So busy working on your “dream” career that you aren’t taking time for your most important asset – your health? You know what they say – if you don’t have your health you don’t have anything! So why not create a business plan to do just that. Here are 9 foolproof steps to guide you on the journey.
BIG DREAM Process
Collect your own data.
Start paying attention to what other business leaders are doing to stay healthy. Schedule a coffee date and ask them these questions:
How did you decide to integrate health practices into your business?
What was the biggest challenge you faced?
How did you overcome this challenge?
What was the biggest surprise you found?
What is your life like now vs before?
What do you love to do that is healthy for you?
Pay attention to all the things YOU love to do. Which ones would benefit your health? This could be a relaxation strategy, or a physical activity, or a modification in your work schedule – you decide! If this becomes pleasurable rather than a chore, you are more apt to continue doing it for the long haul.
Visualize doing it on a regular basis
Make it real for yourself by thinking about what it would “feel” like to actually integrate this into your day. Are you feeling better? Do you have an overwhelming feeling that this really fits into your day? If you get positive feedback then how willing are you to give more time and attention to taking action on it?
Identify Barriers
Create a document with two columns. Label one column “Barriers that stop me from doing what I love”. Now list all the barriers that stand in your way of doing this for the rest of your life. Be honest and list at least 10 reasons. Now reflect on how you feel when you read this list.
Identify Possibilities
On the same sheet with two columns, label the second column with “Possibilities that could happen if there were no barriers”. Now re-word each statement in the left column from what you can’t have to what you can have.
Ex: Barrier = I don’t have the time to do what I want.
Possibility = I have more than enough time to make happen whatever I want.
Focus on Possibilities not Barriers
Now reflect on the list of possibilities and how does reading it make you feel? Which list gives you a good feeling? Throw the list of barriers away and post the list of possibilities in a prominent location where you see it every day and remind you of how good it would feel.
Set Your Intention
Once you have done the prep work, you are ready to set your intention on manifesting what you want to happen in your life. Write it down and include an “end date” when you will have launched yourself into your new direction toward optimal health.
Practice Visualizing
It is fine to set an intention and determine when that will happen, but sometimes we give up on our dreams because we don’t keep the fire alive. Schedule a regular time to practice visualizing your big dream daily or weekly. Back it up by creating a DREAM BOARD that hangs prominently where you see it every day to keep that picture alive in your head.
Keep an Evidence Journal
If you do all these things how will you know if it is paying off? In a journal, record all the baby steps and progress you have made moving forward toward your goal. Some things may seem insignificant, but when you add them all up a bigger picture emerges. Reflect on this regularly to provide evidence that your Big Dream is actually starting to manifest.
And that is how you bring BIG Health DREAMS into REALITY.
Enjoy the process and be well on your Journey!