Almost a new year and a time that we set goals to make ourselves better, goals that apply to health, wealth, relationships, or wisdom. The exercise of creating these goals is enriching and valuable; it puts our minds to ideas of growth and change.
The year begins, and we soon find we start to slip and then just give up altogether on the goals we had set.
The issue may not be our resolve but what we are focused on. If it is about a specific activity that we must do each day, we open ourselves up for disappointment. Every day, consistently, is brutal. It is hard enough getting out of bed some days. Yet, if we begin to think of ourselves as the person we ideate and project how that individual may behave and conduct themselves, we may see multiple facets of our lives start to change.
A simple example is an individual wanting to go to the gym every day. The activity is clearly defined, and we go to the gym and then leave the gym and indulge in a meal that negates all the good we did and our progress is limited. The goal of the gym every day was achieved. However, if we choose to be a healthy person and understand all the facets we need to alter to be that person, we will likely address the gym, eating habits, sleep, and other elements. In doing so, we are beginning to transform who we are rather than merely accomplishing an activity.
What do you want to identify with? A leader, athlete, singer, artist, parent, lover, or a combination of many.
Changing behaviors are challenging, and minor setbacks are likely. Yet, if we now look at this holistically, we can appreciate that some days we may fail in some instances, but even the best have a ‘day off,’ and it is what we do next that matters more.
Goals can be an incentive. But if we do not alter our mindset of who we choose to be and the behaviors associated with that ideal, the goals we set for ourselves may be impossible to achieve. Yet, if we choose to be more than a goal and succumb to setbacks, we can appreciate that the ideal is far more significant, and the path will be filled with some disappointment.
If we are merely set on goals, where do we go once we attain the goal?
