Do you want to know why most people are not as successful as they want to be? Why do people end up powerless? There is a saying that goes like this: Failing to plan is planning to fail. In planning you have to adopt a key strategy that will make or break your success. No God isn’t ignoring you or punishing you for eating too much cake. No one is trying to sabotage you. You have sabotaged your self. You see, unlike most mammals, you have the the power to make decisions for the long-term. However, instead of engaging our frontal cortex, we end up using our mammalian brain–The part of the brain that sees food and immediately devours it like a lion spotting an antelope on the run. The shiny new object syndrome will have us buying the the Yeezys on credit when you only $40 real dollars to your name. While it is good to live life “in the moment” it is vital to get back on track really quickly. To do this we have to reconnect to our Goals and think long term.
Long term thinking is the key to making your dreams come true. It gives you the ability to readily reconnect with your purpose. It makes you more intentional and it helps you to make decisions in a more strategy way! When you do this instead of living life “as it comes”, you will have better outcomes. You will be and active creator as God intended you to be.
Just as God conceived the idea and did the work to create the foundation of the world, God looked back and saw that the outcome was good. You being created in God’s image, you have been given what you need to create what you desire. No, you can’t create you own physical universe, but there are a lot desires that you can bring into fruition. You just have to put in the work. When you get clear on your purpose, and begin living intentionally, you too, will look back over you life and see that it was good. Wouldn’t you want that gratification? Here are three questions that will help you think more long term.
How will this affect me in the future?
It’s starts by getting super clear and uber focused on what you truly desire. You don’t want to end up engaging in momentary actions that will affect you for the rest of your life. For example, too many young men are imprisoned for taking someone’s life, because they were mad in the moment. Alternatively, many multi-millionaire lottery winners lose every penny because they are so enamored by the newness of what they can buy. They become overtaken that by that momentary desire. When you can get a good picture of what you want, you will not major in the minor, but you will focus on those activities that will produce the greatest results. You will also be able to identify those innocent activities that have grave consequences.
Does this align with my long term goals and overall core values?
I am sure you have a vision for your lives or some idea of what you want-be it as broad as peace, happiness, financial security.The major goals you set for yourself should be moving you closer and closer to attaining it. When you are not getting closer, you begin feeling stagnate. The great thing is you have an internal gauge that helps you intuitively know if you are on or off track. For each major decision, try thinking about your current decision in relation to our your long term vision. Notice how it makes you feel. You might event think, “how will this help me in the make my vision happen”. For many of those decisions, you may realize that in the grand scheme, it really is not important. You can easily walk away.
Is this the best alternative?
Sometimes we quickly give up when something does not work. We become reactive and the first idea that comes to mind we try to implement without fully considering the consequences. When that idea does not work, we are on to the next one. We end up constantly putting out fires. Make sure that you have considered multiple back up plans before you make the first decision. Make sure you have options so that when you must select a back-up, you will have multiple viewpoints for you to weigh and then select the best alternative. You will select the best alternative by asking the two preceding questions: How will this affect me in the future, and does this align with my current long term goals and core values?
Power is conceiving an idea and bringing that idea to fruition and then reaping the benefits. Essentially you must become and active participant in creating your future. Yes, you will make mistakes; no one is perfect. However, as you begin to think more long term, you will become more strategic and intentional. You will will not continually place yourself in situations that will hold you back. However, if you do find yourself in a predicament, you can realign by looking at the big picture, making sure that it aligns with who you are, and from there you can select the best of alternatives.
