FEATURE — The level of satisfaction we achieve in this life is relative to the types of questions we ask ourselves. If we are asking ourselves the right questions, we will, in essence, give permission to listen to ourselves speak innate wisdom in reply.
Sometimes we find ourselves falling back into old patterns and struggling to remember the goals we enthusiastically set just a few months ago – remember those New Year’s resolutions? At times it feels more like our life is running us and we’re just trying to keep up.
Let’s be honest, there has never been a single day in life that we rose in the morning determined to do our absolute worst. Never once have we said to ourselves at the beginning of a new day: “Today, I will fail on a whole new level.” Right? No, we’ve never said that.
Our to-do list may make us feel overwhelmed but it has never been our intention to perform poorly. Most of us try on a daily basis to perform to the best of our abilities.
We run out of time, energy and self-discipline to reach our lofty goals. Having a clear idea of what success for the day actually looks like will help us measure our satisfaction in a much more effective way.
More often than not, the only roadmap to our success currently in place looks a lot like “get it done.” It’s not all that clear, but our intention to do more in less time is admirable.
Deep down, we want to believe we can be successful in life. We fall in love with the idea of how much better our lives could be if only we could do, be and have X, Y or Z by the end of the day, week or month. However, we will not find that success until we begin asking ourselves the right questions and plotting a rational roadmap to get there.
So here’s what we can do to easily define our roadmap: Let’s use the common goal to get fit as our example since it’s always one of those things at the top of our awareness. “What steps do we need to take to eat nutritiously-dense foods more often during the day?” Our distinctive wisdom will tell us the way because we already know the answers. It will say, plain as day, something along the lines of, “Add grocery shopping to our calendar like an appointment, make a list so our shopping is efficient and then prepare the food for consumption.”
Success now looks like three individual checkpoints on a very clear roadmap:
- Go to the store – check it off and we have … success
- Purchase nutritiously-dense foods – check check and we have … success
- Prepare the food for consumption – checkity check check and we have … success
We can feel pretty good about measuring our success using this type of tangible mapping.
Another goal might be to stop being so gall-darn tired. If we need more sleep, we can ask ourselves, “What do I need to do to get in bed sooner?” Often we’ll come up with a very effective and competent answer.
Here is our tangible mapping checklist, similar to the food example:
- Begin bedtime routines – check it off and we have … success
- Turn the TV, computer and lights off before 8 p.m. – check check and we have … success
- Tuck yourself into bed – checkity check check and we have … success
Imagine how we’ll feel waking up rested. It’s a superb feeling, and there’s no telling what we’ll be able to do with a clear mind and an energized body.
A goal doesn’t have to be so far out there that it remains only a dream or a wish. When we realize that our inner perception already has the answers to our success we’ll feel more empowered to take action, even in the midst of a hectic lifestyle.
Our level of fulfillment in this life is self-determined by our perceived ability to succeed, so let’s let it happen on a much more palpable level. An increased level of success and satisfaction with our performance can be just one specific question away.
Written by Teresa Ford for St. George Health and Wellness magazine and St. George News.
Teresa Ford, certified personal trainer, is a self-made business woman specializing in hormonal fat loss. Her fitness studio, Fitness Level 10, is designed to give her clients the confidence to run and play forever. She is the go-to enthusiast for delivering motivational speeches on various topics relating to the practice of living a fat loss lifestyle with a compassionate mindset.
Resources
- St. George Health and Wellness
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