GOALS TUESDAY

“If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” ― Zig Ziglar

What are you aiming for? Do you know? It is said that most goals that are never written down are never achieved. The way to happiness is to meet your goals- but first you have to have them. What do you want out of life? REVIEW each area of your life and consider what you want from each area. Then- write those goals down. GOALS AREAS- Family, personal relationships, career, financial, education, spiritual, social, physical, self enrichment, house/home, creative/artistic. What are your lifetime goals? 10 year goals? 5 year, 2 year, 1 year, quarterly, monthly, weekly, daily??? As Zig Ziglar says, do you want to be a wandering generality or a meaningful specific? Get specific on your goals and your dreams and make them the target you aim for.

The Journey

A good traveler has no fixed plans,

and is not intent on arriving. - Lao Tzu

Most of us live a life of thoughts of the past or of the future. Many of these thoughts and ideas are of our fears, regrets and disappointments.

The past can be a detriment to the way you currently live your life. Do not let the fears of a repeated past, bad experience or memory hinder your present or future. The past can be viewed as a gift of valuable lessons and experiences that have molded you into a better person, if you choose to view it that way. The choice is ultimately yours.

The future is inevitable, and always on its way. Embrace the future with positive thoughts and expectation to attract the best possible scenarios the universe can hand out to you. It is good to make plans and have goals, but don’t forget that the present moment is all that is ever available to us. Don’t forget to live each day and enjoy what is now. None of us are guaranteed the future.

How many of us live in the present moment, enjoying the journey?

We are lucky to have the present time to be alive, aware and present. Most of life isn’t filled with huge events and milestones- it is often filled with tiny moments we deem insignificant, but these are the moments that fill up most of a life time. Enjoy the little things life has to offer. That great cup of coffee, the car that let you pass giving the friendly wave, spending time with a great person- the list is endless of the good things that do happen each day. When we become less obsessed with thoughts and being self-absorbed in our own minds, we can really become present in living in the current moments of our lives. We are all here to learn and grow and enjoy life. Happiness is attainable by choice, living presently and seeing the greatness in the little details that make up the whole. Enjoy the journey.  

Shift of Focus to NOW

“It was always the becoming he dreamed of, never the being.” ― F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

 

Much of our focus lies on what has either happened in the past or thoughts of what is to come in the future. Rarely are thoughts of the present and enjoying in detail what we have in front of us right now. We tend to dwell on the past and allow our thoughts to be occupied what has beens and what ifs- instead of realizing that the present moment is the time to live and create memories of true living.

Being present in the now is the only time that we have available to us. Enjoy the present and make the most of it while you are in it and create a wonderful future.

For what It's worth....

“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same; there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.”

 

― Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button screenplay

Holding A Vision

The beliefs in impossible things…Why do it? What could be the benefit? Most successful people on the world have become so because they had a vision in mind. They had a goal. They didn’t think about it just once and then forget about it. It had to be a constant thought they held in their minds. It was repetitious and they spent time on it. Here is where we can benefit from being childlike. Children have the most imaginative minds. They daydream often and can carry out their imaginary plans in minute detail. This is where most of us are lacking as adults. We ought to daydream more and create the visions in our minds of what we want our dreams to be and what goals we need to get us there. Even if we don’t exactly get there- we at least get closer by holding the vision than if we didn’t have one at all. Also any type of visualization gives us practice for getting really good at is- so when we do have a goal that is met- it is because we had practice holding those visions in the first place. Visualizing goals is not a new concept at all- in fact, countless famous athletes and coaches use this method for developing their skill and implementing it into various plays we later witness on the fields.

 Napoleon Hill states “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” Write down five goals or dreams you have for your life and then identify they key steps it would take you to get those things. Take a few minutes to write them down. Some of them may seem to be way out of reach, or completely ridiculous. What’s the difference- who cares? We all have some laughable dreams- but so did a lot of other people who had their visions come to light and they became successful at what they had envisioned. If we were all worried about what others thought of an idea- we would have no progress in the world at all.  There would be no new technology and no new ideas. We are where we are today because so many were willing to go with their laughable dreams and goals. Life is too short and it’s entirely up to you what you do with it. Don’t measure your life with coffee spoons. Find something that makes you smile and go for it! Visualize your dream often and develop a goals program to get you there. Then think about it- DAILY at least. And don’t forget the last detail to your visions- Give Thanks. Show your gratitude by giving thanks in advance to your achieved goal and live like it’s already happened!

Here’s to a great day! Whatever your dreams are- hold that vision and make it come true!

A Truth

Existence. What does it all mean and what does it imply? Why are we here? What is the purpose of life? These are things that no one can answer in one universal truth. I have pondered these things since early child hood as far as I can remember. I can recall lying awake in my be at around the age of seven pondering what it meant to exist and questioned reality. How do you know you exist? How do you know what reality is? What will happen when I cease to exist? What if every life form as we know it ceases to exist? What If our universe imploded and suddenly it was all over? What if nothing existed? What if the thought of existence never existed? These are the thought’s that have terrified and kept me pondering since then. Some of these thoughts are enough to send one over the edge. They certainly sent me into bouts of hysteria at age seven, twenty-seven and even still at the age of almost thirty-two.

Most days I simply wish that these thoughts did not consume me. I might be better off living more simply spending my days in front of the television with a big swirly lollipop while twirling my pigtails while accepting the notions of whatever organized religion was handed to me. I might even prefer it. Not that organized religion is bad- but it does answer many questions for you- which may relieve one of further ponderings… But my mind just has never operated that way. It never has.

