Article by Wendy McCance
I had a revelation today. I have spent an enormous amount of time looking forward to the future and what I would like to achieve within say a year or so. I haven’t looked backwards from the future to my past. If you were to envision yourself one year from now looking back on what you have achieved and how you got this new success, would you see success? What advice would you give yourself?
I was startled when I looked back instead of looking forward. Instead of looking forward and seeing what I wanted and hoped to achieve, I looked back and saw my efforts in getting to my goal. I am spinning my wheels. I haven’t made any huge steps that would cause a big enough shift in my life to put me on the track I want.
To explain this better, I’ll give you my personal example. I want to publish a book, have articles in several magazines and have enough income coming so that I can seriously say that writing is my career. To get to where I want to go, I have written an article almost every day on my blog to sharpen my skills and get my name out there. I have submitted a few articles to magazines, I’ve had articles published on Yahoo Voices and I have touched on my book a little bit.
What’s wrong with this picture is that I am not using my time effectively enough. A year is really not that far away for what I am looking to accomplish. Sure I write each day, but I need to have more articles submitted and I should be further along in my book. I can use as my defense that this is all new to me and I have spent a lot of time researching how to really become a writer. Researching is fine, but it’s the amount of time I have put into reading and comfortably been taking my time that is the problem.
The more I produce and submit, the better my chances that something will come together. I need to keep in mind that like everything else there are odds of winning. The more you invest in tapping into every channel you can find the better your chance for success. In a year from now the success at some level will be there.
You know it’s easy once you start rolling and see things happen to push yourself further. There’s a reassurance that all the hard work is not for nothing and that it will pay off. I think that anything can pay off if you push yourself and don’t give up. The less movement you see, the harder you should push. I love looking backward to what I had accomplished over the last year (one year from now). This exercise definitely helps you to visualize where your weaknesses are and what work needs to be done.
One year from now, my advice to myself would be to not worry about how things will come together. Just work as hard as you can and if you are passionate about what you are doing, success will follow without having to worry about how it will occur.
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Wendy McCance
To contact Wendy McCance about a writing or social media assignment, interview or speaking engagement, please email her at: [email protected]
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Wendy,
Another great article, just a gentle reminder to us all, we discover how far we have come, with the occasional look back over our shoulder.
Regards
Thanks so much for your comment David. 🙂
This post reminds me a lot of some of the things that Barry Eisler has to say. If you aren’t familiar with him, I recommend his Tedx talk. http://youtu.be/clWa6xJFMCo He talks about “time travel” (your future self giving advice to your present self), as well as doing everything you can to be successful. I have to admit, I have a tiny (hah!) crush on him … I find him very inspirational.
My advice to myself, at the moment is to get over myself and just get on with it. 🙂
Great topic!
Hi Samira,
Thanks so much for your comment. I have never heard of Barry Eisler, but I will definitely check out the link. Sounds like something I would be interested in. Thanks so much for mentioning it. 🙂
After a year, I shall thank myself for being alive and also proclaim “Hey are you still alive!!! Another chance for you to transform and transcend purely!!!” Rest what we can ask ourselves? Life is a liveliness of our own personality but we regret when calamities fall but we do not consider it as our testing period!!!!! Blissful Joy!!!!!
Because time will still be available and i’ll still exist in it that means it belongs to me and al within time, and because God is a God that changeth not but because I’am still here in time He can change some things for me, and I can change some things for also I can right a wrong and enjoy life some more as long as theres time for without it we have no time, this is my advice I’ll have for myself and will shre with others.
Another great question!!!
Aw, thanks.
Oh do I ever agree with you on this one Wendy. I have to rearrange a few things to get back on track. Hello self…
Hi Liz, It’s nice to hear from you. Thank you for your comment. 🙂
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Great article and provocative question. I would advise myself to continue being open to growth opportunities and to continue becoming more fully who I am. When I look back a year from right now, I have grown tremendously, made the leap into my own business and into my doctoral studies, ramped up work on my book with a projected completion date and changed my thoughts from more victim to more victorious. Great things ahead.
I am now following yoru blog. Will you please follow and comment on mine? http://www.journeyofagrownupblackwoman.com
Thanks for the comment and the follow. I’ll definitely check out your blog. 🙂
Absolutely. We all have goals. Putting out the right effort and having the patience and determination to keep going/pushing to not let the blind alleys derail us/you is a big deal.
You rock. :-))
Thanks so much. You always have some great comments!
That is true for you as well. 😀
Thanks for the encouragement!
The advice I would give myself is to stop procrastinating. If you really want to be a published author and an established filmmaker, you must take the steps necessary to attain those goals. Write! Write! Write!
Visualizing where you want to be and taking the steps that increase your chances of arriving there is wonderful! I would also add the idea of allowing things to happen, rather than forcing them. Yes, it’s important to take the steps that can lead to your goal, and at the same time allowing for serendipity, synchronicity, support from the Universe in ways you can’t even imagine right now.
I totally agree. I have to admit that not forcing things is still my biggest issue. I start allowing the worries of no income coming in and not getting to my goal fast enough to bog me down. Finding a balance is what I hope to achieve.
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I hear you, I sometimes have those worries, too. I find it helps to focus back on the fact that what I’m doing is my life purpose; what I’m meant to be doing, and that it will be supported. Trust - yourself and the Universe.