Use this Find a Clear Path Forward with a 5 Step Checklist as your reminder that one small step, taken consistently, changes everything. Each step includes Nola’s Note, personal insight from my own journey.
How to Use This Checklist
Print out this page. You can put it somewhere it is visible to you. I suggest that you check yourself on a weekly basis. This is for you to compare “you to you.” Only you know your world and everything that is going on. This fits in your schedule easily.
Step 1: Mindset for Success
- Notice your self-talk. Is it working for you or against you?
- When your inner voice says “I can’t” and you replace it with “I can learn this.”
- Expect solutions, not just problems.
- Your mindset is not fixed. It can change, which starts today.
Nola’s Note–Does emotion come with your negative talk? Do you get tense and uptight? Find a way to change your outlook to the positive. If you want to go deeper on how self-talk actually rewires your brain, Build a Better Brain by Peter Hollins breaks it down well. How do you relax? Doing something physical? Meditate?
Step 2: Habits Are Practiced
- Identify one habit that is holding you back.
- Start small. Change it by 15 minutes or one small action at a time.
- Repeat daily. Consistency matters more than speed.
- Good habits are built, not born.
Nola’s Note–I always had a list and it became my crutch. The real change happened when I held myself accountable for my consistent thinking, not just my to-do items. That shift improved more than my habits. It improved how I think every single day.
Step 3: Financial Awareness
- Know where your money is going.
- Set one simple savings or spending goal this week.
- Your money beliefs were learned and they can be unlearned.
- Financial confidence grows with awareness.
Nola’s Note–If money feels like a problem, start by listing what you actually believe about it. You may surprise yourself. Then research one new way to build or manage your money better. Most importantly, identify what isn’t working and give yourself permission to change it. Change isn’t failure. Change is progress.
Step 4: Skill Building
- Identify one skill that could open a new door for you.
- Find one resource–a book, a video, a mentor.
- Growth is always possible at any age or stage.
- Every expert started as a beginner.
Nola’s Note–Where do you find your motivation? Do you have a passion worth pursuing? Sometimes becoming a beginner again is exactly what opens the door to knowledge you never knew you needed. I know because that is precisely where I began and I have never looked back.
Step 5: Options and Opportunities
- Look around, because opportunities are closer than you think.
- Consider what going online could open up for you.
- You don’t have to trade time for money forever.
- Your future has more options than your past.
Nola’s Note–Opportunities don’t come knocking. That was a lesson I heard repeatedly during my married life, but didn’t fully understand until later. So I stopped waiting and started chasing. That decision led me here, to Nola’s Global Skies and an online community I never expected to find. Looking back, it wasn’t one big leap that got me here. It was a series of smaller shifts and they all came down to three words: Reset, Refocus, Recommit.
Reset
How do you reset? Your work space needs emptying. For example, the kitchen table needs to be cleared so you can set it up for lunch. When it’s all cluttered with unfinished items, it drags your momentum down. Give yourself permission to stop what isn’t working (or hasn’t even started working) and do it without guilt.
This clears both the actual table and your own mind becomes decluttered. Try to see patterns that you have done and change or upgrade them. It’s hard to see your own pattern of inaction. Talk it over with your mentor or instructor to see if they can help with your reset process.
Refocus
Why does my focus wander so much? What actually matters right now, not five years ago? Be more like a microscope and zoom into only one goal instead of trying to see the whole image. This keeps you from scattering your energy.
You can revisit the “Why?” you started this opportunity. Your own motivation may fade, but your purpose/THE reason/single goal has not changed. The proverb of “Keep your eye on the target,” is very important for success.
Recommit
Commitment isn’t just a one-time and done decision. It’s a daily one, especially when it’s a new one. You have to remind yourself to choose your path again on the hard days. Every musician or singer has to practice boring scales every day, which builds the foundation for them to excell later.
These are repeated commitments that build more momentum than a “hit and miss” attitude. One big promise may seem overwhelming, while the small baby steps gives you confidence to continue. Also, realize that you will be recommitting after any setback because they do happen. It is still your forward motion, which is what you are trying to achieve.
Your Future
You may not accomplish all of this in a week and that’s perfectly fine. This is meant as a guide, not a grading system. You know yourself better than anyone else does, so work it at your own pace. That is what matters most.
No pressure. It’s perfect timing. Your choice, your pace. And you are not alone.
This page is part of the Find a Clear Path Forward series. Return to the original page that ties it all together.
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