I know I’ve been talking a lot about goals this month. But t’is the season when we’re often setting goals for ourselves! And we need to do so thoughtfully. I’ve been writing a lot about goals: visualizing goals, creating S.M.A.R.T. goals, adversity, perservering with your goals even when the going gets tough, resiliency, and creating meaningful goals. I’ve even written a bit about passion as a part of goals. Afterall, what’s really going to drive you to succeed with your goals if you’re not passionate about them?
Years ago I remember reading something that really stood out for me:
It stood out because it’s so obvious and yet the passion part of the equation sometimes gets left out.
Desire is certainly an important part of reaching your goals as well. In order for goals to reach fruition, you have to really want them to be successful. There has to be some reason you’re trying to attain them in the first place.
It’s funny though. Sometimes we create goals because we think they’re good for us, or because we or someone else has told us we should want them. Not surprisingly, those goals are often the first ones that fizzle–despite our best intentions.
I know what you’re saying. What about those goals that are good for you? The ones we have to strive to reach because they’re a quality of life thing. You know what I mean: quitting smoking, losing weight, eating more healthy foods, or making exercise a regular part of your life. I’ll talk more about these ones later…honestly!
What I’m curious about though is–what are you really passionate about? How do you use passion in reaching your goals? Do you really desire your goals? How can you harness your passion and desire to succeed?
Think about what these people have to say about passion and desire. Any of them really stand out for you?
“Passion is the genesis of genius.” ~Tony Robbins
“Passion is energy.” ~Oprah Winfrey
“Nothing great in the world has ever been achieved without passion.”~Georg Wilhem Friedrich Hegel
“Without passion you don’t have energy. Without energy you have nothing.” ~Donald Trump
“If you desire many things, many things will seem few.” ~Benjamin Franklin
“The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.” ~Confucius
“Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.” ~Napolean Hill
Perhaps it’s time to re-consider your goals. Are you really passionate about them? Do you really, really, really want them to be successful? Do you have the passion and desire to see them germinate and grow?
And what about those goals that are good for you, even if you’re not really passionate about them? Suppose you spent some time brainstorming reasons that could invite you to be passionate or more desirous of them, what difference do you think it would make in your efforts to reach them?
Let’s say you want to lose some weight. Would it be helpful to imagine yourself in more flattering clothes, to imagine yourself able to do more, to imagine your self-confidence growing, or to imagine how much easier it might be to get around?
What about the goal of exercising more? What do you imagine the benefits of that might be? Are there any benefits that get you excited to make this goal a reality?
Sometimes we have to dig deep to find that fertile ground. But that’s the ground we need to get to to help our goals blossom and grow.
What do you think?
