Have you ever had a feeling that determination is a too abstract term for you? And that you rather do the things that other people expect from you? Or that you were losing control over your life and that pottery class or learning communicative French is being postponed in your life, again? If so then I have prepared for you 3 steps to reconnect with your purpose, goals and dreams and to find the determination you need.
Determination is related to ambition. It means that we express, manifest and show the world what we want to achieve. I have learned that:
- It begins in your childhood and can be learned.
- It needs to be evaluated and maintained every day.
- It starts with a decision before the result.
1. Since I was a child I was involved in various after-school activities, like playing the piano and learning foreign languages. Both of these activities required learning new skills and practising every day. I was fortunate that my parents gave me the opportunity to take part in these and so I did my best to bring the best grades possible and and practise playing the piano as much as I can. At the same time I was awarded and praised for good results by my family or teachers and that helped me be determined.
Lesson learned: If you had a different family background, do now worry, determination can be learned even when you are an adult. Remember to combine feedback from others with how you value yourself.
2. These days I swear by daily, weekly, monthly and annual planner. It gives me a lot of control over the day and prepares me to anticipate good things happening in my life. The day unfolds completely differently when I sit down in the morning and write down a clear structure of the day. The goal is to plan it out and then do your best to accomplish it. I use 3 checking points, morning, lunchtime and evening, you can also set notifications and various reminders during the day.
Lesson learned: The feeling of accomplishment is the driving force that keeps you staying determined.
3. Once I know what I want then I have a high chance to accomplish it. What I want depends on the values and the priorities set. Take some time to think about the decision from different perspectives in different time-frames and more importantly pay attention to how you feel about it, whether you feel constrained or expanded in your body. If you feel that by taking this decision you will grow and your life will change for the better even though it feels scary, then take action; plan it, schedule it, monitor it and execute it.
Lesson learned: Knowing yourself is the very first point to achieve anything in your life.
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