Lately, I’ve been focusing on what I want most.  It seems a little selfish at first blush, but it’s not.  This thought method helps align my focus with my values and makes me realize when I have a decision to make – I can think about what I want or what I want most.  I can’t always have both options, so I have to make decisions based on what is most important to me. It’s added incredible clarity and made me step out of my comfort zone even more.

I encourage you to stop and think about what you want most and let that guide you as you move forward.  Here is the organized strategy that has worked for me:

Think about what you want most when making memories.

My husband’s family recently got fancy photos taken of the entire family, including me.  Our first option was to take the pictures three days before our baby was scheduled to be born. I asked our family to reconsider and schedule the pictures for months later.  Because what I wanted most was her little smiling face in the pictures.

Now, to be honest, I don’t like the pictures at all.  I just had a baby and am postpartum chubby.  Not something I want to display anywhere, much less in a picture for all time.  But, I got what I wanted most – which was a smiling baby girl in the pictures (ok, she was looking at the camera like a deer in the headlights, but it’s still cute).  And so, I realized with this situation, I sacrificed what I wanted (skinny pics of myself – I’d have chosen to take them now – 10 months later) to get what I wanted most (baby girl in the pictures) and as an end result, I’m satisfied with my decision.

Think about what you want most when you’re making memories and make it happen.  Get in the pictures even if you feel too chubby. Get pictures if your hair isn’t right or you don’t like what you’re wearing.  Eventually your memory will fade and you’ll be glad you’re in your memories.

Think about what you want most when you’re making decisions.

We recently started a new family activity every Wednesday night.  My boys aren’t as excited to go as my husband and I are, but they’re keeping a good or quiet attitude (a post for another day).  Recently, my husband was pretty sick and I had to decide to take the kids by myself or stay home.  The kids program is fantastic and our boys were finally starting to neutrally look forward to the evening.  What was most important to me was keeping the momentum of the boy’s involvement – meaning I had to attend the Parent Workshop alone.

I don’t love meeting new people, I don’t like doing things alone, and ok, I don’t really like doing things.  But I put on my good attitude and loaded the kids in the car – and we went.  I sat at a table with other moms, met new people and had a nice time. I focused on what I wanted most, instead of my fears or my disinterest. I’m glad I went and now I know I could do it again, if needed.

Think about what you want most when you are making decisions and how it will impact those around you.  Do what you know is best in the situation and I’m sure you’ll be better for it.

Think about what you want most each and every day.

I’ve been working on losing weight for the past 10 months.  And during many of the early days, I thought about how I wanted sugar, how it would be easier to give up and how I wanted to lie down (and gain precious sleep).  But every single day, I thought about what I wanted most – to fit into my regular clothes and be proud of how I looked – so I took one day at a time and focused on clean eating, daily reasonable workouts and tiny progress.

It worked, I gave up what I wanted (sweets, laziness) and re-discovered my better-than pre-baby body.  It took dedication, focus and determination, but I’m where I want to be and excited with the result.

Don’t let what you want right now distract you from what you really want overall.  If you think of daily goals (losing 4 oz), your large goal (60 lbs overall) will seem incredibly manageable.

What you want most is an excellent guide for helping you streamline your focus, improve your goals and focus on daily progress. Think about what you want most – really want most – to achieve your desired success.