Anyone else waiting for time to pass so you can have something, be someone, do something? Telling yourself, “in ____ years I’ll be able to do ____ because ____”? (ex: “In 5 years we’ll be able to take that European vacation because we’ll have more money”)
I have so many big goals and dreams and sometimes it gets hard to balance everything with real life. I get home at the end of the day and I’m exhausted. I want to spend weekends recovering from a long week. I have a hard time getting up in the morning to work on my “side hustle”. So I tell myself, “in a few years my coaching business will have grown enough that I can make the choice to work for myself”. But then I have to check myself – how is my business growing if I’m not showing up for it every day now? Will the time automatically give me clients, provide experience, and make me more successful? Unfortunately, the answer is no and I think this is something a lot of people struggle with – scheduling life for later. Assuming later will have all the answers, experience, and money you need. But guess what….without action now, later will be exactly the same.
Time Only Passes
The thing about time is: it does nothing but pass. The rest of the equation, the what you do with it, the how it passes, the who you become, etc., that’s on you. It’s easy to think, “once I’m X years old, I’ll have this much money and be able to do this thing” or “after x months, I’ll have this experience and I can take on that.”, but the thing is….time doesn’t give you experience, money, abilities….only you can give yourself those things.
I once received some great advice from a coach that I want to share…
I’ve heard this time and time again (and experienced myself for years). The assumption that because X months have, or will have passed, you’ll be in a different place.
It’s one of the single greatest places that we give our power away. Time.
Time does not create anything. It simply passes.
Time doesn’t wait for you, act in partnership with or against you. Nothing happens by default in time, other than us getting closer to death.
What is created in our lives emerges from who we are being and what we are doing. The person we grow into and the action we take and the impact we have.
When you are really really connected to this – you’ll stop waiting for time to create.
This hit me hard. Like whoa…I’m giving away my power by counting on time to give me what I want instead of taking massive action now. Holy tough realization, Batman. Do you find yourself doing this?
**In 3 years, we’ll have more money and we can take that vacation
**In 1 year I’ll have more experience and get that promotion
And when you get really real about it, what does your heart tell you? Will you have those things you want just because the time comes? Have you given up your power by not taking action? Or did you do the work to get there instead of hoping the minutes, hours, months, days just make you better than you are right now?
Check Yourself
What are you doing to get earn that extra money, get the promotion or gain the experience?
Just saying….check out how you’re looking at time and the things you want-do you assume time is giving you the experience/ money/ understanding/ knowledge/ gifts that you’re dreaming of? Then look at how you’re living your life right now…are you putting in the work to build the foundation and earn those things yourself?
Ask yourself, where are you waiting for things to unfold rather than creating them right here, right now?
How to Take Action, Now
I’ve created a system that allows me to identify what I really want and then take super clear and actionable steps to get there. And if you’re really not sure what you want or still need help making an action plan after working through these steps let’s chat. I’m really excited to take big steps in my own life and to see you make big moves in yours, so work through this process (free workbook here) and let me know what you think. What are your big goals? What steps are you taking to make them happen?
Goal Planning Action Steps
- Brain dump your goals – do some free flow journaling to get all of your thoughts and ideas around your goals out on paper. Try really hard not to censor or limit yourself here and don’t worry about editing – this is just for you.
- ID your “big thing” – pick one “big goal” to start with. It can be the most urgent, the most achievable, the most exciting, whatever…just pick one and see it through. And don’t worry, you can go through this process again later for each goal as you’re ready.
- Get Specific – for this goal, list 1-3 super-specific action steps you can take to work towards this goal (this could be building a website, taking a class, starting a savings account, etc.).
- Supporting steps – for each action, determine if there are any sub-steps you have to take to complete that piece. List them.
- Plan for it – for the selected actions, make an educated guess how long each one will take you to complete. List that out as specifically as you can (hours/days/weeks/months). Factor in any prep work you need to do beforehand.
- Set a date – now that you know what needs to be done and about how long it will take, set a start date in your calendar. And while you’re at it, add in your “due date” as well. Seeing that on your calendar will help you remember what you’re working on, what you’re working towards, and help keep you on track. You could also add in milestones along the way if it’s a more lengthy action step with lots of sub-steps.
- Now go do work!
I can’t wait to hear what you guys are working on! Leave a comment below of what “big goal” you’re working through first!
