How to figure out if you’re on the right path in life
I recently read this question from James Clear’s 3,2,1 newsletter: “Can my current habits carry me to my desired future?” and it got me thinking. It’s so easy for months or even years to pass us by without realising that we’re not doing anything to achieve our dreams and desires.
I didn’t want to fall into this trap, so I took some time to reflect on where I wanted my life to go and whether or not my current path was taking me in that direction.
Here are the questions I asked myself to help me figure this out.
Where do you want to be in 1 year and then in 5 years?
This exercise forces me to think about how my ideal future looks. I found it particularly important to dream big here. Especially when thinking about where I want to be in 5 years.
I think it’s essential to spend some time on this piece and think about all aspects of my life, including health, emotional wellness, happiness etc.
Once I have a clear picture of my dream, it’s time to think about the current path I’m on, and this is where I use James Clear’s question:
Do you feel like your current habits and lifestyle will get you there?
The goal here is to be brutally honest about my current trajectory. I’m often guilty of thinking, I’ll start tomorrow, and as we all know, tomorrow never comes. So I find this process helpful in seeing through my own bullshit and false promises I make to myself.
I think I have to reiterate that this only works if you are entirely open and honest with yourself. Maybe even ask someone close to you to help point out any blind spots you may have.
Then the final piece is about recognising what changes are needed to get onto the right path.
Where is the disconnect between the life you want and the path you’re on? What can you change to make sure you get there?
Again it’s imperative, to be honest with yourself here. Much of what comes up here will likely be challenging changes to make. But if you want to achieve the things you dream of, it’s essential to know this is what it will take.
From here, I start to make a list of goals and break them down into small steps that I can add to my day-to-day. I can go into more detail on this process if people find this interesting :)
If you find this process interesting you can find more like this on Here a journaling platform designed to make journaling much more accessible through prompts and exercises.
