Recently someone shared with me a fantastic way to help stay focused on my goals. They define a “clarity box” concept. It’s one great way to help keep on track with your long term plans for your business and life.
The idea is that you take time to define 4 areas of your life.
- Core values
- Vision statement
- Guiding principles
- Future state
You treat these as your filters for everything that comes your way. It could be a business opportunity, a potential new client, a new relationship, a new project to work on, etc. If the new item doesn’t pass all your filters then you decline.
This sounds great in theory. It can be very hard though. If you are used to saying yes a lot, you now might need to say no. That might be new skill to learn!
I remember when I was about to have my second son it was such a relief to have the easy button on being able to say no. I knew with a brand new baby that I couldn’t commit to anything… and I didn’t want to. I wanted to thoroughly enjoy being a mom. However, as time has marched on it got harder and harder to say no to things. For me many times my weakness has been volunteer opportunities for causes I support.
My Clarity
I have recently spent time fine tuning my long range plans of where I want to be in 10 years and beyond. By identifying specific goals and targets, I know what I need to do to get there. I know it will take consistency, dedication, and not giving up when the going gets tough. This is hard and unsexy work. However, I’m so excited about my future plans that spending time thinking about them motivates me. My daily ritual includes visualizing and thinking about these goals every morning. I also revisit them at night.
My next project
What am I working on that is so exciting? Well, I’m not going to spill the beans on everything quite yet. However, I will say that I am creating a plan for entrepreneurial, self-employed women. I want it to include inspiration, help with staying focused, help with learning key skills to move their business forward, and more. This vision makes me very excited. I envision it like a pond where one raindrop creates a ripple effect. Then more drops create intersecting ripples. Everyone is moving forward with the help of one another to create success. Just think of what this will do for our families and for everyone we touch!
What about you?
So… do you have your long term goals written down? Where do you want to be in 10 years? Are you doing what you need to do today to get you there?
If you want to follow along on this journey with me, be sure to subscribe to my posts. I’d love to hear your feedback. I’d love to know what your goals are.
