Show Transcript

0:00:00 - (Kevin Lowe): It. I want you to imagine that you're standing at the starting line of the most important race of your life. You know where the finish line is, but you can't see it. And so the question is, is how are you going to know that you're getting to it as fast as you want? Well, you have to have mile markers along the way. You have to set a clear destination, something that you can see, something that you know you can achieve.

0:00:29 - (Kevin Lowe): And with each mile marker that you tick off, well, all of a sudden, the finish line, it comes into view, my friend, today's finish line, well, that's your own personal vision, which we talked about inside of episode number 267. Today, we're taking that to the next level, because today, I'm helping you to make that personal vision your new reality. And that is with the power of mile markers, my friend. If you're ready for the race, I'm ready to get you to the finish line.

0:01:06 - (Kevin Lowe): I welcome you to episode 269. What's up, my friend? And welcome to Grit Graceland. Inspiration. I am your host, Kevin Lowe. 20 years ago, I awoke from a life saving surgery, only to find that I was left completely blind. And since that day, I've learned a lot about life, a lot about living, and a lot about myself. And here on this podcast, I want to share those insights with you. Because, friend, if you are still searching for your purpose, still trying to understand why, or still left searching for that next right path to take, we'll consider this to be your stepping stone to get you from where you are to where you want to be.

0:01:49 - (Kevin Lowe): Well, my friend, you can pretty much call today's episode the no excuse zone, because I am on a mission to get you to where you want to go, to get you to that finish line, or in relation to what we're kind of more talking about, I'm on a goal to help you to make your future vision a reality. Last week on episode 267, we really dove in to what exactly your own personal vision is and how you can create that vision.

0:02:23 - (Kevin Lowe): Today, though, we're going to discover how to make that personal vision your reality. You can basically say, last week we were dreaming. This week we are doing, and soon enough, you will be achieving. That is the goal with today's episode. It is to be the kick in the butt you need to get you moving towards your ultimate destination. Before we get into the meat and potatoes of today's episode, I want to invite you to sign up and get your free download of my brand new personal development tracker. It's called Rise and thrive personal development tracker so that you can keep track of your progress on your road to personal greatness.

0:03:13 - (Kevin Lowe): All you have to do is text the word rise rise to 33 seven seven. Again, simply text the word rise to 33 triple seven and you can download your free personal development tracker. If texting isn't your style, well, of course, check out today's show notes where I will leave a link so that you can download the tracker that way as well. So before we get any further into this topic, I guess we need to figure out the first part.

0:03:46 - (Kevin Lowe): What exactly am I talking about with mile markers, also referred to in today's episode as milestones, one thing that these are not is that they are definitely not to do list items. They are not goals either. These are bigger than that. These are the game changers. These are the big wins that pave your road to greatness. We're talking big milestones. In today's episode. Think of yourself as climbing a mountain in those milestones.

0:04:21 - (Kevin Lowe): Those are the big moments on that mountain that, you know, oh man, if I can get past this one, I know I'm doing good. That's what I'm talking about when I'm talking about milestones. And the power of these milestones, low, of course, is that they help you to be sure that you are indeed on track. Because in life, it is so easy for us to get caught up in so many different things, to veer off in different directions, and to lose sight of what our ultimate vision really is.

0:04:57 - (Kevin Lowe): These milestones, these mile markers, they're here to keep you on track. So now that we have a clear understanding of what I'm referring to when I'm talking about Mile markers or milestones, I think it's time for us to roll up our sleeves and let's truly dive into creating these milestones for you. It's time for us to turn your personal vision into stepping stones along the way, these mile markers.

0:05:26 - (Kevin Lowe): And how are we going to do that? Well, we're going to get smart about it. We're going to look at your ultimate vision and we're going to figure out what exactly needs to happen for that all to come true. These milestones, they are achievable, they're timely, and they are specific. I always like to give many different examples. So if one lands better for you than another, a way to think about these are you're on a road trip, and these milestones, well, they're the little stops you make along the way.

0:06:01 - (Kevin Lowe): They keep you on track, they give you a little boost, reminding you of the progress you've made along your road trip. That's what these are that we're implementing in your life. Because again, the whole goal here is to turn that personal vision you created last week into something that is truly able to happen. A real world example of what I'm talking about is say that you are somebody who you want to leave your current career and you want to start your own business.

0:06:38 - (Kevin Lowe): Well, what has to happen in order for you to be able to quit your job and to start that business? Well, one milestone might be you launching the website for your new business venture. Another milestone may be you getting the licenses you need for that business. And maybe your third milestone is finally saying cyanora to your boss and embarking on your own entrepreneurial journey. Like I said, the milestones I'm referring to are big.

0:07:14 - (Kevin Lowe): They're monumental, and they move the needle forward. Now, here's a little secret, is that things can happen along the journey. I hope at this point you're already starting to think how you can break down your personal vision into individual, achievable milestones. Well, what about all that time in between? What about the time that it takes to reach that milestone? What happens when life gets in the way?

0:07:48 - (Kevin Lowe): Because to be honest, I don't know about your life, but my life is typically never smooth sailing. The things that I am planning to do, oh, man, it ends up being a total train wreck to get there. But if it's something that I have my mind set on, if it's my own personal vision, well, baby, you can bet that I'm going to fight with blood, sweat and tears to make that come true. So therefore, you need a game plan for when things get tough along the way.

