#328: It is what it is, or can you change your future?
Are you a wandering generality? Or, are you a meaningful specific?
This is a Zig Ziglar-inspired column. You may have seen or heard Mr. Ziglar speak on the subject in the past; if not, search YouTube. Many short videos get the point across on being a wandering generality or meaningful specific.
How did I get down this rabbit hole this week? For the first time in what seemed like forever, I woke up to review my goals and realized I wasn’t working on anything. I was happy to discover that I had met all of my goals. I should be satisfied. Why am I scratching my head now?
It may be because it made me question what I have been doing. That is where the wandering generality comes in. For the past few months, I have been going through the motions but not working on a plan. Don’t get me wrong, I have accomplished things, and I am still working with my clients, but I wasn’t working on me. As I mentioned, it was the first time I wasn’t focusing on what I wanted to be, do, or have.
It’s tough enough to hit a target while you are blindfolded, but it’s even harder to hit a target that hasn’t been set. What will the future bring to you? Is it a promotion, a new car, a vacation, or your child's education? What do you want to be, do, or have?
In the last few days, I have heard several people comment similarly. “If it is meant to be, it will be.” Although I believe in fate, I also think that we have more control over our future than just that. If I were to ask you, What could you do in the next week or two that could screw up your future?” Many of us could answer that quickly. You could gamble away your bank account. Maybe cheat on your spouse out in the open and get caught. You get the point. You can easily change your future by being bad.
If I ask this question; “What can I do in the next week or two that would benefit or improve my future?” How many of you have an answer to that? Or, how many think there is nothing to do because fate is just that? Well, if luck were just that, why was it so easy for you to come up with an example of how to screw up your life?
We have the power to change our lives by focusing and setting targets. The end of our journeys should not be a surprise to us. Sure, unexpected things can happen and derail our plans, but we have the power to be a meaningful specific. We don’t have to wander throughout our lives waiting for things to happen.
What do you want to be? What are you working on today to improve your tomorrow? How are you changing fate?
When you complete your dream sheet, it could look like this. Some of these are short-term, others long term.
If you haven’t figured this out by now, it’s all about setting and achieving your goals. Start by dreaming where you want to be in the future. Use this dream mapping technique to help you think about the areas of your life that matter. You can have a say in what your future holds. This takes off the blindfolds on your target, and makes it easier to hit.
It is hard work today, but will lead to YOUR better tomorrow.