On December 31st you will have lived a whole 365 days of one calendar year. It’s kind of crazy if you take a few minutes to think about it. But what if you knew that this past year were your last? If you knew your life would come to a close on December 31st, would you live differently? Would you have invested your time in the same people/ things? Too often we become distracted by things that overshadow substance. Did you know the goals we set or do not have in place play a role in our quality of life and what we invest ourselves in? There’s crazy relevance to how goals connect to living a full life.A calendar year is a gift, that can often become a blur rather than a milestone.
Goal setting is timeless and can apply to a fifteen year old or a ninety five year old. There’s no aging out or in. That’s the thing about life, how we address it makes a difference in whether life is talked about or life is put into action. There are so many talkers in the world. Don’t talk, do! Why am I so off the charts with goal setting? When it’s a void in our life it holds us back from growth, progress and going forward. It becomes easier to be stationary when there’s no projecting to what’s next and what’s desired.
Our kids need goals just like their parents need goals. Why? When we project to the future, things we can rock out with, that’s when we get excited about life. We value life and its opportunities more. Self esteem is affected, ambition kicks up a notch and life is more about gratitude than obligation. It’s awesome state to be in!
How goals connect to living a full life…
To live with intention will pave the road for growth and going beyond life being an obligation. To be in a state where we feel stuck or static is crazy unhealthy and unneeded. So where do we go from here? There are five GREAT ways to begin making life happen and growth a reality:
Five ways to make those goals more realistic…
- Natural High: When we have interests in life that get our endorphins pumping and excited about life it makes life less mundane. How does this play into goals? Having passions in life limits the chance of life being static and typically sparks a desire for wanting more than what is. Whether it be basketball, running, playing the guitar or baking every single human being needs that spark that has them going forward instead of backwards. Natural highs are way underutilized, yet hold tremendous power.
- Stagger your goals – A goal that may focus on something in five years is much more likely to fall to the wayside than one that is on a smaller time line. Stagger your goals. Aim for three, six and twelve month clips. Write down goals for all three and then (which very few people do) come up with a few ways to bridge the gap between talk and action. When we generate ideas, opportunities it will pave the road for goals to become reality.
Get stoked!
Back in the day when a goal was to learn how to surf I staggered. How? My aim was to initially tackle a ride from white water to the shore without falling off my board. Next, learn how to drop in on a wave. Lastly, it was the ability to pop up, drop in and ride a wave. It was a gradual, staggered approach that made a goal a tangible reality.
- Be honest with yourself – examine your strengths and weaknesses. What can you strengthen and what areas need to be readjusted? If we do not aspire to work on who we are and areas in need of adjustment (we all have these, achieving our ‘to do’ list becomes less likely).
- Wingman – It is so important to have someone to confide in who will be your accountability partner. If we roll solo there’s not motivation, accountability and fear of being called out for slacking. We all need a wingman.
- Just keep swimming – if you fail, reevaluate your strategies/ what worked and what didn’t. Don’t throw in the towel if If it didn’t work the first time. We are bound to stumble, it’s part of life. It’s not the fall, it’s the getting back up.
Be honest with yourself. Keep going. Press forward. Goals make life more of an experience than a chore. Life is a journey. Live it loud, know we set the example for the next generation. How we live, the goals we achieve are so critical to inspire, motivate and encourage our kids.
So as we rock into a new year, get your goal setting goodness on. It’s not too late! Peace, love and new chapters!
