The 12 Steps to the Life of Freedom You Deserve
The world you desired can be won.
It exists, it is real, it is possible.
~~Ayn Rand
Let me start by asking you a question.
Do you believe that the life of freedom that you desire AND deserve really exists. Do you believe that a world exists where you can be happy, healthy, financially free to pursue whatever your heart desires in this life, and truly live the life of your dreams?
Isn’t it sometimes really difficult to believe in your heart that you can be happy when everywhere you look nowadays there is sadness, unemployment, sickness and basic chaos.
Well, let me give you a little piece of advice…..
LOOK FURTHER!
The truth is, there is happiness in this life, and everyone has the same basic right to it as the next person, but sometimes the price is high. It comes with a four letter word attached to it. That word is:
You see, to become happy, one must become a student of happiness, to become healthy, a student of health, to become financially independent, we must study money and finances, and the list goes on and on.
As we enter the new decade (I think that’s so cool, it’s not just a new year, but a whole brand spankin’ new decade), one thing sticks out in my minds and screams the words “pay attention” loud and clear.
This is a brand new decade, and thus, a time to begin again. We can take the whole last 10 years and throw them out if they didn’t work for you.
We can go through the stages of crawling, then walking, then running into freedom all over again.
It’s 2010, and doesn’t it just sound cool. It has a ring to it that says it’s special, it’s the decade to start again.
If you’ve had a great past decade, then let’s make this one better, if you’ve had a not so great past decade, then let’s make the next 10 years ROCK!
Over the next 12 months I’m going to focus each month on a specific area of life that I believe, if studied and improved upon, can lead us to that world that is both real and possible. A world that some may think only exists for the born-rich, the super smart, or the just plain lucky people on this earth.
That world does exist, no matter what the nay sayers may keep trying to pound into our heads.
Originally I had planned on setting everything in place in the first post of the series, so we would all have a game plan, if you will, of what the journey would consist of. However, someone along the way I changed the rules (can you say a woman’s prerogative??).
I think that as the individual months go by, and we’re learning and growing that perhaps the categories may change up just a bit. I have a strong feeling that through your comments and feedback, I’ll get a better feel for what we really want to focus on.
With that said, I will now unveil our very first category, and I think it’s very fitting that this be the start……
Drumroll please…………….. You know it’s gotta be:
I once heard a statistic that if you move your sails as little as 1” on a sailboat, that so many miles out you will be as much as 500 miles off course. Yes, I realize that’s vague, but you get my point. (I did try to google it and came up with nothing, so if anyone finds what this really is, let me know!).
My point is this: If you just set yourself goals that you use to take you to where YOU want to go, and not where the next wayward winds takes you, you life will end up looking very different at the end. I am of the belief that most people believe that goals are good, and that you need them, but we all fall short when it comes to knowing how to set a goal.
So, just as when you read you begin with A-B-C, and when you sing you begin with Do-Re-Mi, we will begin our journey with Goal Setting. [Sorry, I know you will have that song stuck in your head all day now] In this way we can chart our course for the journey designing our life the right way.
I want us all to learn goal setting success so we can live a goal setting life well into our future.
In the words of a very smart man, Confucius ….
So, my friends, let’s begin our journey with setting some goals, some very bold goals, and let’s enjoy every step along the way.
Over the next thirty days I will be posting about goal setting, giving you tips and techniques about how to set goals and how to stick to them.
When the 30 days is up I’ll be letting you know what our next focus will be, and you can feel free to comment about what you’d like to see next, or over the next 12 months.
I do have an outline, but it’s written in pencil and I’m open to suggestions on what you want to study and learn about.
Make it a great day, and be sure to watch for the next post about goal setting.
Solid post Debbie, its all about setting goals. But more importantly its about setting a few big ones and then a bunch of little ones along the way so you stay motivated. Great thoughts.
Matthew´s last blog ..How To Fix A Broken Wordpress Installation
[Reply]
Awesome series. Looking forward to it Deb.
Phil Jackson´s last blog ..Time Management Help For Network Marketers
[Reply]
This is critical. Thanks Debbie. I have been guilty in the passed with not setting a big, scary goal for fear of not hitting it. NO MORE. I am killing that with my hang over from Jan 1st.
Patrick McIntosh´s last blog ..Jess McMillan Killing It in Chamonix
[Reply]
Way to lay it out clearly…I think we get paralyzed at times and overwhelmed but taking a step at a time…doing daily work…setting daily goals and then expanding upon those…so important.
Thanks Deb!
Bruce Backman´s last blog ..How to Get Your Way-Part 1-Deception
[Reply]
Hey Debbie,
I agree, success take diligent work. Those of us who are willing to take the time to set solid goals and work toward these goals on a daily basis can have success, regardless of where we start from.
I’ll be keeping my eye on your series. Thanks for your commitment to helping us all in our journey towards success!
Kathy Jodrey´s last blog ..Blog Syndication Made Quick & Simple with OnlyWire
[Reply]
Debbie,
Ayn Rand is one of my heroes and that quote is phenomenal!
I agree with you that it is time to look at this new decade with mini, short-term and long-term goals committed to paper. Now it’s time to trim the sails and get going. Hard work is fun when you look at it that way:)
Darlene Davis´s last blog ..Mega Lessons From Ted Turner
[Reply]
Hi Debbie!
I just love the sail boat reference and I totally get the point! Just a little deviation, if done routinely, can really throw us off course! On the other hand, if we stay the course most of the time, we’ll be successful!
It’s a great time for goal setting!
