Making changes in your life is not done all at once. You have to know where you are now (in your life, not in New Jersey!) in order to make the changes you need to make along the way. Making some discoveries about yourself will help you find direction. Discovery statements are the declarations of what you want, descriptions of your attitudes, transcripts of your thoughts, pictures of your feelings, and chronicles of your behavior. Write them down as a way of creating a “map” for the direction you want to go.
Discover what you want. We all have more energy when we are doing things that we like to do. However, there are some things in life that may not be as pleasant, but they still have to be done. Write down what you really want out of life, and some of the ways to get it. You have to be specific and totally honest with yourself.
Record the specifics. Observe your actions and record the objective facts of your behavior. For example, if you keep shoving that report to the back of desk to do another day, write it down. Record your feelings and physical symptoms of the avoidance. Words and thoughts tell the story about life. Pay attention to details.
Notice your inner voices. You talk to yourself constantly, whether you are aware of it or not. Inner voices are the internal chatter that goes on during your waking hours. When you notice that dialogue getting in your way, write it down. Recording them on paper triggers your memory and can teach you a lot about yourself.
Notice your feelings. Pay attention to physical sensations as you go through your day. When you are the least productive, take note of whether you are sleepy, hungry, hot, cold, or if you always feel certain sensations at the same time each day. Also record your sensations when you are most productive.
Suspend self-judgment. Be gentle with yourself in your discovery process. If you keep judging yourself and labeling your discoveries as either good or bad, sooner or later you will stop discovering the experiences that you consider to be bad. However, some of the qualities that people tend to dislike about themselves are the qualities that can be turned into assets.
Tell the truth. Be truthful in your discovery statements. The closer you get to the truth, the more powerful your discovery will be.
After making your discoveries, you will know more about the changes that you need to make to improve your life.
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