.Every year about this time we talk about goal setting. But really why? Why do we set goals? Many of you internally will automatically answer that with some canned response you’ve read over and over…. Because you don’t know where you are going without a map to get there, or if you don’t have a map, it doesn’t matter where you go, or if you don’t measure it then how do you know when you are successful or that what you are doing works…
I have a friend that actually told me once that she doesn’t set goals because “if I meet the goal, I haven’t challenged myself enough and if I don’t, I have failed and I don’t like to fail!”
I challenge you to look at goal setting and achieving through a much different lens. I’ll share a few of those lenses with you.
Before even creating concrete goals, we must dig deep into our souls and decide what we want out of life. We must stoke the flames of our passions and imaginations, come to grip and override our limiting beliefs, and design an action plan that gets us where we want to go. Finally, we must dig down to the absolute rawest, base reason for wanting what we want and set a sturdy anchor for which to tie our plan! Without this anchor, tied to this desire and passion, your goals have no foundation. It’s as if you have written a note on a paper boat and sent it off into the ocean
It’s a fact that we change and morph every day, and reaching goals requires us to change who we are to become the person that is capable of accomplishing the things necessary to achieve what we desire. To become strong, we must build our muscles. So, what are you going to do to become the person that achieves the goals you have set, and are you ready and willing to do it? We become better individuals mentally and physically, through the setting and achieving of goals.
There is nothing more attractive than a man or woman on a mission to achieve something! Hands down, and if you disagree with me, email me! I love coaching clients that are zoned in, focused, and rocking life! This doesn’t mean you have to have it all figured out, or know exactly how the chips are going to be played out. However, it does mean that you are fighting for your goals and dreams, you are learning and growing, and that level of determination fuels the confidence to see it to the end!
Once you decide on your goals, for the day, month, year, or next 10 years, those goals become the lens to make decisions. When posed with a choice the decision is either in-line or not in-line with those goals. If it is you take the opportunity, if it is not, you reject it. Having goals can make all your choices much clearer.
Without goals, we tend to find ourselves flowing through life with no great focus, determination, or even sometimes, direction. We are letting the tide and storms take us like that little paper boat on the vast ocean of life. However, WITH goals we learn to ride the storms, choose the storms we want to conquer, strategically seek the currents to the harbors of our choice, guided by the stars of our passion.
Speaking of those storms, oh they will come. It’s guaranteed! With goals, we have a purpose and reason to get to the other side. Also, we have a reason to find the lesson in each one. What will this teach me becomes the mantra when in the midst of them because storms are an indication of changing into the person, we must be to reach our goals. They are the lessons we must learn on the way to greatness!
It’s statistically proven that those with goals live longer than those without. The human mind and body are built on passion and purpose. Goals give a person the reason to get out of bed every morning, to be full of energy and excitement! We all need to be THAT type of person!
I’m not sure why I carried that paper boat concept so far, but it proves a very valid point. Goals take an abstract idea and make it concrete. It carves in stone your desire and breaks it down into steps that can become habits to success.
I have 2 book recommendations to illustrate these theories:
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. He was a Holocaust survivor that learned the power of life with meaning.
Outwitting the Devil by Napoleon Hill. He shares the power of living with purpose.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