Nancy
“Mentor Mama”
[Reply]
Hi Debbie
Very well said. Goal setting and taking the first step of the journey are key to helping us reach the levels of success (freedom) that we desire.
Thanks for sharing.
Krista
Krista Abbott´s last blog ..Managing Your Twitter Following
[Reply]
Love it Debbie. Nothing is more important than goals. You really went all in on this one. Good stuff!
[Reply]
Some really fantastic points you outline in your post, Debbie!
While, as an entrepreneur, it is vitally important to set goals and have a game plan in order to achieve those goals, we must also be mindful of the journey during the process of achieving said goals.
There will be times that some of your goals may not be achieved–no matter how well-thought out the game plan was. Don’t beat yourself up over it and lose faith–perhaps the goal was not meant to be achieved, or your game plan needs a bit of tweaking so that you can see your goal come to fruition.
In the past, I have found that while some of my intended goals never saw the light of day, the journey itself opened me to other amazing opportunities and even better, more attainable goals.
Thanks so much for this wonderful post!
Heather
Heather Taskovics´s last blog ..Show Me The Results! – How To Create Your Own Success Story
[Reply]
Debbie,
I really enjoyed reading this post. Your blog is looking great. Keep up the good work. Off to see Youtube
Thanks for sharing!
Dave and (Dawn)
Dave and Dawn´s last blog ..Do You Know Where You Are Going?
[Reply]
Debbie, I love this post! Goal setting is so important — yet so overlooked! I know I do it just as much as everyone else. Something I need to work on for sure, thank you for your encouraging post. I look forward to this whole 12 month series, bring it on!
-Clay
Clay Eudaly´s last blog ..$3.1 Million For 30 Seconds?! Man Its Good To Be An Internet Marketer
[Reply]
Debbie Reply:
February 19th, 2010 at 9:11 pm
Thanks Clay! Watch in the next few days for the first in the series of goal setting. This is a very exciting post for me to write because I’ve learned so much through it. Looking forward to passing it on!
[Reply]
Hi Debbie,
Goals are so important, they keep you on track, they stop you from procrastinating and they keep the bigger picture in mind. I agree with Matthew, having some big goals and a whole heap of little ones to keep you motivated along the way. You feel so good when you achieve any size goal!
Cheers,
Lynn
P.S. And yes, thank you I do have Do-Re-Mi stuck in my head now!!
Lynn Glaser´s last blog ..22 Ideas For Finding And Creating Blog Content
[Reply]
Debbie Reply:
February 19th, 2010 at 9:12 pm
Ha! Sorry Lynn, but that little ditty has been stuck in my head on and off since I wrote this post. I do love the Sound of Music though. It makes me think of the movie.
Thanks for your comments!
[Reply]
Hi Debbie,
Great post. This is an area where most people start with and end with since they struggle to find a way to create a life that allows them to fit goal setting in. Thanks for taking the time to move people through this process with tips and strategies. I know that it will be a great benefit for many.
Thanks for sharing this with us all.
Make it a great day!
God Bless,
-ed
[Reply]
Debbie. Nice post. I agree about how great it is to be in 2010, with the opportunities ahead that we can surely grasp.
You haven’t revealed your 1st tip yet, but I’m a bit of a contrarian about goal-setting as it’s typically taught. For mine the SMART type goals are too mechanistic etc. I’d rather sail boat my way through life, in a manner that’s responsive to life’s demands and making appropriate adjustments to changing conditions. Not for everyone though – many people need a well defined list and a big enough set of challenges both to get them started and keep them moving.
[Reply]
Debbie Reply:
February 22nd, 2010 at 5:14 am
Hey Stew, thanks for your post. My first tip will be revealed tonight with a post on goal setting and the first steps of developing your Why. I’d love you opinion on it. I think you may find my methods to be a combination of the rigid set of rules and setting your own course and going against the grain a little bit. Please let me know what you think when you read it.
Thanks! Appreciate your thoughts a lot. Would love to brainstorm goal setting with you sometime!
[Reply]
Deb it is obvious with 40 tweets and 19 comments that you’ve ignited a spark with this post. Fabulous example of leadership in my opinion. Stepping out and stepping up is rarely going to be easy but it is in the ‘doing’ that we find our multifaceted selves that are ‘worthy’ of big dreams and accomplishments. Nice job Deb. I’m glad we’ve met.
Kellie Frazier´s last blog ..A New Definition for Leadership – Be True To You!
[Reply]
Debbie Reply:
February 24th, 2010 at 8:39 am
Thanks Kellie! I’m glad we met too. I think I will be spending a lot of time on your blog. Check back on Friday and I’ll have the first in the series of Goal Setting up under this category. I’m pretty excited about the next five weeks where I will be taking everyone through the steps of active goal setting.
Have a fabulous day Kellie!
[Reply]
Great quotes and some great bits of insight. The reason I’m not where I want to be right now is because I’ve never taken goal setting seriously. I just started another program to work on this, and will be following you also. Can’t wait for your posts!
[Reply]
Debbie, great blog! It’s very clean cut and has a nice homey feel to it…I am sure to return time and time again. I love your sense of humor, and take on things! When you describe the sailboat, that really puts the significance of clearly defined goals into perspective! Great job, and I look forward to learning with you!
To our “Massive Success”…sound familiar!
Jamie
[Reply]
Debbie Reply:
March 6th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
Thanks so much Jamie! I appreciate the compliment about my blog. I work hard at it and always appreciate it when someone likes it.
My first post on goals will be up today. Watch for it!
[Reply]