The 17th century, the French philosopher René Descartes came up with the following: "I think, therefore I am". We know we exist, at least in our own minds because we can, and do think about it. This leads me to the next question. What kind of life are we living? Are we merely existing? And if we exist in our own minds- is it a passive existence or a conscious existence? I am convinced we live most of our existence on auto pilot passive awareness. Yes- we are here….present and accounted for, but are we actually here? Are you present in your own mind? How do we start our days? I am sure for most of us it is passive….You get up, brush your teeth, get ready, drive to work, bla bla bla…same as yesterday and the day before that. The mind is like a computer setting and can work just fine on auto pilot. I can function just fine in a day of passive existence in the mind. I have done it for years at a time. Now let’s consider how it is different from active existence in the mind. Active existence is like a really cool computer program that scans the computer for how it can perform optimally. Are you doing that? Chances are you’re not. Why exist if you’re not doing what you love and want to do. You are here anyway. Why just passively exist?

Identify your goals, dreams and passions. Become everything you want to do and be. Nothing is impossible. The word itself says I’m Possible. If you cannot do everything you ever wanted, at least you have tried. You have actively existed. You can start this at any moment- to live and exist in an active consciousness and manifest it into reality. Or you can choose to live passively with life on autopilot and let it all pass you by.

I think, therefore I am. If you think you are something, fat, worthless, uninteresting…then you are.

If you think you are interesting and worthy, then you are interesting and worthy. You are attracting that vibratory force of being interesting and worthy.

Devil’s Advocate- If you think you are Napoleon, are you really Napoleon? Chances are you are not. But you are closer to it than someone who does not believe they are. On some level of existence in the mind, you are Napoleon.

The local town lunatic may think they are the Queen of France. They certainly are in their minds. And I would like to say that’s where it all counts, but one has to also be a functioning member of society with their thoughts about their existence. Otherwise you may not get as far as you hoped for, just a stint at the Georgia Regional Hospital.

Existence is subjective. Its finding “a truth.” Find the truth that works for you and that is the most functional and productive and that makes the world a better place. Use this existence to flourish and put a smile on your face and those around you. If you are going to exist, make it count.

The Gift of Faiure

It must be borne in mind that the tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. 

It lies in having no goal to reach.

 

It is not a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream. It is not a disgrace not to reach the stars, but it is 

a disgrace not to have any stars to reach.

 

Not failure, but low aim, is the real sin.

 

                  –Benjamin Mays via Pablo Eisenberg

 

 

What another great way to view our failures in life. One should rather have failed a million times over- in attempts to reach a goal or a dream, than to never have had a goal in mind. Failure is proof that one has gotten up and tried. Repeated failure is proof that of how strong an individual can be and how motivated and driven they are.

My best lesson in failure brings me back to my first years of College and that pesky ole College Algebra they find it necessary to make you take.  I have always done relatively well in school with mostly A’s and B’s….until it came to Algebra- my arch nemesis (and still is to this day).  First they made me take Math 97 – a class to prep you for Math 99- the precursor for College Algebra. I struggled through Math 97 and made a D. By struggled- I mean endured endless hours of study and practice and showing up on Saturdays for help and review of the week’s lesson.

Math 99 was the same. About five or six extra books on the subject from Barnes and Noble- Algebra for Dummies, etc. I went online to high school and middle school math sites for better comprehension and easier examples (as my comprehension was MIA). I did practice questions online, from the book, you name it. Attended every class and review session. I passed the class with a B- but failed the required separate exit exam. I was required to repeat the course the next semester.

Math 99 round two. Same thing as round one. Practice, tutors (4 different ones- two on campus and two non campus -one who was a high school Algebra Teacher and one from GA Tech) to help me wrap my mind around the subject. NADA. I could recite the formulas- but when applied to an equation- the answer was wrong nine out of ten times.  Writing this is currently giving me flashbacks of me crying on the floor four hours on end. There seemed to be no solution to my problem.  With endless practice and positive affirmations each day- I passed with a D. Then onto the next.

College Algebra- here we go again. Same thing. Struggle after struggle. I showed up each day, sat at the front of the class, asked questions, stayed late and attended tutorial sessions. To pass this class you had to have a D. I was one point below passing- with my F in hand I felt miserable. To my surprise- my professor gave me that extra point that let me pass. He saw how frustrated I had been, yet completely dedicated.

 I had tried to reach that goal and it was NOT easy by any means.  I just did not understand the point, and didn’t for many years.  But nowadays I see that point had nothing to do with me learning Algebra. It was me setting the goal to pass those classes no matter what and no matter how hard it was. I was facing academic probation- and in that - losing my identity as a good student.  This went on for an entire year and a half. Finally when it was all said and done- I am glad I hung in there. I wouldn’t want to repeat it- but I would if I had to. Passing those classes allowed me to move forward and cultivate myself in wonderfully interesting subjects. I am quite proud for hanging in there. And even though I feel that I have technically been taught more on the subject than most- I still probably couldn’t solve an equation if millions of dollars were on the line.

Failure was a gift for me. It proved how strong I was in the midst of constant defeat for that year and a half straight. So I look back on those failures and smile (with one eye twitching of course)!  I had a goal and I did not quit.  Much more respectable than no goals at all! So love your failures- there are lessons in them if you look hard enough. SO here’s to failure- because it’s not all a bad thing!