Hi. Welcome to Bloom Anywhere. I'm Gwen Moran, a writer, editor, author, and problem-solver. My goal is to share information, ideas, and resources to help you overcome obstacles, reach your goals, and get more joy out of life, even when things are messy. Thanks for joining me. (If you got this from a friend, subscribe here: Bloom Anywhere.) I'd love your feedback and suggestions for future topics. Please send me an email: connect@bloomanywhere.com.
Does your vision of what you want your life to look like include a goal or achievement? Perhaps it’s finding a new job or landing a big new client. Maybe you want to log a physical achievement, like running a marathon, or getting that book rattling around inside you out into the world. Or, instead, your vision may be less achievement-oriented and more about feeling a general sense of satisfaction or peace more regularly.
For me, it’s pretty much all of the above. Being a freelance/soloist business owner means I’m also consistently working on keeping my project pipeline full. I’m working on some fitness goals and also writing a book. And I sure could use a little more peace in my life. Sometimes, moving toward my big goals feels impossible with all of the day-to-day demands that life serves up like so many little potholes that need to be filled.
But there is another way to think about achievement. It’s not big. It’s not revolutionary. In fact, it’s eat-your-vegetables-and-get-enough-sleep-level boring.
Get into gear with systems
In his excellent book, Atomic Habits, James Clear explains why creating systems is an important part of reaching goals and sustaining behavior after the goal is reached. Goals can be big, scary, and overwhelming. Finding a new job, writing a 300-page book, or running 32+ miles are all daunting activities. But you will achieve any of them through a system—a sequence of small, repeatable actions that collectively move you to where you want to go.
At its most simplistic level, creating a system requires breaking down the steps that it will take to achieve it, then figuring out manageable ways to integrate them into your daily habits. For example, job-hunting requires outreach and networking. Writing requires…well, writing. And then rewriting. Running long distances requires training. You get the idea.
So, what does that look like for what you want to achieve? A simplified version of each system might be:
- Send three applications and network with three new people each week
- Write 500 words per day while drinking morning coffee
- Follow a safe running program (with doctor’s approval)
- Explore various mindfulness or other practices that work to help quiet the mind
Suddenly, your big goal is distilled down into a few simple habits you do as part of your day or week. Yes, it takes commitment and discipline. But the collective power of those habits can be massive. Five hundred words per day is 15,000 in a month. Three weekly applications and contacts total 30 each in less than three months.
(A brief note: I realize that for some folks who are neurodivergent, have disabilities, or have significant personal challenges, adding one more thing to the daily to-do list may be overwhelming. The goal here is to offer the hope of progress through small, simple steps. Take those steps at your own pace, and always consult your physical and mental health care practitioners before making big changes to your routine.)
Of course, once you get to a certain point in the process, your system may change. You might need to shift from outreach to interview preparation as your efforts bear fruit. Once you have a critical mass of your work-in-progress, you may need to find other writers to “workshop” your words and help you improve them. As you achieve longer distances, you may need to begin focusing on nutrition and weight training, as well. Your system for maintenance once you’ve reached your goal may be different from your system for achieving it in the first place. But the system can help you keep desired behaviors going as you work toward something, as well as after. They also keep you focused on the process and progress instead of the Big Challenging Thing you’re trying to accomplish.
Seems simple? If it were, folks would be crushing their goals left and right.
Clearing the gears
Once your system is up and running, you’ll likely get sand in the gears at some point, slowing you down or maybe even bringing you to a grinding halt. The “sand” may include life issues like health problems, personal emergencies, or caregiving demands. But it may also include self-sabotage, imposter syndrome, people-pleasing, or other ways we undermine our own progress.
When you notice that your system is beginning to fail, it’s time to examine the bigger picture. What’s getting in your way? Why are you not prioritizing the things that you believe will make you happy? Three possible answers are:
- I have a temporary disruption due to circumstances I can’t control, but I’ll return to my system soon.
- I’m not prioritizing my needs and wants and, instead, allowing others’ needs and wants (or my own fear) to take precedence. It’s time to reset my priorities.
- I wanted this goal, but it’s not what I thought it was—or I don’t want it anymore. It’s time to pivot and explore something else.
Sometimes, we do have to pump the brakes a bit due to life demands. But, sometimes, we’re getting in our own way or our needs and wants have changed. When you stop to take an internal inventory and figure out what’s really going on, you get a measure of clarity that can help you decide what’s next. And whether you decide to stick with your system or adopt a new one, as Clear writes, you’re reinforcing your identity as the kind of person who shows up, keeps learning, takes care of their health, etc.
Goals are good for setting direction, but systems drive real progress. If you’re not getting the results you want, look at your system.
Are your systems working?
Do you have systems in place to help you make progress a part of your daily existence? If so, I’d love to hear about them and what they’ve done for you. Send me your story: connect@bloomanywhere.com. Also, writing this newsletter has me excited about revamping my own systems, so if you want to compare notes there, please reach out.
Bloom Drops
Things I want to share with you.
Laughing: Recently, a friend posted a meme about “ominous positivity.” It’s a slightly dark look at positive thinking and the antidote to toxic positivity. For example: “You will be fine, you have no choice,” and “Everything will turn out okay, you cannot stop it.” My contribution: Success is chasing you like the knife-wielding killer in a slasher flick. This seems perfect for folks with a dark sense of humor and a penchant for worrying.
Puzzling: I recently dumped a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle on the dining room table and have been piecing it together ever since. I find jigsaw puzzles relaxing and meditative. So, I was pleased to know that jigsaw puzzling has some positive effects on the brain.
