Planning for when you don’t know what’s coming around the corner – The 4M’s for goal setting in uncertain times

 Is it worth goal setting in times of uncertainty?

Inner Creative Blog- Planning when you don’t know what’s coming around the corner – The 4M’s for goal setting in uncertain times

The events of this last year or so have prompted me to reflect on how I plan and set goals. There were some days when I felt so unsure and powerless about the future. I couldn’t be certain of what I would be doing the following week. So, how could I feel confident in setting and reaching a longer term 12-week goal? But the thought of throwing out all of my goals felt too pessimistic. It left me feeling rudderless and without direction. I still needed something to act as an anchor of stability while also guiding me forward.

On reflection, I discovered that rather than having one SMART goal for a specific amount of time I needed to create ‘goals’ or guidance at four different levels. Consequently, I created the 4M planning framework to help me create structure in my day while giving me the flexibility and direction to work towards what I wanted in life and business.

The 4M’s for goal setting and planning are:

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Creative Ways to Set Good Habits

On 9 April, I was spoke with Naishadh Gadani from Your Career Down Under about “Creative Ways to Set Good Habits” on the LinkedIn Live show that he usually co-hosts with Karalyn Brown from interviewiq

Please watch the replay below.

Natalia Walker of Inner Creative talking to Naishadh Gadani about Creative Ways to Set Good Habits on the Career Care Package LinkedIn Live

We talked about some easy ways to get started and build a habit. And I shared my version of the SMART goals acronym that is equally useful in creating a lasting habit.

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Mandala Inspiration – Many Roads

Welcome to this week’s Mandala Inspiration called “Many Roads.”

This mandala was created over 8 days. When I started it, I had no idea of where it would take me, which is quite funny if you read the resulting message :-). My only lead was an interest in playing around with shapes. This was a nice excuse to get out my old Mathomat stencil and my Dad’s process stencil from the 1970s.

Inner Creative Mandala Inspiration Many Roads

The message for the “Many Roads” mandala is:

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Why Self-Care is a ‘Must’ and not a ‘Nice-to-have’

Self-care can get a bad rap. It can seem a bit self-indulgent or for those with plenty of time on their hands- the domain of day spas and health resorts. And while there’s nothing against having a bit of pampering, this is not exclusively what self-care is about.

At its core, self-care is about caring for ourselves by doing activities and practices that reduce our stress levels and improve our wellbeing.

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