By Ann Darwicki
“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”—Wayne Dyer
A few days back, I woke up with a message imprinted on my mind: “Write down your goals and the steps needed to achieve them.” I immediately set to work on this job, unsure of where it was going to lead me and why it was even necessary.
At the same time, I had been feeling stressed and overburdened with my never-ending “things-to-do” list each day. It felt as though I would cross one thing off my list and five more would appear in its place. I knew I had every reason to be happy, yet I had a hard time cultivating and continuing to feel gratitude throughout my day. I truly desired a lasting shift in my perspective; I knew the real reason for my dissatisfaction was the lens through which I was viewing my life. Despite being able to count all of my abundant blessings, I still continued to focus on the things in my life I felt just weren’t right.
Have you ever felt like this?
As I wrote out my goals and the steps needed to accomplish them, I also felt the need to include why a particular goal was important to me. Then I noticed the change: I felt an excitement as I wrote everything out, felt my energy lift and my perspective shift as I began to connect the dots. My “things-to-do” list actually included the individual steps I was taking each day to accomplish my longer-term goals!
The awareness of seeing that what I am doing on a day-to-day basis are not pointless tasks but part of a bigger purpose—my bigger vision—changed how I felt about doing them. I embraced and celebrated the irony; I did not need to change a thing. I just needed to shift how I saw what I was doing, change the meaning I was giving it.
The belief that I would only be able to live the life I desired once I no longer had this massive list of things to do was gone. I realized I am already living the life I want to live, right here, right now.
So, as we enter 2017, I encourage you write down your goals and the incremental steps you need to take to achieve them. Look at your daily routine and to-do list each and every day as a stepping-stone that will move you along the path of achievement. Happy New Year!
Ann Darwicki, RN is a Certified Professional Life Coach who completed her training at the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching. She is the owner and founder of Whole Being Coaching, specializing in coaching others to live the life of their dreams. Prior to becoming a life coach, Ann obtained as Associate’s Degree in Nursing from Delaware Technical and Community College. She has 25 years of nursing experience caring for women and children, with a lifelong affinity for holistic medicine. She is a Reiki practitioner and Nurse Luminary. She is also a freelance writer. She can be reached at 302-750-0574 or by email at adarwicki@comcast.net.