, step by step, day-by-day, week by week, month by month, year by year.
I love this quote from one of my clients:
“going through this today. It makes you realise that, you know, all the good things, like how lucky I am. And that there's nothing here that isn’t fixable. It’s reassuring to know that I have all the tools I need to enhance my life further.”