If you’ve spent any amount of time on social media, you’ve likely come across the Ten Year Challenge (#10YearChallenge). If you’re wondering what all the buzz is about, you’re not alone.
The 10 Year Challenge first went viral in 2019 and has made several comebacks – sometimes with a different name (the Then and Now challenge, Glow Up challenge, How Hard Did Aging Hit You challenge, etc.). In a 2019 article, online newspaper, Evening Standard offered this explanation on how the 10 Year Challenge works.
“Participants simply post two images – usually side by side – which were taken at least ten years apart. The overall message? Self love and showing the world how you’ve “glowed up”. Participating in the challenge is pretty easy. All you have to do is share two side by side photographs of you ten years apart, then post it to your Facebook/Instagram account with the hashtag #10YearChallenge, though some people just choose to post a single throwback shot.”
~ Evening Standard
Maybe you’re not rushing out to post your then and now pictures for the 10 Year Challenge, but what if you could reverse-engineer your next ten years?
In other words, if you could envision what your life would be like ten years down the road, what would it take to get you there? And more importantly, what could you do today to take you a step closer to your 10-year goal?
Beyond looks and a pretty picture, what could you do now to design the life want to be living ten years from now? Here are seven things to consider.
Beyond looks and a pretty picture, what step can you take today to bring you closer to the life you want 10 years from now? #10YearChallenge Share on XWant to Crush the 10 Year Challenge? Start here!
1. Start with the end in mind.
You know the old saying, ‘if you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there’. If you’re not intentional about where you’re heading, don’t be surprised if you end up somewhere you don’t want to be. Being intentional starts with having a sense of where you want to be.
You may not be able to map out your entire path, but you can certainly have a destination in mind. When you look back on your life ten years from now, what would you like to have accomplished?
Get clear about where you want to be and work backwards.
2. Mark your spot.
Knowing where you want to be is fantastic, but if you’re going to get there, you’ll need to know your starting point. It’s just like a GPS. In order for it to work, you’ll need to input data about your current position. This involves taking stock of your life. Before you jump ahead to the future, determine what’s working well in your life right now and what’s not. This information will be key to moving forward.
At the beginning of each year (and sometimes a few times a year), I do a life assessment. I’ve done it so many times that I’ve developed my own THRIVE assessment that I use with my coaching clients. The very first step involves checking in and marking your spot.
This goes beyond simply saying, ‘I’m in a good place’ or ‘I’m not quite where I want to be’. To mark your spot and know your starting point, you’ll need to get more specific by assessing all the key areas of your life. Ask yourself how you’re doing in these eight core life areas:
- Spiritual
- Family
- Financial
- Emotional
- Physical
- Career
- Personal Growth
- Social
For help in taking stock of where you are, complete a free life assessment here.
3. Know your strengths
Even the best intentions can be sidelined if you don’t have a clear sense of who you are, what you’re good at, and what your strengths are. As much as you might think you can do anything, it’s best to work with the strengths and talents you have.
Consider the theory that suggests focusing on your strengths instead of obsessing over your weaknesses. Get to know your strengths, then lean into them and let them work for you.
Don’t know what your strengths are? Start here.
4. Plan your journey
Now that you know where you want to go and what you’re good at, start planning your journey. This is the how. How will you get from point A to point B, or from where you are right now to where you want to be in ten years? What skills do you need, what changes do you need to make? What obstacles do you need to deal with? The reality is, life happens, so you’ll need to keep adjusting your plans along the way, but having a plan that needs tweaking is better than no plan at all.
5. Stay in alignment
As you pursue your journey, stay true to you. Nothing gets you off track faster than following someone else’s path. Align your life with your values – the things that are most important to you. Living outside of your values will wear you down and take you down paths you have no business on. Remember, this is your 10 Year Challenge, not anyone else’s.
6. Develop your personal success ritual
The Cambridge dictionary defines a ritual as “a way of doing something in which the same actions are done in the same way every time”. I first heard about success rituals from Eben Pagan, a well-known entrepreneur teacher and technology investor. He suggests starting your day with ‘inner productivity’ in the form of a self-care success ritual. This could include activities such as exercise, meditation and devotions. What you do is not as important as the consistency with which you do it. Prioritizing your self-care is a foundational piece to achieving your goals and should not be ignored.
7. Create your victory circle
No one said you need to go alone to achieve your dreams. In fact, I would say the opposite is true. We need people in our corner cheering us on. It’s been said ‘if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together’. Think of life as a series of races or events with milestones. When you get to the finish line at your next race, who will be there cheering for you? It’s those people who were supporting you, giving you a word of encouragement, praying for you, listening to your big dreams—the ones who believed in you. Do you have those people in your life now? If not, it’s time to find them.
Your victory circle could include friends, family members, a coach, a spiritual mentor and more. There are no set criteria, it all depends on your specific needs and if you’ve gotten this far, you already have a good idea of what your needs are and who can help you along the way.
How about that 10 Year Challenge?
Where you will be ten years from now largely depends on the actions you take today. Sure, you can’t predict the future, but you have more of a say in where you’ll end up than you might admit. Start with the end in mind and take the steps outlined above to work toward your desired future. When the next 10 Year Challenge comes along, you’ll be ready!
Great list and good advice. I Love the quote, “Living outside of your values will take you down paths you have no business on. Choose to live your why.”
Thanks for stopping by and weighing in, Tina. I’ve learned that one the hard way. 🙂