Think Goals

Note to self:

Goals …

By Bernadette Kathryn, LMT, IHLC

I think goals should never be easy,

they should force you to work,

even if they are uncomfortable at the time.

~ Michael Phelps

Goals

Goals ~ what’s a goal to you? What’s your interpretation of how a goal should be approached?

I like to have a mix of goals, both really challenging goals and some not so much. I believe that goals should be a stretch, something that I am not sure if I can actually accomplish, otherwise, it’s probably a task. There has to be a level of uncertainty to a goal, something that will give me juice. When I am working toward a goal, I am both excited and scared. I am excited to be approaching something that I have never done before and scared that I might not do well. What if I fail? What if I embarrass myself? What if I find out that I don’t like it or I am not good at it? Well, that goes with the territory of trying new things, right?

If I don’t ever try new things, I will never know what I am capable of, I won’t have the pleasure of victory and personal growth. I like to take on new projects and thoroughly enjoy the pleasure of learning. I like the feeling of understanding new things, being able to talk to my friends about my new knowledge. I love the experience of connecting the dots with new information. I have to admit that I don’t always love the discipline that I need to make it all happen, I am a little bit discipline challenged, maybe a little ADD, who knows?

Since I don’t always love the discipline that I need at times, I can find it uncomfortable. Like exercising any new muscle, it takes discipline and can absolutely be uncomfortable. You know that uncomfortable feeling you have when you have completed a set of squats the day before and you have trouble sitting on the potty the next day? That’s the kind of uncomfortable that hurts and feels good in an empowering kind of way. I know the pain and discomfort will leave me as I adapt to my new strength and skills. It’s the same when I am sitting in a class trying to learn a new subject, it’s uncomfortable until I get it and that’s OK with me, it’s part of the process.