Goals for the year using some sort of predictable end are nuts!
It doesn’t work and it also relies on you as a person to be able to see the end from the beginning! So why do we do it? How do we shift to a different way that actually works? The reason why we use the idea of goals and having an end in mind is because of one basic human reality.
2-year-olds have it. Pride. It’s as motivating as it is accusing. Pride’s motivation is short-term and hyper-critical. If one can survive the pride mentality you will be a rockstar! Every other thing in your life will be destroyed but you will have accomplished your goals. Successful divorced several times person anyone?
Also if you want to use the Pride weapon in your arsenal its aim is that of a Nuke. Oh, you’ll get it done alright. What is the cost? You couldn’t know because all you want is the goal. You didn’t consider life’s unintended consequences.
So what’s the solution? Humility and commitment to a process. In other words, having a goal of the type of person, you are not a goal of the results of the life you live. It’s a difficult matter of faith to jump into! Why?
When you use humility and process as your weapon you have to say to the rest of the world statements like: “I don’t know. I’m not sure. We will see.” Those are not statements the world wants. We desire people around us to be not humble but arrogant!
People want to be around those who think the same. Since humility is so rare in our sliver of time it’s also a bit lonely. That creates a potential fear trigger. We don’t like that at all. Makes us want to run.
So what should our goal be? Become a better person and let the results shake out for themselves. Why? It is actually what you want more than the results. You know you can’t control results. You can control your response to what happens. You can control you.
Focusing on the process and not the goal is a much better “Why” than having a result that could be derailed by deeper issues. But process goals make you deal with those issues right away! How you deal with the deeper issues? Follow me for more!
