How do I know I am doing the right thing?
How do I know I am doing the right thing? As someone who feels I need to constantly seek approval from others, I have a hard time working out if I am making the right decision. So how can you know if your plan is the correct one? Well, the simple answer is you will never know this with 100% certainty until you are brave enough to try it out. But you can get a lot of hints about the best direction for you to follow by doing some self-analysis. There are lots of free personality assessments online, and you can make an assessment of your current values too. If you haven’t done this for a while, I would highly recommend it. Mine brought up some strong values that I wasn’t consciously aware of, and I found the whole process very interesting.
Instincts
I am a great believer in trusting my instincts. If you are torn between two different options, and you can’t make a final decision by thinking it through logically, then listen to your gut feelings. I instinctively knew that I wanted to work for myself. I had known it for years, but simply didn’t know how to make it happen.
Don’t worry too much about the inner critic, who questions whether your plans are realistic, as we will deal with this at a later date. Firstly, we need to know where our heart truly lies, as this tells us our passion. If we decide to follow our heart, we will automatically be more invested in our project, which makes it more likely that we will succeed. Trust your instincts, and you will know you are doing the right thing.
Visualisation
Once you have a clear direction that you want to follow, then stick to it. Be decisive. Remember the reasons that you chose this option, and then visualise the final outcome in its full glory. It will help you to stay motivated, and reduce your stress and anxiety.
It is much easier to stay focused on your journey if you have a clear end point in mind. If you aren’t certain which route you want to follow, then you will find that you easily become distracted. This will cause you to zigzag, or end up going round in circles rather than making clear progress towards your goal.
Naysayers
A word of caution here about naysayers. You will find that people will try to pull you off course, by questioning your judgement. It is perfectly sensible to listen, as they may have spotted flaws in your plan that you hadn’t. I believe in keeping all your options open, and keeping yourself informed of all available opportunities. You never know when a better option might come up, so you need to keep things flexible enough that you can pivot at short notice and adapt your plan to best suit the new circumstances.
But always be wary of people who try to persuade you to change your mind. They don’t always have your best intentions at heart. Trust yourself. You know you are doing the right thing.
Temptation and greed
And beware your own greed. Money is a powerful intoxicant. It is very easy to be tempted away from your decision by a higher offer. Take time to review any new options with a cool head. Is it really the right thing for you to do?
I was contacted by a recruiter this week to see if I was interested in interviewing for a similar role to the one that I have just left. The salary was significantly higher than I have ever earned, and the benefits and prospects much better. It is local, so there would be no commuting. I have to admit I was tempted. I listened to the proposal, and I promised to consider it over the weekend. And I have.
But I realised that I would be moving out of the frying pan into the fire. My stress levels would go back through the roof. And I would never forgive myself for giving up my chance to explore my new creative life. Money isn’t everything. I decided to leave my job because of all the stress it was causing me, and I don’t ever want to go back to that way of life.
Once I had a chance to listen to what my gut instincts were telling me, my decision was obvious. I just don’t want the job. My heart would never have been in it, and I would have ended up making myself ill. I am going to call the recruiter first thing on Monday and decline the offer. And I feel great about that! It confirms to me that I have made the right decision about the next chapter in my life, and I finally know I am doing the right thing.
Project 365
I set up this website after deciding that I want to build a more creative life for myself, so I can give up my job and be in control of my own destiny.
I have set myself a goal of publishing an article on my website every day this year, to document my journey from employment to self-employment.
The name I chose was Project 365 because I see this as a year that I have dedicated to learning and self-development, as I countdown to freedom. It started on 1st January 2021, so I have 357 days to go!
Why not check in on a regular basis to see how I am progressing, and what I have discovered?
I have decided to set up a blog, and to document my adventures in life through it.