“It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.”
~Eleanor Roosevelt
HOW TO EAT AN ELEPHANT
Somewhere between a clear vision of your future and the actual attainment of your goals is a large empty space waiting to be filled. But what goes in that space? How do you get from where you are now to where you want to be?
As a psychotherapist, I create treatment plans for my clients that define the presenting problem, the goals of therapy and, most importantly, how those goals will be met. These interventions are the specific tasks the client and I will focus on. Goals matter very little without a specific plan to achieve them.
Of course, the same is true outside of therapy. Knowing you want more success or happiness, wishing you could lose weight, or dreaming of a better relationship may go a long way toward creating your vision, but it it doesn’t specify how you’ll do it.
You need a plan.
Your plan is your recipe. Creating that plan takes effort, support, research, education and revision. Borrow what’s worked for others, find a mentor, ask for help.
Build your plan like you’d eat an elephant. One bite at a time.
RECIPE FOR PLANNING
Using color, image and curvilinear lines, Mind Mapping is a technique developed by Tony Buzan. A visual map that expands upon a central idea, the Mind Mapping technique has been found to accurately reflect the mental processes of the mind, making it highly beneficial for learning, brainstorming, studying or creating.
Watch Tony Buzan explain Mind Mapping.
Choose a goal; place it in the center of your Mind Map. Allow your plan to flow from the center, with more and more specificity. Be sure to identify “hows” not “whats”. Focus on things you can actually do.
