Dec
Year after year, we are bombarded with questions about our goals for the upcoming year. Social media posts like “New Year, New Me” are cued up as we speak. We all have the right idea to make positive changes. However, have you planned for them?
Few people plan for the things they want to manifest in their life. Producing something you want takes intention. There are mindful steps and things to consider when crafting and executing a goal.
My journey in understanding planning and goal execution initially came as a Speech Instructor. I worked with students with disabilities and was responsible for generating goals to help build their expressive and receptive language. I was also responsible for assisting them in understanding structure in their daily life and crafting social stories to help them adjust to future events. I learned that everyone perceives the future differently– it’s essential to recognize how we do before we reach it.
For example, how many times have you wanted to do something, but when the time comes, you don’t have what you need? You want to bake that cake but need the ingredients because you didn’t make time to go to the store. You want to write that book but have yet to determine what free time you have to budget the time to start that first draft. Everyone has been there. How we perceive and plan for the future is vital to meeting goals. Lacking this understanding has consequences.
After leaving my job as a Speech Instructor, I began to help neurodiverse friends in my circle audit their time and understand the steps to executing their goals. That led to me writing The Helpful Planner workbook (available for adults and children on Amazon) and hosting workshops on the intuitive, easy-to-understand framework I developed based on my experience in the field and testing with friends. Hundreds of people have gained relief in finding a path to their goals through this structure. You may find a unique way that works for you to break down the components of achievement. Only you can bring what you truly want into being.
I will leave you with this: One of the essential parts of planning is to develop insight into the needs of your goal. Having the right tribe around you can help. Share your ideas with trusted friends who support your idea to flourish into a plan. If you need a friend group to help you manifest your goal, find places to network with like-minded people or those who have insight into what you want to achieve.
Good luck & go get ’em!
Portia Ingram is the Director of Smart Start Suffolk for Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, developing and coordinating early childhood programs. She owns Mind Align Solutions, LLC, a consulting company that creates and runs workshops on holistic planning and life skill development for children and adults. She has also worked and advocated for the disability community for over ten years in various positions ranging from clinician to policy advocate. She continues to share and provide resources to those in the community, working alongside politicians and non-profit organizations around Long Island. She is the author of the workbook The Helpful Planner and the young adult self-help book How To Survive Your 20s.