I am a firm believer in self-actualization. I don’t subscribe to the pin-a-photo-on-the-bulletin-board variety of getting what you want, but rather look at the entirety of where I want to go in the long term and figure out what I need to do to get there.
It’s more about longevity for me rather than buying a fancy car or taking a trip to Paris. Don’t get me wrong. I like to enjoy the finer things in life that hard work and financial reward can bring, but my focus is more on what work must be done to achieve the rewards, not the rewards in and of themselves.
When we are young we sometimes find it hard to look at our lives 10, 20, or 30 years into the future. We are living in the here and now and making decisions that only impact us in the short term. That works great for the moment, but those 10, 20, and 30 years will arrive in due time. Are you going to be where you want to be? Have you even asked yourself where you will be when you can proclaim, “I have arrived”? Don’t you think it might be time to do that?
There is real power in knowing where it is you want to go. It can give you such clarity in your decision making and in your focus. Maybe you decide you want to own your own business. You want to work for yourself. Maybe you decide you want to earn a higher degree and work your way up the corporate ladder. Maybe you want to work hard now so that you can retire young and full of energy.
Whatever it is, see yourself living it years from now and figure out what the first step is toward that goal. Then take it! Start doing whatever you have to do today to get closer to that end result. Visualize what your life will look like. If you can see that, you can begin taking the steps necessary to accomplish it. There is no magic to getting what you want out of this life. You just have to see where you want to go and take concrete actions that will get you there.
What do you want for your life long term? What steps have you taken toward creating that life for yourself? Please share your thoughts & comments.
-Dr. Erica Miller