Clarify Your Next Steps

March is here.

It’s a new moon tomorrow. Springtime is coming. And things are shifting.

There’s a great opportunity right now to connect in, decide what you want, and make it happen.

What are you waiting for?

Use these thought prompts to clarify your next steps. It’s best to either free write or free speak – don’t put too much pressure on yourself or psychoanalyze the answers as they’re coming through. Just express whatever comes to mind and allow it to flow. If you’re speaking, try to record your words so that you can listen later on.

• What currently feels most aligned in my life? What lights me up, increases my joy, and gives me energy? (Focus your energy here.)
• What feels misaligned in my life? What don’t I like doing but force myself to do anyway? What practices are in place just because I feel I “should” be doing them? (Work to either phase these out or to shift them so that they feel more aligned.)
• What have I hesitated to do but am very drawn to? What do I feel would be my highest expression in this area?
• What do I need to put into place now to invite more alignment into my life?

Once you’ve completed these, read or listen to your answers and notice the common themes. Sometimes additional alignment and happiness are as simple as quitting those things that add unnecessary stress and then spending that time leaning into more aligned activities. Hate going to the gym but feel like you “should” be going regularly? Maybe a yoga, dance, or swim practice would be better suited to your energy but still provide the benefits of regular movement. Hate big monthly networking lunches but feel like they’re “necessary” for your job? Try contacting a few people in your industry and arrange a small lunch or some 1:1 coffee meetings.

It’s very rare that we as individuals are truly aligned with the “way things have been done” for years. There’s always a way to think outside the box, meet your own unique needs and desires, and find success within your own parameters rather than society’s.

Once you’ve defined your own version of alignment, use it to help you create goals for March. Ask yourself the following:

• What would I like to focus on improving in March?
• What changes would I like to see this month?
• What small steps can I take through the end of this week to help my vision along?

I’ve found that breaking goals down into smaller pieces is often more effective than seeing a goal as one large thing, which can lead to ill-defined individual steps. Breaking goals down allows us to feel more of the energy present at each small juncture; this can keep us motivated and interested for longer periods. Big goals, without being broken down, often feel daunting and larger-than-life, even though in reality the steps are the same as they’d be to accomplish several smaller goals in the same vein. This makes it hard for us to move forward on the big goals unless things are “just so” – which sabotages our overall progress.

Sending you love as you navigate your alignment this month.