Happy 2011 everyone! It is the start of a new year, and a great year! The best part about the change of the year is the attention it brings to what you have done in life, where you are going, how far off track you may be, and how to get to where you want to be in life.

Borrowing an exercise from the very successful and fearless Timothy Ferriss, I invite you to partake in a little Q & A with me. Perhaps you already have an idea about what you want out of life (to write a book, to start your own business, to start a non-profit, to live in a foreign country…), but you feel stuck… You are not alone. It seems, as human beings, we tend to get caught up in habits, routines and also let our pasts and fears dictate our futures. It requires a little invested energy upfront, but once you get the ball rolling in the right direction you are well on your way.

EXERCISE:

Get out a piece of paper and without lifting your pencil from the page jot down the answers to the following questions. This list if for you and you alone, so say what you mean and mean what you say- no one else is going to read it. The more honest you are the more able you’ll be to help yourself.

1.) Define your nightmare- the absolute worst that could happen if you did what you are considering doing. Here is where you answer all the ‘what-ifs’.

2.) What steps could you take to repair the damage or to get things back on the upswing, even if temporarily?

3.) What are the outcomes or benefits, both temporary and permanent, of more probable scenarios?

4.) If you were fired from your job today, what would you do to get things under financial control?

5.) What are you putting off out of fear? (Usually, what we most fear doing is what we need to do most… That phone call, that conversation, an action…)

6.) What is it costing your- financially, emotionally and physically- to postpone action? (Most likely you will see that it is costing you EVERYTHING. You are not living the life in totality that you dream of, nor are you becoming the person you want to be through inaction.)

7.) What are you waiting for? (Are you afraid? Think back to the costs of inaction, and overcome that fear!)

I did this exercise and was relieved to discover the simplicity of what was keeping me from fulfilling the life I want. When  you gain clarity of thought like that, it is so much easier to take action towards your goal.

(Photo via The New York Times)

Side note: I would recommend this book, The Four-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss, to anyone. It gives you a great perspective on what you are actually doing with your life and includes step-by-step exercises to help you work through all the bumps that might get in your way.