I was told where to go, how many steps to take to get there, and what may be along the path. A simple task, so I thought. Right before heading out towards the target to complete the task, the group leader stopped me. “Wait! James.” He yelled,” one more thing, put this on.” It was a blind fold. I was tasked to go from point A to point B, simple when I could see what was out in front of me, but magnified multiple times when I lost the use of the valuable sense.

This task was designed to highlight the need for planning and visualization. You don’t have to go walking blindfolded to get a true perspective of what happens when you can’t see where you are going.  But if you need help, put on a blindfold and ask someone to tell you where to go. Let me know how it works out, disclaimer: I am not responsible for any damage to you, others, or property. J

How do you get clarity of direction?

                There are many ways to to get clarity of direction, below are 10 ways that have been helpful to me.

1              Find out where you are: the best way to get to where you need to go is to first understand where you are. This could be your location, your current baseline for strength, your intelligence level, speed at which you run or type.

2              Determine where you want to go; is there a location you want to get to, a level of strength you want to get to, a speed to run. The more precise, the clearer you can get the direction you want to go the better.   

3. Why do you want to go there? Fame, fortune, personal wellbeing? Whatever the reason is focus on this one point. Visualize with great details on what happens to you once you get there. You fit into the clothes you always wanted and your friends and family constantly raves about your looks. You have more than enough money to buy what you want and fund projects to help others. You are recognized where ever you go, you can hear and see people calling out your name asking for photos of you and your autograph. Write down the details and write down how you believe you will feel once you get to your destination.
4. After you have written down in great details what your destination looks like and how you will feel. Magnify everything. Make the destination bigger and better than what you first imagined in step 3. Go over the top. But make it huge!
5. Now that we know where you are at, we know where you want to go, and we know how you will feel once you get there. How are you going to get there, what skills do you need to learn, who do you need to connect with to help you on the way, what other events need to happen first in order for you to reach your destination? Do you already have some of the skills, do you already know the people? Make an inventory of what you have and what you need.
6. What do you have to give up in order to get to your destination? Is there a fee, do you have to sacrifice time with your friends, family, or both? Will you need to get up earlier, stay up later? Determine the cost and about 25 to 30% to that number, give yourself a realistic buffer.
7. Will there be any obstacles that you can predict beforehand? Heads up, there will be obstacles that you cannot foresee that will get in your way; Negative friends, family, and co-workers. People you counted on will let you down. Equipment that you entrusted to get you there will break. Try to prepare yourself for all the roadblocks, pot holes, and breakdowns. Come up with a tentative plan on how to overcome them. Imagine your plan a road trip, a flat tire is not ideal but it is possible. What can you do, practice changing a tire, make sure you have a spare, map out service stations along your route, or get AAA to assist. Planning for this situations will help fortify your journey as you will be mentally prepared for these situations.
8. What could be the worst thing that could happen, this is in addition to step 7, and here you will visualize the absolute worst case scenario as you go on your journey. If you are trying to lose weight by working out, imagine a scenario where the whole rack of weights falls on you, you do not die but this is a pretty bad scenario. The reason for this step is picture the worst case scenario, and see if, it were to happen, would it slow you down or stop you from continuing on your journey? If the answer is yes, then I suggest you revisit step 3 and 4, because your end result is not big enough to handle these negative situations. If you can continue after the worst case scenario, congratulations you have a very strong vision/goal and nothing should stop you from getting there.
9. What will happen if you fall short of your goal? Would you be ok with what you have accomplished? The path of life is always revolving where we want to go today and the place we want to be in a year or two can drastically change with time. You acquire new skills/information/ or friends and your plan changes and shifts. There is nothing wrong with that if it is of your choosing. Asking yourself this question will give you peace if you determine that the destination you originally picked is no longer the place you want to go now. When I was younger I wanted to be a doctor, I studied hard, got good grades, and focused on all the life science classes. I even went as far as to get apply for an internship at a local hospital. In high school I took Anatomy and physiology. My desire to become a doctor rapidly changed as I had, and still do, a phobia with cutting flesh. Personally I am glad I took this class as I was able to pivot at a younger age than if this phobia would have presented itself later in my educational path. Key point of this story is that I made the choice and I changed my destination, and I am ok with the path I took instead.
10. When you get close to your destination and everything is going according to plan this is the time to start thinking about a new destination and starting the process all over. You do not want to start looking for your next location when you get to your current goal or destination. Your momentum will dwindle. But, starting the process and looking for the next goal before you hit your current one will take advantage of the momentum that you have and you will get off to a better start. Only do this, as I mentioned early, if your current process is running smooth and you are close to your current goal, you don’t want your next goal to hinder the completion of your first one.

Wishing you the best on your journey and I hope these steps will help you get there!