Constructing the Pillars of Your Life

In this article, you'd learn;

• Why it is essential to construct pillars

• How to construct your pillars 

• Using your pillars to create practical goals

The thought of starting afresh can be frustrating. A newcomer man might feel extreme pressure to want to do everything the moment they find themselves in a new country. 

Society or an individual's expectations can lead to the pressure to accomplish more. While this could be perceived as motivation, it could potentially result in exhaustion from attempting to do too much.

In my recent podcast episode titled "How Newcomer Men can Maintain Their Mental Health", I mentioned that newcomer men need to construct pillars in their life. 

Why is it essential to construct pillars;

Pillars are structures that we build our lives on. Pillars could be family, career, finance, community, spirituality, education, relationship etc

Pillars cut across the core areas of your life. It depicts a picture of a well-structured life—a life filled with accomplishment and fulfillment. 

Every man’s life stands on something. These could be things that’d elevate him or break him down to the ground.

The beauty of being a man is that you have enough time to construct the life you desire.

Newcomer men and men who are citizens of their country have something in common “The gift of time.”

Here is why you need to construct your pillars;

I. Pillars give you clarity

Creating your pillars clarifies how you want your life to look a few years from now. It’s like an architect designing an edifice.

It is okay if you don't have clarity on what you want your life to be like. But it is not okay to remain in that blackout without reaching out for clarity.

This is why I am here for you and creating articles like this to introduce the concept.

Imaging prepping a meal you haven’t made before,

What steps would you follow, knowing you have a few days to complete this?

You would likely do the following;

• Research the ingredients

• Identify where to get them from

• Search for a video or article about the meal. 

• If someone you know has made the meal, you would be quick to initiate those conversations. 

Holding on to that imagination, imagine how sweet you want your life to be in the next 2years. 

I need to remind you that you are the architect of your life. Once you have clarity on what kind of life you want to achieve and what you need to attain such a life, you become excited to work towards achieving these goals.

II. Pillars enhance the intentional life

Are you living intentionally? 

I understand how bad you feel for procrastinating and not seeing results in your life, especially after committing to specific goals only to realize that the goals weren't SMART enough. 

Something needed to be added to make your goals enticing. There are many animated ways of going on about this. I find the term “Pillar” valuable as it forces you to have vivid imagery about your life progress.

Ever thought about breaking your goals into different pillars, i.e. family, career, finance etc. 

Constructing your life pillars allows you to work on your goals in phases rather than the random approach that has gotten you nowhere or delayed your achievement. 

Pillars add an extra force to the gravitational pull you get every morning when you wake up. It makes your goals specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound. 

III. Pillars allows you to track your progress easily.

When you accomplish a specific goal within the outlined timeframe, you can check in with yourself to see if the goal was achieved.

This can be done mentally or physically. The outcomes of the goals will determine if it was achieved or not. 

From a view, you can tell what pillar is standing tall or which needs time to solidify. You can easily prioritize which pillar is more essential than the other.

Now that you know why pillars are essential, let's look at how you can make your pillars. 

How to construct your pillars  

You don't have to forecast into 10 years of your life; you can start with 2 years of your life. The most important thing is outlining;

• The pillar (an area of your life with significant impact)

• What do you want to achieve

• The duration

• The task you need to do to achieve the desired goals. 

It is straightforward and not complicated.

You can contact me if you need support filling out your sheet. 

The above image is an example of two pillars i.e. family and spirituality. It’s up to you to choose which pillar you want to focus on constructing.

I’d advise you not to stress yourself by identifying tasks you need to do to achieve the goal; the goal is to attain clarity, simplicity and get motivated to do the needful.

The task needs to be easy to follow and should be result oriented.

While forecasting, use these questions to identify the pillars you desire to construct.

• What skills do you see yourself acquiring?

• What behaviour do you see yourself getting rid of?

• What strength do you desire to possess?

• Are there fears you want to overcome?

Using your pillars to create practical goals

Now is your chance to create your pillars and set those practical goals you have long awaited.

I remember my mentor working with me through this year ago, and I followed through this system to construct my pillar focusing on finance, spirituality, education and career.

It was dynamite. It makes sense why I am moving with so much clarity and precision to live intentionally and can make significant progress quickly.

You can do this; I am rooting for you.

Wrap up;

If you enjoy this and say you are new to Canada or need me to walk you through this guided process, I invite you to check out my Newcomer mentorship program, where I get to work with men to attain clarity, confidence and build a community.