Goals

Goal n. The result or achievement toward which effort is directed.
– from Dictionary.com

I’ve been thinking a lot about goals lately. How many people have been fed an image of success that consists of wealth, prestige, marriage, materialism, and career? Then we as a society decide we need to make plans and a path to pursue our vision of goals in these areas.

We can really only control our judgments, opinions, and feelings. Those things are ours. Why aren’t we taught to make goals of self-discipline, clarity, skill building (without the pursuit of money), and peace of mind?

We have become so consumed in this idea of being rich and famous that we have forgotten to be calm, observant, and happy. I’m thinking of goals in a new way these days, and learning how to frame them in ways that allow me to realize them independently.

These new goals are about filling my spirit with joy, being good at the things I do, and observing and understanding the patterns of the world.

I recently came across an exercise that said to make a list of sentences all beginning with, “I feel better when…” Each item gets one point, except the ones that bring the most exceptional joy, which get two. At the end of the day, you get a score which is the sum of the points of the things on that list you did, divided by the total point value of the list. The highest scoring days were also ranked the most fulfilling.

I want to take that exercise, then, and consider those things the goals. I want to live the life I was given, and make goals to strive for the actions and experiences that fill my cup. Maybe some of the things that encapsulated that old version of goals will come to pass, but I’m not aiming for those anymore.

What are goals to you?

Love always,

Rachel