I put my left foot in; I put my left foot out

If you are like me and the other billion citizens of the world, you often ask what the next step is. What do you do with your life? What is the next piece of the puzzle?

Most days run into another. Today seems like yesterday. You hope that something happens that will change the doldrums of the day and move you forward. You might ask questions like, “is this all there is to my life?”, “What am I supposed to be doing?”

The next step is only hard, when you do not know where you are right now. If you are at the end of a bridge, you will know that the next step is to either turn around and walk the other way or take the step of the bridge. At least you know where you stand, or are standing. There is always a next step and it is only a step away from where you are right now. Even, if you are going in circles or backwards.

Five Steps (no pun) to finding your next step

1. 1.      Line Dancing

I know you have been part of a line dance where some of the dancers are going the wrong way. You might even be one of them. Some are going to the left and some are going to the right. You might be going backwards, while others are dipping forward. Whatever the case, during a line dance, it is important to know what direction you are facing? Forwards, backwards, upwards or downwards. What direction are you facing? Should you be facing that direction?

1. 2.     Begin with the End

If you do not know where you are going, any road will take you there. There is no point in knowing what your next step should be, if you do not have a destination in mind. What is the point of a thousand miles beginning with one-step, when you have no clue where you will end up? Think middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

1. 3.     Begin where you are

You are exactly where you are supposed to be and if you do nothing else, you will be exactly where you are. In some cosmic way, you have gotten this far. The great news is that it is never too late to begin. Yesterday is gone and this very second, you can decide to move forwards, backwards or not at all. The sweet thing is that it is your choice.

1. 4.     Choose

Every second you breathe, you are making a choice. Voluntarily or not, you make a choice Even when you do nothing you are making choice – to do nothing. Whether you choice is right or wrong is irrelevant. It all depends on what you chose to be your end. If you wanted to travel from the US to London, your choices will depend on the how, when, what and why. There is no wrong or right way. What is right for you might seem wrong to another. What is important is that you choose.

1. 5.     Prioritize

Some of us do not multi-task, so we need to abide with the FIF rule (first things first). Now, I know the question will be what the first thing is. To find the first thing, you have to reverse map from your end. Since you know where you need to end up, you need to map how you are going to get there, what you need to get there and why you need to get there. Why is why important? It gives you a motive. Without a reason, what is the point of ending up where you will finally end up, wherever that is.

1. 6.     Finish

Endeavour to complete each step you take. The easiest thing is to take a step; the hardest thing is to keep on stepping. Just like in line dancing, some folks drop out before the end of the song. They just couldn’t figure the steps to take. However, if they kept stepping, they would have figured out, just like life, there is a pattern and a rhythm.

So Now What?

To find your next step, ensure you are facing the right direction. It will do you know good to take the next step off a cliff because you were facing the wrong direction. Once you are sure you are facing the right direction, figure out where you wish to end up and then begin right where you are moving forward. Be decisive in all your decisions. If you have choices, select one. If there is only one choice, take it. Do not procrastinate. Do the task that gets you the furthest first. This will give you the confidence to move on.

Then you must Finish. All else will be for not, if you do not finish