I’ve not been much of a goal-setter in the past.
I’ve achieved things I wanted to achieve. And I’ve challenged myself to push a bit harder, to stretch myself, and (for the most part) to finish what I start.
But I’ve not been one to sit down at the beginning of the year and think, “OK, what do I want to achieve personally and professionally this year and how am I going to get there?”
For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to do GREAT THINGS.
Because of that, I have had a lifelong passion for the study of personal transformation. For decades now, I have practiced a daily program of personal discipline and loving service.
And yet, when it came to implementing my own Big Dream, I was a complete failure. I would start working toward my dream. Something would happen and I would stop for a while, promising myself to get back to it.
If I had a penny for all the times I’ve promised myself to make positive change but never followed through, I’d be a wealthy woman.
Over the years, I’ve wanted to start running daily, learn French, paint, meditate regularly, and many other endeavors I can’t remember.
I’d start them with a bang, with great intentions of commitment and follow-through, only to quit a few days or weeks later.
Then, of course, I felt like an undisciplined loser.
“Asking for help does not mean that we are weak or incompetent. It usually indicates an advanced level of honesty and intelligence.” ~Anne Wilson Schaef, author
A couple of months ago, I made a decision that has dramatically reduced my level of stress.
I sought help.
I hired a helper who happens to be a good friend. That makes it really nice, but even if she weren’t my friend, I would still be beside myself with joy that I made this decision.
Have you ever noticed how reticent we are to seek help?
This is not a post about substance abuse.
This is a post about the little things you do every day that pull you away from what you really want for yourself.
It is about addiction to habits and behaviors that suck time away from us without adding much back to our lives or our souls. And often we hide our eyes from these addictions.
Before I became a coach, I didn’t know much about coaching.
I’d heard the term “life coach” tossed around, but I didn’t understand why people needed to be coached in their lives. Why would I need someone else telling me to do what I already know I should be doing?
(Now I know that coaching has nothing to do with being told what to do.)
If the coaching profession could be distilled to the single most valuable tool for clients, it would be accountability.
“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
If you are reading my blog, you are likely interested in personal development and have read many books and blogs on various ways to feel better, get motivated, be productive, overcome problems, and find your passion.
One topic that seems to have “attracted” a lot of attention is the law of attraction.
In short, the law of attraction suggests that like attracts like and that our thoughts control everything in our lives from our health to our finances.
If we send out the right thoughts to the universe, we will attract (manifest) all of the positive things to us we desire. And according to the law, negative events are the result of our negative or misguided thinking.
Do you have a list?
I bet you do, even if it’s not written down.
You probably have your list of immediate work things that must be done and your list of big picture work things you want to do — when you have time.
Then there’s your list of regular tasks at home, your list of appointments to schedule, your list of regularly occurring maintenance tasks for yourself, your home, your car, etc.
There’s the list of things you’ve promised your kids, your spouse, your neighbor, your church, and your parents.