A recent client of mine made a courageous decision to leave a job that was depleting her physically and emotionally without a new job lined up. When we first met she was engaging in scarcity thinking. “If I don’t take this opportunity, what if another one won’t come up?” “What if this is the best opportunity I can hope for?”
Scarcity thinking is a trick your mind plays on you when facing a brave decision. Your brain tricks you into thinking that life is a zero-sum game. If you do not take the opportunity immediately available, there won’t be any other opportunities as good or at all in the future.
To combat this, Laura made a spec list for her new job just like you might when hunting for a new house. She listed her nonnegotiables and outlined how she wanted to make an impact. After spending nearly 20 years in the nonprofit sector, Laura realized she could make the impact she wanted outside of the nonprofit sector. This opened up her search to opportunities that otherwise might not have made the list.
Looking ahead and setting intentions helps arm you against scarcity thinking and decision fatigue. Sticking to your intentions, goals, and priorities for the year can help you overcome these thoughts when they arrive. It can help you stay firmly on your chosen pathway forward. It can also reduce the energy sucked into decision-making.
Being clear on what she wanted and what she didn’t, allowed Laura to preserve energy. She stopped going after things based on scarcity thinking and ultimately recognized, pursued, and landed the right opportunity for her.
Vision and goal setting can help you set your own intentions for the future year, and avoid scarcity thinking, wasted time, and energy.
Here are a few questions to get your reflection started. If you want support setting your intention for the year, coaching can help. Learn more.
Vision
“The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can.” – Neil Gaiman
- What is my purpose for next year?
- In evaluating my future, what change will draw me closer to my values?
- What is my next step toward that change?
- What new and different beliefs or behaviors will I adopt in the upcoming year?
- Who do I want to become?
- What personal qualities do I want to strengthen?
- What do I want to learn?
Goals
“The real value of setting goals is not the recognition or reward, it’s the person we become by finding the discipline, courage, and commitment to achieve them.” – Anonymous
- How specifically will I know if I am living in my purpose?
- How will I be spending my time?
- What will I still be doing, what will I stop doing?
- What 2-3 goals do I want to accomplish? What’s important about them?
- What are the first steps I can take toward my goals? Be specific!
- What resources do I need to make progress?
- Skillsets I want to grow:
- Strategies for growing my skillset:
- Who will I ask for help and support from?
- How can I create early wins and momentum?
- What progress will I make in 30, 60, 90 days? How will I know?
If you would like to learn how a coaching relationship can help you set your intentions and achieve your goals, let’s talk!