Your Next Clear Move
Welcome to Your Next Clear Move™—the podcast for leaders, professionals, and high-capacity humans who are done “getting ready” and ready to move.
I’m Debbie Peterson, Leadership Readiness Expert, and in each episode I deliver grounded insight, clarity-driven mindset strategies, and one actionable step to help you stop the drift and lead yourself forward.
This isn’t about fixing what’s broken. It’s about reconnecting to what matters—and making decisions that align with who you are and how you want to lead next.
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Your Next Clear Move
Achieving Your Aspirations: Harnessing Focus and Clarity for Goal Success
Learn how to achieve your goals step by step, whether it’s getting a promotion, launching a product, or staying focused all year. Discover practical strategies, tools, and real-world examples to turn aspirations into meaningful actions.
Hey, hello and welcome back. I am Debbie Peterson of Getting to Clarity, and this is another episode of the Getting to Clarity podcast. This is the place where you come if you want to get the tips, tools and techniques to create more of an impact in your work with less of a sacrifice in your life. And today we are talking about the power of focus, especially this time of year, how you are turning what you want, what's most important, your goals, and translating them into meaningful actions. So stay tuned.
Speaker 3:Welcome to the Getting to Clarity podcast the place where busy leaders discover how to create more success in their leadership journey with less sacrifice in their life.
Speaker 2:Here's your host, debbie Peterson, of Getting to Clarity.
Speaker 1:You know, life moves fast, doesn't it? So if you're a professional and you're looking to get ahead at work, nothing wrong with that. But it is easy to feel buried under your endless to-do lists, your endless responsibilities, and without focus, even the best laid plans can go sideways. And that's where clarity comes in. It's simple, but it is a profound way to cut through the noise, to zero in on what matters most in your work, in your life, and then enables you to take decisive action so that you can make a bigger impact. So by breaking goals down into bite-sized steps and then staying true to your priorities, you can turn your vision into action in a meaningful way, which is what I want for you. So here's why breaking down goals is key to you getting what you want, because big goals can feel overwhelming, especially when we hold them in our head and we don't put them anywhere we can do anything with. It's kind of like staring at a blank canvas. If you paint, you know, for me, a blank canvas, a blank room I have no idea where to start. So breaking things down into smaller, more manageable steps is really important, and then this keeps you moving forward, even if it's incrementally. That way you don't get stuck. Plus, every small win helps to build your confidence, and confidence is like a muscle and it needs to be exercised. So here's an example If your goal is to earn a promotion, let's say, breaking that into smaller steps can help make the process more manageable that you actually do something with it. So maybe you start by identifying the skills or the qualifications that you need and then you commit to training courses in order to up-level in those areas. Maybe another category is that you're going to seek out people who can help you, like a mentor who can offer you guidance. Maybe they've been through the same thing. Maybe another category is that you know you're going to seek out people who can help you, like a mentor who can offer you guidance. Maybe they've been through the same thing. Maybe they can offer you some advice based on their own experience. Maybe you also another area to focus on is increasing your visibility, to be seen by executives. So you start by sharing achievements with your manager so that they know what it is that you're accomplishing. Maybe you start volunteering for more visible projects, more impactful projects, and maybe you start contributing a little bit more in meetings where leadership is present. You know, maybe you have. Another area of focus would be looking for opportunities to work across teams. Okay, maybe cross-functional experience is something that's going to be important to you. It shows your versatility, it shows your leadership potential. So by focusing on the individual areas or steps, you can steadily build what you need to to get to where you want.
Speaker 1:So, now that you kind of have your goal broken down into some categories or some action steps, then how do you stay focused, especially the longer that you go? How do you stay focused, especially the longer that you go? How do you stay focused all year long? You know, let's be real, staying focused isn't a set it and forget it sort of mentality. It's something that you work on daily. It is choice, not by chance.
Speaker 1:So the good news is there are some simple strategies that can help make it easier for you to keep your eye on the prize. So number one would be regular check-ins, so blocking out time, whether that's weekly or monthly that you can look back, you can reflect on your progress, you can adjust wherever you need to. This keeps you flexible, which is really important, and it helps you to ensure that you're still on track for the bigger picture, the bigger goal, the aim, whatever it is you're trying to accomplish. Number two cut out distractions. You know distractions are everywhere, so how do you minimize them? You know, maybe you can't cut them all out, but you can minimize them. Maybe you silence notifications on your email or your calendar or your phone notifications on your email or your calendar or your phone. Maybe you set work hours in your calendar or, where you're able to, in different apps. Maybe you create a dedicated workspace. You know, maybe for you social media is kind of like your kryptonite. It just blows you up. So try an app that blocks it during work hours so you can't even be tempted.
