[3 min read]

How to establish a clear vision and create your ideal average day.

Although we should be doing this at regular intervals and not just at the end of each year, now appears to be the time for most of us to reflect on the past 12 months, celebrate what we achieved and decide what we want to improve during the next year. Well, better now than never; here are a few pointers to make this often overwhelming undertaking easier!

First things first: We are heading into a time that unfortunately has become one of the craziest and sometimes most unpleasant and challenging of the year. Extended holidays, Christmas and New Year offer plenty of reasons to be stressed, overwhelmed and anxious. 

Most of us try doing too much in too little time and/or get stressed because of:

• Organising Kris Kringle and other presents
• Ridiculous family expectations and traditions
• Baking and cooking for elaborate gatherings
• Attending office and club parties, and catching up with friends and relatives
• Dealing with family members being their same old selves
• Fear of losing control and being at the mercy of relatives
• Re-living unhappy memories at this time of the year
• Dealing with dysfunctional families
• Feeling alone
• Etc.

So, planning your successful year ahead starts NOW: it starts with implementing some effective strategies that will positively impact the way you handle dysfunctional situations by taking back control!

• Have realistic expectations and don’t aim for miracles
• Don’t try to solve all the family feuds – you can’t be everybody’s rescuer
• Don’t worry about how things should be – create new traditions
• Change your outlook and stop doing the same old thing
• Focus on what you can control and let go of the things you can’t control
• Make sure you book some time for yourself – you’re too important to be forgotten

These strategies are a few of the options available to you to swap stress and anxiety for reflection and appreciation and generate the necessary head space to create a clear vision for the future.

Unfortunately, many people get the planning of the ‘new year’ wrong, right at the start. They think planning means setting a few gigantic goals at the start of the year, or believe life gets better if they ‘have’ something or ‘get’ something, like more money, a better car, a bigger house, a longer holiday, only to find out that getting more stuff is not the answer to fulfilment in any area of their life.

A life well lived consists of moments upon moments of experiences that you truly value. These can include:

• Time with family
• Business and Personal Development
• A hobby, such as a sports activity
• Volunteering for a good cause
• Contributing as a team member at work
• Working in a career where you can make a difference

Whatever it is for you. The question to ask yourself is this:

What does my Ideal Average Day look like?

The day which, if I was to live it every day, I’d never get bored or sick of.

Most people live two versions of themselves:

1. The ‘surface’ version that we show to the world and think is as we should be or have, and
2. Our ‘core’ self – the true self we are meant to and desire to be.

Your ideal average day cannot be sitting at the beach and do nothing all day; while it is absolutely essential to regularly recharge your batteries, being on a never-ending holiday is unfortunately not sustainable. Humans are designed to ‘experience’ life, not constantly experience ‘escaping from life’. Avoiding responsibility through long breaks from life is not an Ideal Average Day – it’s just a distraction and no matter who you are, will eventually bore you and prompt you to ask yourself: “What do I do AFTER that?” After the holiday and escape is over and you’re ready to get back into living your life and building something meaningful, what does your ideal average day comprise of?

If you assume you have a certain number of years remaining, you can break them down into so many days. And each day is made up of; moments of experience.

What moments of experience do you desire?

After you gained clarity around this question, you can start making this ideal your reality – taking step after step to reach goal after goal. It takes dedication, resilience and time to build your ideal day, but nothing will stand in your way once you make this commitment to yourself to become the best version of yourself and go on this journey that will be so worth it!

To get some practical step-by-step guidance on how to reach your goals, read the previous blog post “How to achieve your goals with these 3 simple words”. 

Best of luck for your year ahead; we trust that you will create your ideal average day and be the best version of yourself. And if you need some support, let us know!

“Dare to make a difference!” #WeMakeItEasy #LeadershipSkills