Our “to-do” list.
We all know we have things to get done, whether personal or for our business and yet we procrastinate and put it off. This kind of behavior drains our energy and yet we still do it. We try and make sense of it. We rationalize and logically come up with some really good reasons. We have our good intentions and yet …
One very warm July morning, while sitting in my favorite “musing chair,” I began thinking about this in an old and new way. I entered into a conversation with goals.
Goals keep you focused, on track. They are the doorways to fulfilling your mission and purpose. They are the small steps your business requires of you each day. Goals empower you. They are the children of your inspiration and require attention and consistency. So why the struggle and overwhelm in meeting your goals?
As you nurture and care for your children, making sure they are in bed the same time every night, goals ask of you the same consistency. They ask you to be selective and prioritize. They ask you to be attentive, and they require you to reconnect to your fiery passion. They require you to move into deliberate action.
Goals can be your best teacher. They bring out your resistance, your fears and sometimes your insecurities. They ask you to step up, to believe in yourself and remember your dreams. When you think about it, goals never let you down.
They are loyal and will always be there waiting for.
So what gets in the way of your congenial relationship with goals? What comes up for you that you find yourself in procrastination or simply finding other things to do – until the last minute of course–when the goals come screaming at you.
Shifting your perspective on what goals are and why they are in your life can add a whole new dimension to your personal and business goals. Goals become your ally instead of “the dreaded enemy.”
Goals are the opportunities in anticipation of your creative intelligence, putting your ideas into action so that they manifest on the physical plane. Goals get you where you want to be. Goals have varying degrees of urgency. They can range from causal to important, from urgent to really urgent. They can be short term or long term.
When you see goals as having their own distinct individual flavor, they don’t feel so overwhelming and that to-do list seems more manageable. Sometimes it’s just a matter of timing: which needs attention first. There will always be a priority.
Sometimes it’s simply a matter of getting something off your plate, something that you’ve been avoiding. Sometimes the goal itself will call you to it and you are moved to take action.
Goals or tasks come in different sizes. Some can be completed in a few hours, even a few minutes, like making that phone call. Some projects may extend over a period of weeks or months. Goals and projects come in all shapes and sizes. You might say they have their own personality.
Looking at goals as an ally, utilizing your energy in constructive meaningful ways, there’s almost a dance. Being present and mindful with each project or goal can actually be a practice in “active meditation.”
When you are fully in your body, present, that is where your true power lies. Like the child you tuck in at night, you can relax knowing you have nurtured the needs of that goal and you have done your best. .
In the end that is all you can ask of yourself. Did I do my best?
When you think of the next challenge on your “ to-do” list, think of it as a goal calling you to do your best, to be your best. It doesn’t have to be perfect–just you giving it your best.
