Duration: 15-20 min per goal
Downloadable template: The Vision Gameplan
The purpose of this exercise
This process of in-depth reflection will give your long-term vision what it needs most – the concrete action you can make today as the first step towards its achievement.
Instructions
Download the template as many times as you have to and use it to work on each of your long-term goals.
Just follow the steps:
1. Write down one vision
Copy the corresponding text from the “What I Want Manifesto” exercise.
2. Find your “why”
Come up with a clear answer to why you want to achieve this vision. This will motivate you even more. And in difficult moments, when you are tempted to quit, it may help you come back to your goal.
If you are still not convinced of the need for your “why”, watch Simon Sinek at “TED Talks”, the lecture is called “Start with Why”
Warning! When you can’t find a good enough answer, then you may have to forget about this goal.
3. Try to pinpoint the limiting beliefs and transform them into supportive ones
Fact: We all have some limiting beliefs.
It is also a fact that they cannot simply disappear as if with a wave of a magic wand just because you want it very much.
The more you know about them, the easier it will be for you to overcome them. Read this article to find out what the internal reasons might be for your limiting beliefs and how to free yourself from them.
How to identify and remove the hidden limiting beliefs that prevent you from success
4. Turn obstacles into winning strategies
Ask yourself why you can’t achieve your big goal right now and what stops you. Of course, there will be a number of challenges and difficulties you can list.
What you do about these will determine the difference between daydreaming and actually doing something.
Our advice is to look carefully at every single one obstacle and then to compile several strategies to deal with it.
These rocks you stumble at are exactly the stepping stones that let you cross over to the other bank. The difference is how you perceive and therefore take advantage of them
5. Think of tactics how to advance towards your goal
The next step is to think of different approaches to your big goal.
Now is the time for a little bit of “brainstorming”. Save everything that might come to your mind when answering the following questions:
Can I build some habits that will make it easier for me? If you are short on ideas, check out this article.
Do I need additional knowledge and/or skills?
Who are the people I know that have achieved such a goal and do they have the resources to help me? It is often easier to ask for help than to try re-invent the wheel.
And finally:
How can I achieve it?
6. Formulate your action goal for the next 90 days
Let’s briefly explain what is the “90-day action goal”:
- The focus is on the actions, not on the final result;
- These actions depend entirely on you;
- The deadline is within three months.
The rule, in this case, is to work on your goal without giving up or changing the course before the end of the specified period.
If you feel like learning in more detail, then check out our article on types of goals.
7. Write down the first action you’ll be taking next week
And that’s how one can cover the distance between the abstract-looking vision and a completely specific and doable action. This is the small weekly step. At the end of the week, you will determine and specify your action for the next one.
So, step by step, every week within the next 90 days, you will make progress in the desired direction.
Continue to step 5 of the goal setting process.
Related reading
How to achieve your goals – 7 little known but powerful tips
Travel goals: the simple 4 step method for achieving them. Plus 32 examples.
Continue to step 5 of the goal setting process.
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