Goals, ambition, the New Year, and thou
I have had a complicated relationship with goals.
On one hand, they guide us to the achievements that create meaning in our lives.
On the other, goals set haphazardly can be the perfect club, if we choose, to beat ourselves up and demonstrate to our weary mind how little merit we actually deserve.
Steve Jobs and your Instagram feed will tell you to dream big and set audacious goals. But few talk about what must accompany those big goals: hard work, focus, persistence, and the courage to act. Goals are like an agreement we make with ourselves. And that can ask a lot of us.
Our energy, our willpower, our focus, and our courage are like wells from which we can draw. While they are not endless, they do grow deeper with use.
My wish for all of us is that we might set thoughtful, wise, and carefully chosen goals for this year, and find within ourselves the resources to make them happen.
My very best,
Philip