Breakin' it down - food for thought

Got this courtesy of author Todd Smith, who writes the daily blog "Little Things That Matter"

Finding clarity and direction for your life

1.  What is important to me today? Start by identifying what’s currently important to you. To find the answer, simply look at how you spend your time. This is evidence to you and everyone watching your life as to what appears important to you at this point in time.

2.  What should be important to me? Once you examine the activities that fill your days, you will begin to realize some activities contribute more positives to your life than others. For example, time spent watching TV or surfing the web compared to time invested in relationships, personal growth, or worthwhile projects. It’s time to do some soul-searching and make a list of the things that are truly important to you.

3.  What do I want my life to look like? When you look 5, 10, 20, or 30 years into the future, what do you want your life to look like? What do you want to be doing with your time? Where do you want to be living?

4.  What do I want my days to look like? What type of daily routines would you enjoy? From the time you get up to the time you go to bed, what do you want the typical day to look like?

5.  What would I enjoy the most? Let loose and make a list of everything that fills you up inside. What excites you? What energizes you? Where’s your passion? Keep writing until you are done.

6.  What are my greatest strengths? If your family and friends were asked to describe your most impressive attributes, what would they say? What do you do better than others? What distinguishes you? What makes you stand out from the crowd?

7.  In what areas do I have extensive knowledge? In what areas have you spent the most time? Where would you say you have more knowledge than most people?

8.  What’s the greatest value I offer to the market? Make a list of every skill, talent, and ability you have; then put a dollar value next to each one. Your goal is to identify where your personal services offer the highest value to the market.

9.  How much money do I want to make? If you are looking tomake a major career decision, you must decide how much money you want to make. Based on where you find yourself today, how important is money to you and how much do you want to earn?

10.  What would my criteria be in selecting something new to do? Twenty-one years ago I made a list of what I believed would be the perfect business for me. Then I went on a search, quickly ruling out businesses that didn’t meet my criteria. Finally I found a business that met all 35 points on my criteria list. Making this list was one of the wisest things I have ever done.