Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
The Value of Looking Six Years Ahead
Do you live for the moment, not worrying about tomorrow at all? Or is your life planned out in detail from now until beyond retirement? Or are you somewhere in between, perhaps looking ahead to the next holiday, or the next promotion?
If you are a business owner, the discipline of having to create a business plan may have forced you to look further into the future. In our personal lives, most of us could benefit from giving some sustained attention to the longer term. Looking further ahead allows you to sidestep some of the nasty surprises that life can throw at you, and means you spend less time in “fire-fighting” mode trying to deal with unexpected events.
Raise Your Sights
If it’s not easy to think of your goals for six years ahead, this is valuable information in itself. Treat it as a sign that it’s worth spending some time deciding what you want in the future. Remember that this is just a starting point. You can add to your goals as more ideas come to you. You may find that you get clearer about your vision for the future as you complete the exercises in the next few pages. They will help you clarify your values. Don’t be surprised if your goals change altogether or radically expand, as you raise your sights and discover more about what you want.
Exercise: What Are Your Longer-Term Goals?
To encourage yourself to focus beyond your everyday concerns, however pressing, take ten minutes to ask yourself these questions and write down your answers:
They will help you to take a longer view.
1. What are your goals for six years’ time?
2. What are your goals for three years’ time?
3. What are your goals for one year’s time?
It’s best to start with your six-year goals, because the medium-term and shorter-term goals will often be stepping stones on the way to your long-term destination.
If you want to get a head start, why not download the Achieve Your Goals self-hypnosis audio?
It’s a dual-induction guided visualisation designed to help you get clear on what you really want and get the help of your unconscious mind in achieving it.
“My brain was totally scrambled at the beginning and I fell into a relaxed state almost straight away. Very relaxing! It’s really motivating and great to listen to at work. It took me away from my physical surroundings and into the place within me where my goals are. It made me take a step back from Tuesday morning at work and allowed me to see why I’m here and where I’m going.” – Heather Timm, studio manager
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