The Change You Hope to Produce Personally
There are times in life when we want a different outcome. However, we keep plodding along doing the same thing over and over again – like the movie Groundhog Day – we wake up to the same routine. Yet, while doing the same things, we wish and hope for things to be different.
Have you heard the saying, “Hope is not a method?”
As much as we hope to make a change, unless we make the effort to create different outcomes, our circumstances will be the same. An outcome is how things turn out as a result of our actions or inactions. Outcomes can mean the result of anything in our lives.
For example, the desired outcome of a healthy eating plan is how much healthier you became. If one of the desires of being healthy is to lose weight, it must be accompanied by the actions that produce the outcome you desire. If you don’t make the necessary lifestyle and eating changes, then the outcome will be different and may not be the outcome you want.
Really think about the concept of “if nothing changes, nothing changes.” Why should it? By definition things remain at a status quo. No matter how much we hope for things to be different they will not change – at least not in a way that we can control. We control our own destiny and can affect change by creating a vision of what we want.
Strategic planning is an approach to producing the outcomes we desire. In many ways that sounds like a business management tool – which it is – but it is something that can be modified and applied for daily use. There are many approaches to the strategic planning model. We will use some of the principles to adapt to our personal planning process.
When we focus on setting a vision of what we want to achieve we become better equipped to produce outcomes we want. Building a plan to act as our guide, we can check how well we’re doing.
There are several components of the planning process that I will expand on in future blogs, but the key component of strategic planning is to focus on two elements that are related but subtly different.
Vision: What is the outcome of the change you hope to produce personally?
Mission: What are the components of how you will accomplish this?
Find your balance with our FREE 7-day guided meditations:
Crafting a Personal Plan
The sage Yogi Berra once said “If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.” In other words, if you don’t know what you want to change you won’t be able to achieve it.
In crafting a plan for what you want, you first have to determine what you want. This sounds easier than it is. Often it is far easier for us to determine what we don’t want than to really determine what we want.
Remember – if nothing changes, nothing changes – so what do you want to be different? I recommend making these personal outcomes simple and achievable. You may wish to lose one pants size in six weeks instead of four pants sizes in a month. You do not want your outcome to be insurmountable.
Build a Vision
The Vision component encompasses what your life looks like if you achieve the outcome you desire
As an example, my professional Vision statement is: “To be a leader in helping make a difference in the lives of women by promoting wellness and self-empowerment.” or one of my personal Visions “I will wear my size 10 jeans.” These visions set the basis for my mission statements.
Determining Mission Statements involves outlining who you want to be and what you want to do. As an example, this is my professional Mission statement: “To provide a supportive emotional environment for midlife women in transition to a new phase in life.” One of my personal Mission Statements is “Change my lifestyle to incorporate healthy eating and daily exercise.”
What would you write as your Vision and Mission statement for the outcomes you want to achieve? It can be a personal or professional outcome. Your Vision can be about something you want to do in your life, your relationships, your hobbies, even something on your bucket list.
As an added bonus you can also create a motto that spotlights your Vision and Mission into a succinct saying that encapsulates it all for you. As an example, again, professional moto is, “View the Possibilities.”
As you contemplate what you want to be different in your life, a place to start is to borrow the tools of strategic planners and begin by determining your Vision and your Mission so that you can impact and determine the changes you want in your life.
Struggling with the changes you want to make? Let me help you. Contact me today to discuss one-on-one counseling.
Dr. Ines K. Roe has been helping women in transition rediscover themselves for over 20 years. If you’ve been feeling unfulfilled, are frustrated with your sense of accomplishment in midlife, or simply need guidance on your path to holistic well being, join her ecourse.
Leave A Comment