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In the latest series of blog posts I am introducing the concepts behind The 8 Attitudes to Success and over the next few weeks, I will be focusing on each of the ‘8 Attitudes‘ individually.

So let’s start with number 1.

Attitude No. 1: “I live my life on purpose”

This is all about regaining focus and living your life with purpose and passion, knowing that you are living your life and career in a way that is important to you.

When you live your life on purpose, you’re stepping out of the ‘grey zone’ and retaking control, making decisions about what you want to do next rather than being swept along with the tide. The ‘grey zone’ is the name I give to that stage in our lives which feels familiar, comfortable, unfulfilling and stuck. When we are there we know that we could achieve so much more and yet we are failing to make further progress.

Bear in mind that breaking out of the ‘grey zone’ doesn’t mean behaving impulsively. If your life has undergone a sharp upheaval, such as a divorce or redundancy, conflicting feelings can lead to us act rashly, in a way that may not suit our true purpose in life. The only way to truly break out of the ‘grey zone’ is to identify what we really want, as opposed to what we feel we should want or what others tell us we should want, and focus on it.

There’s no doubt that answering this question can take time, but this attitude lays the groundwork for the seven that will follow, which is why it’s always the first thing we focus on.

Reflect on an exciting time

Do you remember a time in the past when you were totally focused with goals that really excited you? When you knew exactly what you were going for and no one was going to stop you? Maybe you were working on a really important project at work or determined to assist your child through their exams, or even had your future partner in your sights?

Allow yourself to go back to that time now. Remember that sense of determination and how in control of your life you felt. Wasn’t that a wonderful feeling? Well, this Attitude is all about making those feelings a permanent fixture in your life and enabling you to live your life on purpose – in other words, with real meaning – from this point onwards.

I’m curious, do you have goals? If so, that’s great – because this Attitude will show you how to become more consistent in achieving them. And, don’t worry if you’re not sure about your goals. This Attitude will help you to focus on what you would like to achieve, and show you how to identify what you really want to change in your life. It is all about giving yourself permission to discover what you want to be, do or have with the rest of your life.

Only 1 to 3 per cent of people has written goals

You might be wondering ‘Why do I need goals?’ Time spent working on your goals is time well spent. Yet, getting to ‘GO’ with your goals can be the hardest part. Experts estimate that only 5 to 10 per cent of people bother to think about their goals on a regular basis, and only 1 to 3 per cent have clear written goals. I have an idea that if I were to ask you whether or not you have set goals in the past which you actually then went on to achieve, you would immediately say ‘yes’.

If I then asked you if you had set goals that you didn’t achieve, you’d also say ‘yes’. So, the key question is not only how to set goals, but also how to set goals consistently that you know you will achieve.

How to get started with Goal Setting

A few years ago I designed a Christmas card for my clients and I chose a quote for the front that said:

‘The only way to discover your future is to create it.’

We create our future through our goals and the actions we take. The million-dollar question is: ‘What do you want?’ If you’re not sure yet, start by asking yourself the following question: ’In which area or areas of my life am I not yet getting the results that I want?’

Key areas of life include:

• – Career
• – Family & friends
• – Intimate relationships
• – Personal development (eg increasing confidence and self-esteem, learning a new skill, etc.)
• – Health & fitness
• – Wealth
• – Any other area that is important to you right now.

Ideally, you need to be equally fulfilled in each of these areas in order to achieve harmony, success and the results that you want.

The journey begins

Imagine yourself in three years’ time. What do you want to have achieved by then? What will you be seeing, hearing and feeling? Get a really clear image in your mind. Turn up the brightness and size of the image, increase the sounds, and ramp up the feelings. Now come back to the present.

Using your visualisation, list the area or areas of your life in which you are not yet getting the results you want:

Then, for each these area of your life you have identified, ask yourself:

Step 1: Where specifically do I want to get to and by when?

Step 2: What specifically do I need to do to get started over the next week / month / three months?

Step 3: What feedback mechanisms am I going to use to keep myself going? How often will I take stock and how will I know that I am on track?

With these three steps in place for the areas of your life you want to change you now have a focus and a plan!

One of the secrets of permanent change

Your energy flows to where your attention goes so you need to FOCUS and TAKE ACTION on your goals. FOCUS on what you want because we attract to us what we focus on most. If you focus on what you don’t want in your life, then you will probably achieve just that.

Our next blog post will look at Attitude 2: We Create what we Want