My goal for CMH Bracelets as well as this blog has always been to inspire chic, empowered women who care about being their best selves. One of the most authentic ways to do this is to incorporate guest bloggers who specialize in different areas of motivational expertise (for example, Susie Rahaim who contributes for us on natural health and wellness). I am honored to introduce author and self-development expert Kimberly Novosel, who will be sharing her video blogs and guest posts on how we can better our lives in this fabulous, hectic world.
Here she shares with us one way we can better our lives this week. This is a little peek into what her next book is about! For more info on Kimberly visit www.kimberlynovosel.com. – CC
Author and self-development expert Kimberly Novosel
Counting Backwards
We love counting, don’t we? We use our Count Me Healthy bracelets to track all kinds of things throughout our day. I’m going to teach you a new way to look at counting that you can put into practice right now, that will have a wonderful effect on how you live.
It can be so remarkable, the ways in which one thought turned to action can alter your life. So often the pattern our lives take is reactive. We wait to look for a new job until we are severely dissatisfied with the one we have; We wait to go to the doctor or to take vitamins until we are sick; We wait to work out until our jeans don’t button so easily. What if we chose to live actively instead of reactively?
This is what I’ve been practicing lately, and what a difference it makes! I call it counting backwards. Instead of deciding what you want to do today, therefore tomorrow, and therefore a year from now (as in, I have this job now, which leads to this kind of promotion, which leads to this kind of career), start from that foggy scary unknown place in the future.
Take a few minutes to think about yourself five years from now. I often do this with a ten year vision, but today we’re going to stick with 5 for more acute direction. How old will you be? Where would you like to be living? What would you most like to do for work? What will you do for fun? Are you romantically involved, growing a family, or on your own? What makes you most excited about your day? What do you like most about yourself? Write it down if that helps you get your thoughts clear.
Don’t let any of your current circumstances influence this vision at all. If you’re struggling financially, don’t let that keep you from imagining security or even wealth. If you work the counter at the local dry cleaners, don’t let that keep you from imagining yourself running a successful non-profit. Everything is possible.
Pull from these ideas one of the more powerful images, be it related to your career, your home, your health, your finances, your relationships…choose one thing that makes you shift in your seat from the positive power the image has to you. Write that thing down, big and bold.
Now ask yourself, if that’s where I’m to be in 5 years, what is the halfway point to that? If your goal is to be a published author, your halfway point could be having a finished manuscript, or having developed a relationship with an agent. Write down that halfway point, big and bold.
If you’re to reach that halfway point two and a half years from now, where will you need to be in a year? Using the author example, you’ll need to have a first draft, perhaps. Write down this one year goal, big and bold. Keep these goals as trackable as possible, for example “I work from home three days a week” rather than “I have freedom in my work.”
If you’re to reach that one-year goal, what can you do today or this week that will help you to get there? This might be big. This might scare you. You might find yourself signing up for a creative writing class. You might begin searching for a new job even though you thought yours was just fine. You may end a relationship you’ve been holding on to for too long, or find the courage to step into a new one. Write down this thing you need to do this week, big and bold. Then go do it.
Whatever it is, have faith in this path. You created it to lead you to exactly where you want to go. Don’t let the what-ifs, the potential road blocks (I call these hiccups), get in the way. Keep counting backwards – from “where I want to be” to “how to get there” to “what I can do today.” Write to me in five years and tell me what you’ve accomplished. – KN
Kimberly’s first book Loved, a novel focusing on self-development, was published last fall. She’s also a cofounder of bicoastal wellness website sunshineandskyscrapers.com and charity event planning group Giving Back is the New Black. We met through a mutual friend years ago, when Kimberly was styling country stars for The CMT Awards and Nashville Star. I love what she stands for and am really looking forward to her sharing her insight.
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