Planning for Change
Choose your priorities:
Look over the life areas from you Life Appraisal. What areas are in most need of change? What seems the most important to you right now? Consider whether changes might require a short term, medium term, or long term approach.
Rank your desired changes in priority order.
Giving shape:
Taking your first priority, and shape it into a clear aspiration. Write about what you positively want to achieve (not what you don’t want anymore, or what you feel limited by). Change setting is most effective when coined in these positive terms. This is because positive language reinforces a positive outlook and experience of life.
Be as specific and detailed as you can:
Define timescales, people, amounts of money etc. Be bold, but be realistic. These questions may help:-
Exactly what do you want?
When do you want to achieve it by?
How will you achieve it? Think of as many options as you can.
How long will this take?
What steps can you take along the way?
How will you know that you have achieved the steps and the final outcome?
How will you look, feel and sound when you have achieved this outcome?
Support your changes:
Ask yourself who or what will support you while you go through this process. Do you need to ask family or friends for support (time, understanding, space)? Do you need some other resources like a book or a club or some specific information? Make a clear list of these and note beside each one how and when you will set this support up.
Plan your progress:
Think of the steps you are taking and plan the rewards and encouragement you will give yourself as you achieve each step. Make a list of these.
Writing and reinforcing goals:
Finally, rewrite your goal (including all the details you‘ve generated) using the present tense, ie. as though it is really happening. For example, ‘Securing a satisfying and fulfilling job as Creative Director of my Company by mid summer, I am rewarded for my skills with a salary of £40,000 a year.’ The present tense speaks to your unconscious mind. To reinforces your goal in your conscious mind, practice reading through your goal once a day.
Congratulations! You are on your way.