Greatness. That is what I want for you.
I want you to wake up every morning and be so excited that you can’t wait to get out of bed.
I want your breakfast time to be like mine was today – I poured myself a bowl of cereal and I sat eating and thinking about all the great things that were going to happen today.
I want you to look forward to all that is going on in your life.
This can be hard to do every day (and just the thought actually makes me tired!).
However, it is much easier than you think. If you have designed a lifestyle that centers on your goals and dreams, then it is easy to be excited about your path to greatness.
The whole reason I created Ink+Volt in the first place was to help me be more successful. It started with the Spark Notebook (the very first version of what is now the Ink+Volt Planner) - I wanted a place to architect my plans and keep track of my progress. And then that little notebook turned into so much more.
As we enter a time of year when most people's new year's resolutions start to slip away (or are already long gone), I thought it would be a great time to focus on the big picture. Your big goals. And most importantly–what it would take for you to be great.
Following your passion is bad advice
A lot of people will tell you the best way to get excited about your life is to follow your passion. To focus on what you love doing and then figure out how to turn that into success. I know it has worked for some people, and boy, does it sound nice.
But for most of us, this is actually really hard! It means you have to ask yourself big questions like, what is my purpose? Not everyone has a clear answer to this question.
And even if we do hone in on our passions, then we are faced with the challenge of figuring out how to make money doing it.
Does anyone want to pay you to do the thing you love? How would it feel if the thing you love to do, rather than being something that brings you joy, becomes something that brings you financial stress and anxiety?
So what should you do instead? I think the biggest thing is to look at your career (and your life!) as a journey. Each thing you do is a step that moves you forward to the next thing. There is a place for your passion, and then there are the things you do to create the life you want to live.
Look at what you are getting paid to do now, and when you have the most fun at work or get the greatest satisfaction from your job. What are you better at than anyone else? Where do you shine?
When you focus on your strengths and the things you are already doing well, then you will grow and improve. You will become better at your job and in time, you will become So Good They Can’t Ignore You (a book I love and would highly recommend on this topic).
You have to find balance
When it comes to your goals, you have to look at every aspect of your life: health, business, relationships, and spiritual/well-being. If any one of these areas is out of balance, it will affect your overall happiness and impede your potential.
Take a moment and draw out each of your 4 quadrants in a journal or on a piece of paper.
For each area ask yourself “What do I want this year?”
Try to be specific and measurable with your answers.
Then ask yourself “Why do I want it?”
Understanding the why helps pinpoint your motivation and gives you the incentive to achieve it and push for it!
Now, how will you get it? Where are you at right now and what needs to change?
And more specifically, what are the steps you need to take this year to make it happen?
Then get even more specific. What are the things you need to do this week or this month to move these things forward?
Add these things to your monthly and weekly goals.
Then it is just about making the time and doing the work.
The work is hard. If anybody could do it, everyone would have it all and we would all be great. The superstars (like you!) set their target and then hone in on it with laser focus until the work is done.
I know you will be great.
If you have read this far, you are clearly someone motivated and focused, and I know that means you are going to do something great.
I want the very best for you. So if it will help, I want to keep you accountable! Pick a photo that represents one of your goals and tag @inkandvolt on instagram – I want to follow you and cheer you along.
Thanks for being a part of this community. It means so much to share this journey with you.
Have a wonderful week, and good luck with a crazy productive month.
xoxo,
Kate
Founder of Ink+Volt