0:08:20 - (Kevin Lowe): Exactly what that game plan looks like for you. Well, you can decide, but I would encourage you to be sure that you're traveling down this road with somebody. I don't know if it's a best friend, if it's a family member. It needs to be somebody who you can trust, who you don't mind sharing your biggest dreams with. Now, I've said in previous episodes that I encourage you to guard your dreams, your big ideas, and only reveal them to the people who you know are going to support you along that way.

0:08:58 - (Kevin Lowe): Because, well, they're your dreams. They're nobody else's. So therefore, I don't want anybody trying to knock you down or to make you think that your personal vision is something that you can't actually achieve. So part of the game plan, you need some support it's why people hire me as a coach, to be there as accountability, to be there as a support system to help them through the hard times. So get that support you need.

0:09:28 - (Kevin Lowe): I also encourage you to really focus on your mindset, to view challenges as opportunities when things go wrong. Yeah, it's going to suck. You're going to get mad, you're going to get upset. That's just part of the game. But I want you to focus on rebounding and quickly refocus the situation. Flip the script and figure out, okay, this happened, how am I going to get around it? And ultimately, how can I learn from it? How can I use this bad situation for good?

0:10:03 - (Kevin Lowe): And that, my friend, well, that's the power of the journey, the journey of life. And that is what makes achieving that personal vision so darn rewarding. I am a big believer in celebrating our victories. That's the other power of breaking down your personal vision into milestones, is that you have many opportunities to celebrate, to remind yourself of why you're doing what you're doing by rewarding yourself, whatever that looks like for you.

0:10:38 - (Kevin Lowe): Because remember your progress on your way to making your vision come true. It's more than momentum. It's more than you just giving yourself a pat on the back. It's honestly the fuel you need to achieve all that you want in this life. Each milestone you make it to, it's a big deal. And I want you to celebrate like it's a big deal. I want you to remind yourself with each milestone you reach, I want you to cheer yourself on and to pump yourself up.

0:11:12 - (Kevin Lowe): Nobody can be a better cheerleader for you than you. I also encourage you to spend some time to reflect back on the journey you've been on. With each milestone you reach, I want you to look back and I want you to take note of the journey you've been on. Reflect on the good times and the bad. Reflect on what went right and what went totally wrong that way. Maybe that will help you when you move forward.

0:11:46 - (Kevin Lowe): Now, remember, the whole point in us setting these milestones, these mile markers in the first place is to break down this big thing into small, achievable pieces so that the big picture, it doesn't overwhelm you. The fact that you can't see the finish line, it doesn't matter because you have these little achievements to achieve along the way. So I want you to remember, with each mile marker you reach, to get pumped up, to give yourself a boost of energy that you know what? The next one is totally mine to reach.

0:12:29 - (Kevin Lowe): We've been through a lot in this episode and last week of this idea of creating your own personal vision. And then today we're talking about breaking down that vision into achievable milestones to help you get there a little bit faster, a little bit easier. I just want you to remember that even though this all seems really big, and maybe you're listening to me and you're thinking, wow, I don't even know what he's talking about. All sounds great, but, my gosh, when I think of what it's going to take for me to get to where I want to go, it just seems too daunting.

0:13:10 - (Kevin Lowe): Well, my friend, that's when you need to break it down into smaller pieces. Maybe those milestones need to be smaller. Maybe you don't need to go through so much to achieve a milestone, make it easier on yourself. This is your opportunity to design your life, to design your future. And to be honest, if we are designing our own future, well, I think it would be pretty smart for us to make it as easy on us as possible.

0:13:42 - (Kevin Lowe): So, with all of that said, that pretty much wraps up today's episode. I will give you a little preview into what we're covering next week in episode 271. And that is aligning what you do with what you love. Why are we talking about that? Well, because I'm all about helping you to have a life of fulfillment, and I believe when you align what you do with what you love, with what your passion is, well, that is where fulfillment takes place.

0:14:14 - (Kevin Lowe): We've talked about fulfillment. We've talked about purpose before on the podcast, and, well, we're diving into it in next week's solo episode, so stay tuned for that. And the reason I chose that, well, because many times for a lot of us, that vision we created in last week's episode, that vision that we began mapping out in today's episode, it may be a dream career. It's probably something different than you're doing today, whether you're in the same company, but you're now at the top of the chain or you've started your own business.

0:14:53 - (Kevin Lowe): I want to be sure that whatever that is, that it is in alignment with who you are, what you love, and what your passions truly are. And my last words of encouragement are this. If you are feeling stuck with this entire idea, I want you to do a powerful exercise. I want you to count backwards from 554321, act whatever it is that's weighing heavy on your mind. I want you to give yourself a five second countdown and then I want you to take action.

0:15:30 - (Kevin Lowe): No matter how small that action is, I want you to start moving forward. Because the worst thing that any of us can do is to stay stuck, to remain paralyzed, to never move forward, because, well, friend, nothing ever gets accomplished when we stay stuck. So I encourage you to keep moving forward, to make that personal vision your reality. My name is Kevin Lowe. This is grit, grace, and inspiration. I encourage you now to get out there, take on the day, win the race, reach that finish line one milestone at a time.