Tough (Question) Tuesday: Will (your goal here) make you happy?
Spam One Liners: Happy Life by Linzie Hunter
As you focus on your goals/intentions (not resolutions! Find out why on Spring next week!) for 2010, ask a very simple (but often overlooked) question:
Will (your goal here) make you happy?
If you don’t know or you’re not sure, close your eyes & see that goal coming to fruition (I love that word, “fruition”). If you meet it’s end with a shrug, then cross it off your list or revise it until it excites you. If you see the finish line in your mind’s eye & you’re full to bursting, then keep that image & that feeling in your front pocket & carry it with you on your journey.
I’ll be dissecting my plans for 2010 in the comments section. It won’t be anything like 7th grade science class (am I the only one who thinks of frogs whenever I hear the word “dissection”?) No blood – I promise. Hope you’ll join me!
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December 29th, 2009 at 9:20 am
What a great question and the perfect time to take a look at where we think we want to go! I am going to have my tea and ponder this for a bit. I *think* I know where I want to go and can see it clearly but now to see the steps that lead to that goal might help me even more!! Looking fwd to reading your goals, you are always so inspiring!!! Happy 2010
December 29th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Thanks, Julieann! I know it seems like such a simple question, but when you really think about it, it has a big “hmmmm….” factor! Sometimes our goals get tied into what we think we should do (I hate that word!) or what others want for us that I think asking, “Will this goal make me happy?” could be a way to cut through the BS & make sure you’re goal is for you. Can’t wait to see what insights your cup of tea brings
My major goal is to be a full-time creative career coach, & I know for absolutely positively sure that would make me super very happy! I’m not going to kid myself that it’ll be rainbows & kitten & sunshine all the time, but even the rough spots won’t rain on my parade, where I get to be a writer, a speaker, & a coach. Ooh, I’m getting excited when I really let myself think about it!
December 29th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
My goal of being a full time artist/writer/workshop leader definitely makes my putter flutter! It’s difficult to picture a “finish line” though. I am all of the above now… just not full time.
I could say that quitting my day job and pursuing a creative career full time is my goal, and it is, but that alone doesn’t make me completely giddy. The ability to earn a living doing what I love and am passionate about is the ultimate goal. That’s an ongoing endeavor… so where is the finish line? When is “success” achieved and the goal accomplished?
I guess I need to formulate a plan. Break it into smaller goals. I don’t have to have all the answers… just focus on the goals that I can get really excited about and begin.
December 30th, 2009 at 1:21 am
I LOVE the word intentions instead of resolutions. I like it better than goals too. I tend to get too caught up in the nitty gritty details (the objectives! I am such a teacher!) of my goals, and when I think of intentions, it kind of gives a soft-focus glow to the whole thing. Like a snapshot reminder of why I chose it: it will be beautiful. It will make me happy to go where I intend to go. These are my intentions. It seems so simple, straightforward, and so possible when you put it like that!
December 30th, 2009 at 8:39 am
Carmen, you bring up an amazing question – when to know you’ve reached The Finish Line. If you’re anything like me (& I have a pretty big feeling you are – there are so many similarities between us!), you will always want More & will keep reaching & striving & doing. Danielle LaPorte mentioned a few months ago that goals can be feelings, too, & that really got me thinking. Instead of a goal, what if you have a feeling or a mission statement or a set of values that you’re always looking to be aligned with? For me, my goal is to be a full-time coach (see the similarities?) , but once I get there I’m not going to say, “Well, that’s done. What do I want to do now?” It runs deeper than that. For me, I want the feeling that I’m waking up with a purpose & turning my passion into a career. I guess that’s the Main Goal that’ll be with me until I decide to retire. Now, what that means on any given day could be a number of things, but I know that the overall feeling that goes along with that is “fulfillment.” I want to be fulfilled. I can carry that around with me always, & the finish line for each thing that will ensure that I remain fulfilled will change too, but I always have that feeling & that Main Goal to shoot for. Thankfully, we can always celebrate the numerous finish lines that get us to our Main Goal and/or Feeling!
And YES, I LOVE plans & I LOVE baby steps. No need to even figure out all the steps in advance, just check in each day & ask, “What can I do today? What’s next?”
Ooh, so excited to see how far you come in 2010!
December 30th, 2009 at 8:45 am
Amen, Katy! You must go to Spring next week & watch our video on intentions – we speak about just that! It’s tough for me as a life coach to think you can achieve, well, anything, without putting steps in place & making an action plan & yada yada yada, but I know first-hand how valuable intentions are, & how important it is too to make your goals pliable to allow, well, life to come through! Intentions are great too because they can be made each & every day or just once a year – whatever works best for you. I’m looking forward to bringing them more into my life in 2010 & glad that you will be, too! Thanks so much for your comment.