BECOMING: Edit the Environment

Are you simply working on achieving a goal with an end date? Or are you BECOMING the kind of person it takes to achieve the goal and become the best version of your personal and professional self?

This series walks you though the essential elements to BECOMING. Reach your goals faster, and better, finding the joy in the journey:

B was for Believe in Possibilities.  

E is for "Edit Your Environment."

This is your goal. Your vision.  Your dream.  No one else signed up for this. Expect a rocky reception as you upset the natural balance.  Ease the resistence by engaging the environment: aligning people, places, and things to who you are becoming. 

What (and who) got you here is not going to get you to where you want to be.

WARNING - you may not like me after you read this. That's only because this is where reality hits reality hard.  You are going to have to make room for what's most improtant to you.  That means getting rid of the unimportant.  Fill your life with the essential and important.  

People

The people we spend the most time with directly influence our results and how we feel along the way.  If you want to do something you've never done before, start connecting with people who have done it. Learn from them. Let them inspire you.  

Pay attention to the energy in your existing circle.  Are your friends and family encouraging your goals? Are you hesitant to tell them what's really improtant because you are afraid they are going to be less than supportive? 

Who benefits from you reaching your goal? Who might be impacted by your journey to accomplish your goals? 

What support, help, or accountability will help you reach your goal faster and better?  Don't overlook the ancillary relationships.  Could hiring a housekeeper create more time with your family in the hours you aren't working your goal?  Could hiring a virtual assistant or someone to manage your social media feed free time for you to make sales calls (and create better content)? 

No one is a self-made success.  Everyone is surrounded by a team who helps.  Just because you CAN do it yourself, doesn't mean that you should. What is the opportunity cost?

Take Action: Edit the people and the roles you and they play in your story

• Take out your Vision Journal and answer the questions above.  

• Tell your loved ones your expectations for them supporting you. (Get agreement; don't just go making demands or it won't go well.) Example: Hey kids. I'm building my business, and that means I'll be working later into the evening.  I'm asking you to take care of your school things, do your homework, and get the table set for dinner every night, rather than expecting me to do it. (And follow through! Don't say it only to leave things the same).

• Create a plan to include the other people you've identified in your plan. (Hire that housekeeper, coach, or web designer, etc. Join the mastermind or network group.)

Places

How does your physical space support your goals? Is it cluttered? Is it high-traffic or otherwise filled with distractions? (If your "office" is your kitchen table, see if you can find an alternative space!)

Are you going to the places or online forums where the people are?  

If you spend a lot of time in your car, is your car supporting your goals?  I am a Mom and an Entrepreneur. By day, I'm meeting the people all over town.  By night, I'm carting kids around  town.  If my car is filled with empty water bottles and sporting equipment when I take off in the morning, I'm still in "mom mode." I'm not saying buy a "business car" and a "mom car." (Although wouldn't that be great).  But I notice that my mind is free to focus on the appointment I'm headed to when all the "kid stuff" is cleared out the night before.  You will, too.

Does your office space support you you are becoming, or remind you of who you were.  While your certificates and awards from two or more years ago are worth the celebration, they don't represent where you are going.  Consider replacing the awards of the past with symbols of who you are becoming and where you are going. Keep the awards; just don't keep them in spaces where you are creating and becoming the next best version of yourself. 

Take action: Edit the places and the vibe they give off

• Create and decorate your physical space in ways that support who you are becoming and where you are going. 

• Declutter and tidy your physical space. This declutters your mind as well, allowing you to focus on where you are headed.

• Create a habit of resetting your physical space every night so that, when you start the next day, your environment is already set up for your forward progress.

• Intentionally frequent the places and events where you'll be with the kind of people who will support your goals. Plan each month with a minimum number of networking and personal development events that are strategically aligned with your goals.

Things

What physical resources are necessary to support your goal? What are the things in your environment that conflict with who you are becoming?   

Edit the THINGS in your environment:

Get rid of distractions: What things in your environment deter you from meeting your goals? 

Dress for success.  If you work from home, get dressed as if you had an office to go to.  Play the role of the person you are becoming. Save the PJs for bedtime (or Walmart).

Remind yourself of where you are going. Everything in your physical environment should point you to where you are going and remind you of your hightest priorities.  Get rid of anything that isn't essential to who you are becoming as you reach your goal.  

• Write your goals and post them where you'll see them first thing in the morning and through out the day (in your car, at your bedside, as a screensaver on your phone or computer...)

• Create a vision board 

• Post a photo of your reward for hitting your goal

• Create a dashboard to measure activities that create the results you want

• Rid your workspace of non-essentials

Surround yourself with inspiration:  What are you reading? Who do you follow on social media? What programs do you watch on TV? Who do you listen to on the radio?  Pay attention and reflect: How do you feel after you stop? Are you inspired? Do you experience positive or emotions? Are you learning and growing from the content? Or are you escaping? 

Make your work efficient. Do you have systems and tools that make the process easier? Faster? Better?  Change is hard.  Don't make it harder than it has to be.  

"Motivation is overrated; environment often matters more."  James Clear, Author, Atomic Habits

When you edit the environment, you'll have a lot fewer hurdles to overcome as you do the work it takes to reach your big goals.

Subscribe today so you don't miss out on the next essential element to BECOMING:  

B:  Believe in Possibility 

E:  Edit Your Environment

C:  Commit to the Journey

O: Own the Vision

M: Manage the Moments

I:   Ignite Courage

N: Negotiate the Cost

G: Give Gratitude and Grace

Let's chat!  Schedule a complimentary strategy session to build your goal and your reality around BECOMING the kind of person it takes to achieve your goal.