Thriving in Your Great Work-Life—Part Five

What does your great work-life look like? Have you taken the time to create a richly detailed picture in your mind of what it will be like to be thriving?

I work with a coaching client who has been diligently focusing on thriving in her great work-life. She begins each day by describing what she wants to create that moves her closer to her grandest dreams. She’s clear about the life she wants and every day, she consciously commits to moving one (or more) step(s) closer to that vision. When she states her daily intention, she describes it as though it has already happened, as in, “Today was a great day. I closed a sale and earned a commission of $3,000.”

I was so impressed with her focus and the results she was achieving that I decided I’d experiment with her practice, exactly as she had described it. I awoke yesterday morning and, while still in that not-quite-awake state, said, “Today was great—I added a new coaching client who’s excited to be working on a new career direction.” Five hours later, I received an email from someone I had coached years ago inquiring as to whether I would be able to work with her on planning the next phase of her career.

Neuroscientists are discovering evidence to support the notion that when we are deliberate in stating our goals and intentions, we initiate a mental process that helps us take the actions to move in that direction. I don’t believe that I can wake up every morning, state a big, outrageous goal, and sit back and wait for it to happen. I do believe that when I have a clear direction and intention, understand what I’m working toward and describe the steps I’ll take to get there, opportunities present themselves that I may have overlooked if I hadn’t defined my outcome.

This isn’t really a new concept. Remember the response from the cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland, when Alice told him she didn’t know where she was going? He told her that if she didn’t know where she was going, any road would get her there.

Successful people throughout history have advised us to be clear about what we’re striving for and to plan steps accordingly. What does your great work-life look like? Take the time to describe it clearly and commit to it whole-heartedly. Then, take small steps in that direction every single day.