Knowing what I want is only half the challenge, working backwards helps me fulfil my goals.
It is such a simple concept and yet difficult to implement in daily life. Understanding where I want to be in the next 5 years in terms of my health means I have to start developing healthy habits today. Planning and creating a vision for where I want to be is essential, however, it is the daily tasks I do each week that will get me there.
I find that all these small investments I make in my life to improve one area of my life all become interrelated as time progresses. Here are the simple steps I follow to work backwards:
1. Think and plan on what I want to become for a future date
2. Break down the steps on what I need to do in manageable chunks
3. Be aware of new information/trends
4. Reflect and change the plan or stay the course
5. Review the steps and alter as necessary
6. Follow the steps until the goal is completed
There is a large commitment required to follow the small steps as each one builds on the other and it is often easy to ignore them. When new information arrives it can be easy to abandon everything. When what you are working towards is challenged or no longer relevant, that is the most important time to get a hold of yourself.
This saying I read a few years ago resonates with me today, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there”. Now, I realize not only do I have to know what road I am travelling on but also to look ahead for roadblocks and always have alternative directions for my planned destination.