A Road Map to Your Best Year Yet, Part III

Point to Ponder:
Have you given much thought to why you are interested in pursuing and accomplishing your 2015 goals?

by Neissa Brown Springmann

Have you ever wondered why people do the things they do, or better yet, why you do the things you do? I ask this because I find that the longer we live the more programmed our brains become, and the less intentional our actions are. Out of simplicity, ease of mind and habits, many of our daily behaviors and decisions become unconscious patterns, and before long we’re driving the same way home, eating at the same restaurants, interacting with the same people, engaging in the same conversations, and creating the same goals….year, after year, after year. Just as all children ask “why?”, and I have been coached and encouraged to ask “why?”, I think its a great question for all of us to ask so we can go deeper into and be more conscious of why we are considering pursuing the 2015 goals that we are.

As you think about the goals you are wanting to pursue in 2015, ask yourself these questions:

• Does the thought of pursuing the goal feel daunting, or does it excite me?
• Is the goal going to enrich and add value to my life?
• Is pursuing this goal really worth my time and do I really care?
• Is the goal in alignment with what I want for my life?
• Am I setting this goal out of guilt, shame, obligation or an unfulfilled expectation from my past?

The reason why I’ve loved asking myself these questions is because they force me to think. What I’ve learned is that I’m a haphazard goal-setter and don’t give my goals the conscious time and effort they need in order to thrive. I’ve also realized that many of the goals I was setting for myself were left-over goals from the past that I felt I still needed to accomplish. Interestingly, these goals actually no longer resonate with me, they don’t align with my life and I really don’t care. What’s also been enlightening about asking ‘why?’ is that many of the goals I’ve been hanging onto are expectations that I once had for myself or felt that someone else had for me. Now that I’ve let them go, I feel like I’ve been released of unnecessary baggage and unproductive energy.

I think it’s safe to say that each year we all strive to do better and be better than in the previous year. As it pertains to the goals you are considering in 2015, I encourage your “one thing” this week to be curious, and ask yourself why you want to pursue and accomplish these particular goals. For sure you’ll receive many interesting answers and great knowledge to take into next Thursday’s Goals Workshop.

Action Item:
Be curious and ask yourself why you are interested in pursuing and accomplishing the goals you are considering setting for yourself in 2015.