Tag: goals

Posted on in Personal Thoughts

Don’t Blink

It seems like not very long ago that I was writing a wrap up to 2023. Now, seemingly suddenly, it’s nearing the end of the first week of March. I’ve thought about writing while in the car, or in the shower, or in the grocery store. Some of my best ideas show up in the midst of busy little necessities of life. Travis Tritt said it so well, “It was all with the best of intentions.” The older I get, the more that good intentions float on by and life continues to speed up.

I have a goal to get a lot of ideas out of my head and into writing. Here is the first page, just some sweet ramblings. It’s been awhile since I wrote, so how are you doing? Are your goals coming along? I would LOVE for you to respond to this and tell me a little about your ambitions for 2024. Even just to say that you’re still taking one step at a time, because any movement forward is progress.

Photo by Lalesh Aldarwish on Pexels
Posted on in Personal Thoughts

My Journey Is My Own

The next question that came was, “Do you enjoy helping others?” My first thought was a curiosity of other perspectives. Do people think my work is all about helping others? Do people think my goal is to help people? What an interesting idea.

I don’t try to help others. It’s not my goal, or my intention, or my reason for doing what I do. Admittedly, my process often does help in terms of providing insight or resources. I believe if I approached my work with the goal of helping others, I would fail often. That’s a lot of pressure with little direction.

I believe there is a process of becoming, an unfolding of authentic identity that must occur for purpose and passion to meet. I did not embark on my journey to help others. I did it to help me. I did not sign up for college classes or earn degrees with the thought of how someone else could be more successful. I did it to acquire new knowledge that was aligned with my deepest values and to navigate my own beliefs, fears, and possibilities. I never embraced a role, a job, or a duty to be nice or helpful. I did it because I knew without a doubt I was where I belong, and it would create momentum for the next leap.

Who I am and what I do are aligned, intertwined, and inseparable. Along the way to get where I am now, there were many levels, many upgrades, plenty of challenges, and so much to learn! Here’s the thing; I’m not done growing and I’m going to keep going! I love where I am but I know there is more for me. I don’t always know what my presence will mean to someone else, but I know that if I show up where I am meant to be as myself, it will be powerful, meaningful, and moving. I wish for everyone to reach this understanding and move into authentic being. Imagine what the world could be like!

Posted on in mindset, personal development

Planned Failure

Welcome to January 2023! It’s officially the prime time for goal desertion and resolution repo. A lot of folks came running into the new year with lofty ambitions and shiny new goals and they will start to discard them right about now. I could tell you all about why new year resolutions are a bad idea and how to do more with less. In fact, I might just do that, but not here and not today.

Today I am going to share a concept with you that I teach to my clients. One that amplifies the success of any goals you might want to achieve. Let’s talk about planned failure. If you are a perfectionist, the title alone might make you cringe, but you are exactly the kind of person that needs this. So often, I talk to people who never start a project or idea because they are afraid to fail. It might be starting a new business, or hobby, or journaling, or crafting art, whatever the target may be they never even start at go. Why is this true so often? Fear of failure is a real monster that kills all sorts of potential before it’s even born.

Good news! I have the remedy for that fear. It’s called planned failure. When you initiate something planning to fail, success is inevitable. This is true because if the worst potential outcome is realized then you’ve hit the mark you were aiming for, but if you do better than you expect your success is on a different level. Rather than holding a standard that you can’t fail, you can literally make failure the standard and then you can only succeed!

This concept was born in my life a couple decades ago when I played pool for the first time. Even now, I am not an exceptional pool player. For some reason, the first time I played I felt ridiculous pressure to be good. Something about the poker face of other players was intimidating and made me try too hard. Call it young naivety. So of course, I failed miserably and felt embarrassed. Then when I found myself wanting to play in a casual setting, I just started announcing that I was no good and would likely lose the game. With that low bar set, when I actually hit the ball I was aiming for or actually made a pocket, it was a huge success! It was also highly entertaining to friends who were experienced players.

I repeated this planned failure in my artistic pursuits. When I started painting with new tools or new ideas, I prepared for the outcome of nothing spectacular. I used lower value supplies and set my intention to be experimental with no need to perfect any part of my process. Sometimes I make uninteresting chaos but sometimes I make really cool art. The old perfectionist in me would have whined over wasted materials, wasted time, and wasted talent- if I couldn’t be good at all times. Now I don’t believe in waste. Even if I got an insignificant end result, I learned about the process. I might have learned how pouring paint feels, or how pressure on an airbrush needs to change to control the stream. All modes of learning are good in their own power.

So stop avoiding living your life over a fear that has no power over you. Fail! Do the thing and love the process as much as the outcome. If you practice planned failure, you will certainly level up in life.

Posted on in personal development

Goals and Developments

Photo by Polina Zimmerman

The beginning of January has been a time for reflection on what I did well last year and where I fell short. Anyone who values progress should regularly take time for such reflections. In both my personal life and professional endeavors, I accomplished some great new horizons in 2021. Overall, it was a fantastic year!

Part of the progress I made last year came with realizing some weak spots. I am now aware of where I fell short, what my obstacles were, why I became stuck or stagnant, and where to go from here. This week I spent time choosing wise goals and planning for my success in the year ahead. I’m going into some new adventures, picking up some plans I have laid down over the years, and ultimately authoring my own success. This is my life and only I can live it.

At the core of my passion is walking through this process with others. If you are struggling with a lack of clarity, stagnation in personal development, problematic relationships, or confusion in career development, it is essential to use reflection to become aware and then set wise goals to move forward. I know it can feel overwhelming, especially if you don’t know where to begin. Having a professional partnership for your success and accountability for your course can make all the difference. If this resonates with you, let’s connect.