After you’ve decided to fix something that’s fucked messed up and you’ve figured out a goal that aligns with your passions and your purpose, then it’s time to get into some details about exactly how you want to create this change.

Where’s My Pie?

Consider the goal you created as a Pie In The Sky (mmm pumpkin pie).  Most people don’t ever get to eat that pie because when they first try, they realize that it’s really hard to swallow in one big bite.  I remember watching my Grandmother cook Thanksgiving pumpkin pie when I was a kid.  I wanted some pie, but I wasn’t allowed to use a knife, so I tried to sneak a bite by sticking my whole hand into the middle.  Needless to say I got caught and didn’t get any pie at all (until my Mom snuck me a piece right before bed).  But I learned that in order to eat pie in polite company, I needed to slice it into pieces first.

So, let’s consider something a bit radical. (it’s not really radical, I just like saying radical because it sounds exciting, wooo wooo) Let’s cut your goal into 3, 4 or 5 more manageable pieces. That way, you can actually fit the pie in your mouth, a piece at a time, and get plenty of great tasting cinnamon pumpkin filling (ie rewards & feedback) with each bite.

Now this doesn’t mean that you’ll necessarily eat one piece of pie and then eat another piece of pie sequentially. As a child, if you put three pieces of pie in front of me, then I would eat some of each piece and hence claim them all as mine (I really like pumpkin pie okay!) I might take a bite from each piece or take two bites from this piece and three bites from that piece.  But the point is that the pie, and your goal, is now more adaptable to your capabilities.  You can eat whichever piece is more appealing to you (or work on whatever focus area seems most important in this moment) and then switch to a different piece if you get bored.

Bake Your Pie According To The Recipe

Pull out your goal statement (you can create one using the process here) which should include what you want to change (your problem statement) and a listing of the key reasons why it’s important to you.  As a reminder, here’s mine…

PROBLEM: I’m constantly disappointed that I’ve never written or published a single fictional story even though my mind is constantly filled, to the point of swirling insanity, with new characters, new plots, and new book ideas.

GOAL: My life is truly awesome because I create an abundant living by writing and publishing amazing and wonderful stories that help people experience an authentic, sensual, and playful world in their imagination and in their real life.

KEY REASONS:

• The fictional stories in my head could help me connect with, entertain, and teach a lot of people.
• I want the world to know that their life can be authentic, sensual, playful, and amazing.
• I want to share the power of imagination and creative expression to change peoples lives inside and out.
• I might actually explode if I don’t tell my fictional stories to the people who truly need to hear them.

Find a Good Sharp Knife

So using your key reasons and your intuition as guideposts, define 3-5 focus areas that can help you reach your goal. These could be milestones, important accomplishments, or just the fun things you want to experience along the way.

Again, I’m using my life as a guinea pig so here’s my top three focus areas

1. Write some awesome stories (novels, novellas, short stories, oh my!)
2. Get published somewhere, anywhere (oh god, oh god, oh god – I’m scared)
3. Connect with other fiction writers to encourage me & help me succeed (I love making new friends – whew)
4. Connect with fiction readers so I can write the stories they want to hear (and that I want to write)

Cut Your Pie Into Convenient Size Pieces

Next, take 10 minutes and brainstorm (bubbling or cloudstorm) actions that will help you reach your goal within each of these focus areas. You don’t have to know the exact path to success, you are just looking to define the next few steps.  So, write down anything that comes to mind without worrying about the time or effort required.

For example, here’s a few actions I came up with during my brainstorming…

• write a bunch of short stories (#1)
• read a book on story arc development (#1)
• complete a class on getting fiction published which includes mentoring & submitting my work (#2)
• subscribe to fiction writing & publishing blogs (#2)
• follow published fiction authors on twitter & talk to them (#3)
• choose, contact & meet a writing mentor  (#3)
• join a readers community & participate in discussions (#4)

Great ideas need landing gear as well as wings.  ~C.D. Jackson

Eat Pie Now or Eat Pie Later?

To determine which actions will be part of your initial pattern interrupt, consider which ones you can do in less than a 2 hour window, and which actions will take a little more time. Simply separate them into Setup actions and Maintenance actions.  Again, use your intuition as well as your logic.  You don’t want to overwhelm yourself and have a failed Setup Session simply because you tried to do too much.

So here’s how I separated mine…

• start writing one short story – Setup
• write a bunch more short stories  – Maintenance
• Buy a book on story arc development – Setup
• Finish reading a book on story arc development  – Maintenance
• Sign Up for an online fiction publishing class – Setup
• complete a class on getting fiction published – Maintenance
• subscribe to fiction writing & publishing blogs – Setup
• Find published authors on twitter – Setup
• talk to published authors on twitter – Maintenance
• choose & contact a writing mentor – Setup
• meet a writing mentor – Maintenance
• join a readers community – Setup
• participate in a reading community discussion – Maintenance

Serves One

In the next article, I’ll define exactly how to complete the Pattern Interrupt Setup so that you feel supported and inspired to accomplish your goals and make the changes that you want to make in your life.  In the meantime, if you are feeling excited to get a jump on things, take any of the Setup actions you defined above and do them. I promise, nobody is going to punish you and send you to bed without Your Slice of Pie.

Besides, we’re so close to making a huge change I can almost taste it (or is that MY piece of pumpkin pie?)

Does your goal seem easier now that it’s cut into bite size chunks? How else do you categorize your important actions? Share your ideas in the comment section!

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