Speaker 1:Number three, and this is a big one for me accountability partners. There is nothing like sharing your goals with someone that you trust, like a friend or a colleague, and having that person check in with you to keep you motivated, to keep you on track. They can also remind you why you started this in the first place, so they can keep you tethered to your why, why it was important to you, why it mattered. So let's talk about some tools. Sometimes a little structure goes a long way. So when we talk about tools that help keep you on track, consider, for instance, depending on how you roll vision boards. You can do them physically, you can do them digitally. So imagine if maybe you are a visual person, of having a daily reminder of your goals right in front of you. Essentially, that's what the vision board does. You fill it with pictures or quotes or anything that inspires you towards what you want and it keeps you motivated and moving forward.
Speaker 1:Another tool might be mind mapping. This is a way to kind of satisfy your deeper thinking with doodling. So mind mapping is a visual way to brainstorm your goal and all the steps that it involves. So, for instance, if your goal is maybe it's a personal goal and it's improving your health, you might mind map to include, you know, branches or bubbles like exercise, nutrition, maybe it's mental wellness is another one of the bubbles, and then each of them have their own criteria or actionable steps. So that's something that might work.
Speaker 1:How about just daily lists? You know if you're one of those people who loves lists and you will write something down on your list that you've already accomplished, just so you can feel that satisfaction of crossing it out. I see you, I am you. So maybe it's lists that really make your heart go pitter-patter. So start each day with a short list of maybe just three tasks that really matter. And I call this the power of three, because three is doable and this keeps you laser focused on what is going to move the needle, instead of getting lost in a lengthy to-do list that likely incorporates a lot of unimportant distractions and, besides that, crossing things off feels just so satisfying. So why does reflection and flexibility matter? That's a great question. I'm so glad you asked.
Speaker 1:You know, sticking to your goals means being flexible, especially when life throws you curveballs, because you know it will. Regular reflection lets you revisit, evaluate and then adjust as you need, without losing sight of your ultimate goal. So it's not cast in stone, it's not cast in concrete. You've got some flexibility. So, for example, maybe you're an entrepreneur, like me, and you want to launch a product, and maybe you want to do that by mid year, but something comes up, unexpected challenges, maybe their life challenges, pop up. So instead of feeling defeated and quitting, then you use reflection to adjust your timeline or your strategy. It's not right now or not yet, but that doesn't mean you have to give up on it. So when you do this, you can keep moving forward with clarity and with confidence. You just adjusted things. So remember that flexibility is your secret weapon.
Speaker 1:You can also use technology to stay on track. I love that. I am a fan of that. So today, technology is a powerful partner for you to stay focused. So there are apps like Trello or Asana and many others that can help you organize your tasks, track your progress. There's habit tracking apps, and these are things that can remind you to stay consistent, stay focused, and give you daily actions. So another pro tip is to use your calendar Block out focus time where you can do your deeper thinking, so you can also focus on your priorities without interruption. It can be as little as maybe 30 minutes if that's all you focus on. So treat these blocks of time like appointments. They're non-negotiable time dedicated to what matters most, and you get to decide what that is.
Speaker 1:So what now? Bringing it all together? Here's the bottom line. Focus could be your superpower, and when you break down goals into manageable steps and you use tools like, maybe, vision boards or mind maps or daily lists or whatever makes your heart go pitter patter, you know, instead of someday, and one day it starts becoming today and with clarity, you'll not only make progress, but you'll also feel like you are more intentional with everything that you do, because you're choosing it is by design, not by default.
Speaker 1:So what's next? What I encourage you to do, what I invite you to consider, is choose one strategy or tool from this article and try it within the next 48 hours. Maybe you're going to create a vision board or start a mind map, maybe you're going to write out tomorrow's priorities, but that first step is where it all begins. So commit to turning your goal into meaningful actions and, if you're ready, share your progress. I'd love to hear from you. Together, we can build an environment that is focused, where you have clarity and the success that you wish for. So, until the next time, here is wishing you all the clarity that you deserve. Take care, be good to yourself and bye-bye for now.
Speaker 2:Thank you for listening to this episode of the Getting to Clarity Podcast with Debbie Peterson.
Speaker 3:If you enjoyed this show, please rate and recommend it on iTunes or wherever you enjoy your podcasts.
Speaker 2:To learn more about how you can bring Debbie and her transformational clarity leadership strategies to your organization, visit debbepetersonspeakscom.
