It's 10 days into the new year, and I feel like I'm just starting to rev my engine. The flu met me at the tail end of 2013 and walked confidently into 2014 by my side, so I really haven't started feeling like myself until, well - yesterday.
This is so unlike me. My vision board isn't done. I'm still scribbling on Post-It notes and sticking them in the back of my 2013 day planner. I need a new journal, and haven't made my way out to pick one up. I feel like I've slumped my way into 2014 and haven't been present in the moment, and it sucks. I should be still feeling that sparkly excitement of the new year; should be clicking on all cylinders with my goals, plans and dreams; but instead I feel overwhelmed with the fact that I'm not functioning the way I'd like to be. An email I read recently has helped me to readjust my perspective with its novel idea.
I don't pay attention to many of the mailing lists I'm on, but one I faithfully look forward to each week is writer/author/all-around dope chick Britni Danielle's. I e-met Britni on Twitter and was among the first people to join her Facebook group The #GOALDiggers Project. Britni has been instrumental in helping me with my blogging and freelance writing moves, and offered me a series of writing coaching sessions, which were amazing. Britni's email this week was especially timely, in that she simply asked the question: How do you want to feel?
She stated that figuring out how you want to feel throughout life and making decisions with those feelings in mind will hopefully lead you to make moves that will illicit those good feelings. Instead of asking "What do I need to accomplish?" or "What goal do I need to set?" she changed her mentality to instead take inventory of how she wanted to feel. From there, it was clearer (and more motivation-driven) to go after the things that will make her feel the way she wants to about herself. (Make sense? Hope so. If not, hit me at bee@83toinfinity.com and I'll forward you Britni's email.)
Now. When I started thinking of how I wanted to feel, I came up with some of the following:
- full of purpose
- loved and able to love
- unique
- redefined
- energetic
- confident
- less anxious
- happy
After I identified how I wanted to feel, I started to visualize what that might look like, and what sorts of things would get me there. All of a sudden, a new kind of gameplan started to fall into place. When I changed my perspective to think of the end result being me feeling like a fuller person vs. the end result being me getting/earning/possessing something, I felt a bit renewed. I'm now looking forward to working backwards and setting myself up to do and experience the things that will have me feeling whole.
Have you ever set up a list of feelings as opposed to a list of to-dos? If you find yourself struggling to get in gear, or if you fear you may lose steam along the way, try thinking about what it would feel like to be your most whole self, and act accordingly. Go forth and prosper, y'all - I know I will be!