Ever since I can remember, I’ve had the feeling I’m destined to do more. I dreamed about traveling and doing things that bring me joy. Isn’t that what everyone wants?
My family, friends, and teachers always told me I’m a dreamer and life doesn’t work like this. So I followed their path.
- I went to college (and got my master's degree)
- Learned creative skills on the side
- Tried every course I discovered (web design, drawing, licensed makeup artist, etc.)
- Started multiple side hustles (and failed in every single one)
- Got a high-paying job in the corporate world (and got stuck in it for 5 years)
Throughout this entire journey, my dream of „doing what I love“ stuck in the back of my head. There wasn’t a single moment I wasn’t working and trying some side projects.
I was despread because no matter how hard I was trying, I failed. I had this vision of traveling, but I was stuck in my office from 8 am to 4 pm.
I almost gave up. But I said to myself: "If nothing works. I don’t know what I love. I start to focus first only on my health".
This is how I got out of a rut. Thanks to this I got my goal, my project a priority to bring my focus to.
I started exercising more and eating healthily. I read articles about techniques, recipes, and supplements. I created my workout plan, I watched videos on how to workout in the gym.
Started running, rope skipping, roller skating, etc. After some time I realized that I love it. It becomes my life, my identity. I went from a couch potato to a fit and happy person.
Today I work out because I love it, it clears my mind, it lowers my stress level. I eat healthy without any problem. I have a healthy relationship with food (which I never had before).
Why am I telling you all of this?
Because I realized this small change, started a massive shift in my whole life.
I was taking career and life advice from people who hadn’t achieved what I wanted to achieve. They had closed minds. The reality I wanted was impossible in their eyes.
In the moment I started to focus on my health, I opened a door to a different life.
My mind shifted and I started to read about self-development and personal growth.
In the beginning, I embraced two main skills: journalling, and planning.
A lot of people struggle to find what they like, and what they want to do. It’s because there was always somebody, who told them what to do.
This was also my case. But thanks to journalling and planning I escaped.
Writing (journaling) is the easiest thing to do. You can spend 5 minutes a day writing. You let all your thoughts go out. It’s up to you if you want to do it in the evening or morning.
You can simply brain-dump all your thoughts on a piece of paper. It doesn’t have to be nice, you don’t have to overthink it.
Write about your day and your thoughts. The most common is to start with 3 things you are grateful for.
Most of the time it develops into something more and you spend much more time writing. You can write about your dreams, what you want to change, things that happened that day, what you liked or what you didn’t like.
If you need help with that. I prepared a 30-day journaling challenge. It’s a template filled with tasks for every single day. It will help you start.
I’m going to release another article about this 30-day challenge with more information. So stay tuned and join my newsletter.
Another part of this is planning.
Planning helps in focusing the attention on the objectives or goals. Without planning you have no guide.
After you put all your thoughts on the paper, it’s good to make some of them your priority.
Make a to-do list, or time box the task into your calendar. It helps you to stay productive.
Planning is the most effective stress management technique.
Success rarely happens by chance, it is often the result of careful planning and strategic execution.
A planner becomes your ally by helping you set clear goals, outline actionable steps, and stay accountable to your aspirations.
It doesn’t matter what your goal is. It can be you simple as: „I want to feel better, I want to be happier“.
By planning you can set steps that will help you with that.
What makes you happy? Running?
You plan your steps: run every week 5 km. Time box your 2 hours into your calendar for every week. Same day, same time. Stay consistent.
Is it traveling? But you don´t have any money?
Set goal:
- I want to visit Japan.
- I need XY $ for that.
- I need to save XY $ every month to be able to visit Japan next summer.
The planner serves as a visual reminder of your commitment to your goals. Making it easier to establish and maintain positive habits.
Over time, these small, consistent efforts add up, contributing to an improved overall quality of life.
Pick a digital planner or paper one. Write your goals, and your daily tasks to achieve your main goal.
You can plan everything you want to change in your life.
- Meal Planning: Schedule time for meal preparation and plan nutritious meals to maintain a healthy diet.
- Exercise Sessions: Block out time for regular physical activity, ensuring consistent exercise for your overall well-being.
- Hydration Goals: Set reminders to stay adequately hydrated throughout the day.
- Mindfulness Practices: Allocate time for mindfulness journaling, meditation, yoga, or other mindfulness activities to reduce stress.
- Sleep Schedule: Plan a consistent sleep schedule to prioritize rest and recovery.
Planning helps you decide how best to use your resources (people, time, money, information, equipment) so that they make the most significant contribution to achieving your goal.
Start your personal growth with writing and planning. It’s the first step to knowing yourself, your dreams, and your needs.
If you want to learn more about personal growth and self-improvement join my newsletter. It may change your life 🙂
Talk to you soon.
~ Karolina
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