Back to Goals

Occasionally I get asked my advice on what someone should do, what direction they should take - I can't answer that question, but whenever someone is lacking direction or hope for the future it often is simply either the goals they are setting are not productive or adequate.

I covered a little about my appraoch to goals in the first article I wrote for this blog, "The Importance of Goals".

Expanding upon what I wrote there, when asking someone about goals they are often unable to come up with any.  I ask, "If you don't know what you want, how are you going to get it?".  Know what you want.  Often when people who are lacking direction, focus or motivation and they are trying to establish goals I find they dismiss them with thinking like "that will require too much work." or "by the time I reach my goal I'll be too old to enjoy it." or "what would my friends/family/coworkers think of me if I did it." or countless other excuses.

This is where it counts to be selfish.  Selfishness isn't something I'd normally be quick to advocate, but when it comes to goals, it's important that they are about you.  Goals that involve other people should only be adopted upon mutual agreement and understanding of the goal, but this form of co-operative decision making and mutual benefit is something I'll be covering in the future.

These goals don't need to be immediately achievable nor do they need to be precise or detailed.  A goal can be as simple as to "continue to develop my French skills." or "to travel to Egypt and visit ...", feel free to let your imagination wander and dream - these are things that you'd like to do.

Still struggling to establish something?  Start looking at the things in your life that motivate you or you're passionate about.  It could be an obscure sport, collecting something, animals, literature or restoring antique cars.  Build your goals around the things that already motivate you, putting that energy that can often be wasted into planned action.

If your goals are things that you can go out and accomplish immediately, they serve little purpose as building blocks and something to set your direction by.  As I mentioned in my initial post on goals, I have an over-arching goal of self development, all of my other goals fit under this one.  A more physical goal of mine is visiting Egypt next year - but there are deeply significant reasons I wish to do this that fit well within my over-arching goal.

Once you have your goal, visualise the picture, feel the feelings, smell the smells and interact with it.  Make it real, day-dream it and see yourself accomplishing it.  Feel what it feels like to accomplish it.

This is the point that often gets difficult, let go of the goal.  Know it's a goal, but don't keep it at the forfront of your mind, constantly struggling and working towards it - let the cosmic provide you with the opportunities that will lead you to the goal, they'll show up - but you have to be open to them.  They may not appear in the way you expect, but it's up to you to identify in those opportunities which ones will help you achieve your goal and which ones will take you further from it.

Remember - we're all children of the cosmic and the cosmic wants to give her children all the tools and opportunities to create abundance all around them, always.