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Derek Lovett
March 15, 2023
As we approach the second quarter of the year (April - June) and the craze around new year's resolutions and vision board parties is slowing down, we can finally begin to gauge our progress beyond the hype. On a scale of 1 - 10 (with 10 being the best), what would you give your performance thus far? Oftentimes we start the year with so much momentum, embracing the inherent optimism that a "fresh start" brings. But for many of us, the reality of what happens through the course of the year is contrary to what we had hoped and projected.
So, why is that? Better yet, what does this imply about our new year's hopes, resolutions, and goals? The answer is two-fold: It means that we either (1) aren't serious about our ambitions or (2) we are missing some fundamental tools to executing our plan. I like to think that it is the latter.
One of the simplest, but critical, factors to manifesting what we want is the action of writing those things down. If you are nodding your head right now in agreement, then it is probably because you have realized this phenomenon in your own life. I don't go a month, maybe not even a couple weeks at a time, where I don't have an epiphany that I am actively walking in a "new" aspect of what I have written down.
Could it be that individuals are making progress they don't even realize? Studies have shown that writing things down boosts the brains ability to remember those things, and in some ways it makes the brain feel like those things are actually happening. This stimulation has a critical result that cannot be ignored: Ideas that align with those things begin to form both subconsciously and consciously creating momentum and clarity. If these are the benefits of writing things down, then not writing them down must limit the brain's capacity.
Many individuals are walking around discouraged with life not because they are not making progress but because they have not identified the progress that is actually being made. It is hard to move towards something when we are constantly distracted by the stimulation of daily life. We need focus. Therefore, it is important that we take every opportunity to remember what we have set out to do. Writing down your vision is one of various ways to activate the brain's amazing ability to do the work for you.
Try writing down your vision every month. As you go from month to month you will be amazed at the clarity that begins to form. For a comprehensive guide to implementing goals that align with your vision, get started with the R3 Planning Framework.
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