Are You Thinking SMALL Enough? -

Beauties, we’re delighted to sharing an article from Wow Beauty contributor Success Coach Lisa Cybaniak, in this piece Lisa is talking about how to take small steps towards your goals.

When we are down and out, feeling like life just hasn’t turned out the way we had hoped for, we can easily get overwhelmed.

I know I’ve been guilty before of thinking that because I’m unhappy or simply feeling unsatisfied in an area of my life, I need to make massive changes.

The overwhelm comes from not knowing where to even begin. Not only can this be depressing, it can cause serious issues with confidence and self-esteem.

You know what I’m talking about, don’t you? Like most people, I’m sure you’ve set your sights on a lofty goal only to beat yourself up some time later over how little progress you’ve made towards that goal.

What happened?

Did you really not make any progress, or is it that the progress you did make just didn’t lead you close enough to that goal?

When where we ultimately want to be is so far from where we are today, it can seem impossible to make the move. Let’s say you want to earn £10,000 more this year than last but you are working in the same job for the same salary. Earning that extra cash can seem impossible.

But what if you change the goal?

I don’t mean that you give up on your dream, I just mean, what if you became completely realistic?

Realism

Becoming real with your dream isn’t about realising you’re reaching above and beyond your capabilities. It’s about becoming crystal clear about your goal and all the steps you’ll need to take to reach it.

If you really want to earn £10,000 more this year, then something has to change. There are several options available – you just need to figure out which one is right for you.

To get that extra money, you may need:

A shift in your career
To take on another job
To ask for a raise
To increase your level of education
To apply for a promotion

Chunk it down

Now, all of these options can come with a whole host of steps you may need to take. Simply deciding that you’re going to shift your career by applying for a promotion isn’t going to cause the work that is required for that to magically get done while you sleep.

So, what steps will you need to take in order to make this shift happen and ultimately earn £10,000 more this year?

Setting the goals

Let’s take a look at the promotion example a little further. Sometimes you simply don’t have the skillset to move up a position or two in your field. While many will be able to learn these skills on the job over a period of time, some positions require a certain level of education.

What if you don’t have it?

We’re going to assume that is the case here – you want to be higher in your organisation than you are, and you’re overwhelmed at how to get there because you don’t have the educational background required. So, you’re understandably overwhelmed and are ready to give up on your dream.

Don’t give up!

Before you toss in the towel, let’s consider what other goals you can set that are small, yet tangible. Each goal should be attainable in the next 24-48 hours. This will propel you forward towards the next goal, as being successful and ticking that box next to each goal is so satisfying.

For example, throughout the course of the next few weeks you could:

Set a meeting with your supervisor
Explain to your supervisor that you’d like to move up the ladder and understand you require further education to do so. What does he or she suggest?
Find out if your organisation has a policy for their employees furthering their education. Are they in support of it? Do they have sponsorship opportunities so the funding is covered?
Ask your supervisor if your organisation will accommodate flexible working hours so you can attend classes at various times.
Research whether any educational facilities offering your program of study offer evening or weekend classes.
Ask your supervisor if anyone else at the organisation has furthered their education in this way.
- If so, find out who and make an appointment to speak to them about their experience and recommendations

Small goals for big dreams

I’m hoping you’re seeing this really clearly now with this example. We haven’t given up on your ultimate goal of earning £10,000 more this year at all. Instead, we’ve become very clear on what you need to do to reach the goal – get the promotion so you can climb that ladder.

Then we’ve made several significantly smaller goals – things you can complete in 24-48 hours – in order to bring you closer to your ultimate goal.

You can set that meeting with your supervisor tomorrow. Depending on how the conversation goes, you may be able to tick off several of your goals in one meeting.

It’s also possible that you’ll walk out of the meeting with several more goals in place.

Rather than being overwhelmed, you are breaking things down into such small chunks that it is completely manageable.

And most importantly, you’ll be able to acknowledge and see the progress you’re making every single day. Suddenly, overwhelm is replaced by excitement; hopelessness is replaced with pride.

It’s so much easier to continue on with your dream goals when you feel like you’re moving towards where you want to be.

Interested in learning what makes you so different from everyone else? Watch my video here!