Photo by Madeira

In talking to lots of people about Personal Development over the years, I’ve found that almost everyone has different aims and dreams for what they wish to achieve from their pursuit of personal growth.

In considering our own particular desires, many of us have imagined that one perfect idea - something we want to find or discover or learn, or a change we want to bring about in our lives…

I like to think of this as a personal “Holy Grail” - that magical objective that once achieved will transform our lives.

Understanding “Holy Grails”

According to Christian mythology, the Holy Grail was the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper, said to possess miraculous powers. (Source wikipedia).

After many years of research, and many conversations with fellow personal growth enthusiasts - I have come to believe that a great deal of people who pursue personal growth have some inner concept - a belief in an idea or tool - that once attained will be the catalyst for all the changes that we desire.

Productivity zealots may be seeking that one perfect technique to get everything done that they want to.

People striving to lose weight may be constantly looking for a brand new diet trick that will help them shed pounds effortlessly.

Procrastinators could be hoping for some secret motivational trick that will obliterate the tendency to put things off and will get them producing successfully every day.

When considering my own “Holy Grail”, I realized that for years I had been obsessed with finding the perfect “life management” system - Some incredibly simple paradigm that would help me work towards my goals, get things done every day and achieve massive public and financial success.

To this end, I studied Stephen Covey, Tony Robbins and GTD in all it’s forms - I created and redesigned countless different iterations of my daily workflow system - I tweaked and changed my goals every day to make sure they were written in the right way (I don’t know what my criteria were for the “perfect” goal, but I never reached them).

Eventually, I came to realize one simple truth…

Holy Grails don’t exist…

Yup. Absolutely true… They don’t exist (well, Jesus’ might). Sorry.

No matter what it is you think is out there - be it a book, an idea, a tool, a technique, or a person - There is no ultimate idea which is going to change your life completely in the way you want.

By pinning your chances for success upon some imaginary ideal solution, you are either consciously or subconsciously reinforcing the fear that you are not enough - that you and your life will only be alright when you have obtained this solution.

I don’t like being ornery and controversial (much), but there is only one thing that can revolutionize your life to that degree - a conscious willingness to change.

Whatever it is you think you need to find - stop looking, it ain’t out there. Instead, take a good look around at all the fabulous things in your life right now. The people you love, the place you live in, the things around you. Make a firm commitment to accept and value your situation as it currently is, not how you wish it to be.

Once you start to accept your life the way it is, you stop fighting against it. When you consciously acknowledge what is, rather than what you wish for, you can find peace. Then you can begin to create the changes you desire for yourself from a place of power, rather than a place of fear.

Photo by malias

A key part of being motivated to achieve your goals is having a clear picture of your position, so you can understand how far you have come, where you are, and where you’re headed. When you’re mired in numerous projects and responsibilities, both in and out of work, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and that you’re not getting anywhere.

Ideas, distractions, new tasks and new “stuff” comes at us from all directions, every day… And it’s all too easy to succumb to urgency and busywork, and to put off the things that matter.

Short of a stint in a monastery, or attacking your to-do list with a machete; the best thing you can do to stay focussed and maintain momentum, is to develop a system to help you maintain perspective and get back on track - to put the content in context.

In order to help you do this, we recommend a simple, elegant solution - The 360-degree Achievement Timeline.

Creating your Timeline is really easy - to start with, just get 3 bits of paper the same size, and write one of these titles per piece: Have done. Am doing. Will do.

Have Done - Your Past Achievements

You can start filling out your bits of paper in any order, but I recommend you start with “have done” as it helps you understand where you have come from, and will build confidence in using your Timeline.

Start listing on the piece of paper - as a linear list, a mind-map or whatever format suits you - all the things you have achieved in your life to date that make you feel proud.

Things to consider:

• Jobs you’ve had
• Big challenges you’ve overcome
• Goals you’ve reached
• How you have helped people
• money you have saved or earned
• Kids you’e had, kids you’ve helped
• Notches on the bedpost

The point of this exercise is to remind you of all the successes of your past - the goals you’ve reached, the adventures you’ve had, creative solutions you have come up with. By reviewing your list, you’ll get an instant motivation boost by seeing what you’ve achieved in your life so far.

Am Doing - Your current Goals and Projects

The “am doing” section is the most important part, as it is here that you write out or list all the stuff you are working on now. If you have already selected your goals and plans for the present, then you can copy what you’ve got in place - if not, then spend a little time thinking about the various areas of your life, what is occupying most of your attention, and what you are doing or could be doing, this week, that moves you forward in a positive direction.

Things to consider:

• Your current job and it’s prospects at the moment
• Your current relationship and how you would like it to develop OR
• Your intentions to find a new relationship
• Classes you might be taking
• Your home and how you live there
• Your friends and social activities
• Fun hobbies or activities you’re currently enjoying

You’re focusing on what is in your life now, in order to sharpen your focus on the things that matter most to you. This is also a chance to map out some of things you could start doing today, that would make your life better - put them on the list as something you are doing, and you will begin finding new ways to take action.

Will Do - Plans for the Future

The “will do” part of your Timeline is where you map out some things you want to achieve in the next few years of your life - and let’s be honest, most of us can be pretty clear about our desires for the future - bigger home, healthier lifestyle, more money. Beyond the material will be the goals and aspirations we hold for the future - career changes, business ideas, homes abroad… it’s all fuel for the fire of your motivation!

Things to consider for your “will do” list:

• Your plans for retirement
• Business ideas you’re considering
• Children (or life afterwards)
• Volunteer work, or contributions you’d like to make
• Skills you’d like to develop
• Hobbies you’d like to try
• Countries you fancy visiting

This is a chance to dream a little - let your imagination soar and get down some ideas for your ideal life, be it a business of your own, insanely-cute children or relaxing on a beach in the Bahamas. You can be, do or have anything you want - and now is your chance to start planning for that future. Be creative and think big!

Why it works…

If you don’t have a clear representation of where you are and where you want to get to, its easy to become de-motivated, and to stray off the course you’ve chosen. Without regularly reminding yourself of your intentions, it’s more difficult to decide correctly what you do on a day-to-day basis, and you can easily waste time working on less important things.

This system works because it illustrates clearly and simply the things you want to be working on now - those tasks and projects which serve your goals, and which will help you achieve them. By making the decision of what to tackle next in the context of your overall plans for your life, you enable yourself to work more effectively.

Your Timeline also helps you maintain an accurate perspective of your progress - you will feel less overwhelmed by what you’re tackling now through seeing what you’ve achieved in the past; your current goals will become more relevant through seeing what you want to achieve in the future.

If you want to be clearer about your goals, and see where you’ve come from and where you’re headed - get some paper and put together your Achievement Timeline - it will help, and if you want to get a bit creative and funky with it, it will be a lot of fun too!