Imagine for a moment if you were released from the pressure of dreaming big. Imagine if you allowed yourself to enjoy the process of having simple goals.
You might write a book that won’t become a bestseller but during the process of writing you will get to know your best self.
Your child might get bachelor’s degree from community college instead of an ivy league school but he/she will be happy and content..
You may never buy your own place but you won’t work long hours at the job you hate and will have energy and time to have big dinners at your apartment.
You would achieve things at steady pace without being burned out.
You will be in a flow of accomplishing and seeing results, but results won’t be the ONLY destination, it will be more about the journey of becoming through doing.
As a business coach, I often see how much damaging the toll of going after Big Ideas/Big goals is on my clients who don’t find balance. They overdo it and burnout and become less productive than they were before.
Usually during coaching meetings, before setting big goals, we always look at how it will affect their lifestyle in general. We discuss how this can help people long-term make sure the goals we set do not create an unhealthy stress environment.
I recently spoke to one of my business coaching clients who said he is ok with growing his business at a slower pace. Because he wants to make sure he is there for his wife’s ultrasound appointments. He made a choice to have balance in his life instead of trying to kill himself doing both things.
One of my friends who runs successful company said she’s not going to buy her own place yet because she doesn’t want to add more stress to her life as she is currently concentrating on growing her business.
It is important to know your limits. This year you may be building your business, next year you will concentrate on buying your home. Whatever you are doing you need to find your own pace. You can achieve things without overwhelming yourself and still enjoying day-to-day life.
Sometimes we get carried away by going after our big goals. We work long hours, come home, sleep and go to work the next day. It’s a never-ending cycle.
People are often demanding our time. We are lucky to have a lot of choices but sometimes we go after too many things at the same time. We work on many areas in our life simultaneously. While behind that drive to become better are good intentions. Those intentions actually can create a life full of stress.
To stop this ongoing cycle of not feeling that we are not doing enough. We need to take time to be in touch with ourselves and ask 3 questions:
- What are my priorities for the next 3 months?
- What are the goals that align with my priorities?
- How do I make sure my goals are aligned with my lifestyle?
It isn’t a race to the end. You have time.
If you need to simplify your goals and get in touch with your priorities, join our 3 hour mindful productivity workshop: Slow Down Retreat. Upcoming 6/8
