Goals: It’s About the Journey, NOT the Destination

// Fit is not a destination, it’s a way of life. //

When we’re working towards change it’s easy to be consumed by the end result.

What does that mean?

That means your goal of losing ten pounds or eating vegetables with every meal or meditating daily is more about when you reach that goal, rather than the process you experience along the way.

The learning, better understanding & connection you create with yourself.

When working 1-1 with clients we often start with big goals. We work together to set some SMART goals for the next month, three months & year ahead.

Don’t get me wrong, these are important steps of transformation & change. But this is a reminder that goals are simply a small part of a larger process.

As we tackle them, it’s nice to feel a sense of accomplishment.

But most women I work with are coming from the mindset that everything is about that one or two goals. That everything they want can be attained through accomplishing some predetermined goal they’ve set & only THEN will they feel accomplished.

I do this myself.

As an entrepreneur, it’s easy to get hung up on numbers or tasks or big goals. Goals to create the funnel, do the launch or reach a certain ROI.

But as I’m growing into my role as a business owner & entrepreneur, I see that the work I’m doing is not about getting to some specific place in the future. It’s not actually about reaching the goals as I set them.

Yes, the outcome is nice & I like having a path to pave forward.

But my happiness, my contentment - my satisfaction in life - can’t be based on obtaining the goal. Because as I reach one after the other, I continuously set new goals. New directions to head & new destinations.

And what happens when we’re on the way to reaching those goals?

Do you often feel dissatisfied?

I know I do.

Often I feel disappointed with myself, because I haven’t reached that goal yet. But when will it all ever be enough?

• What does that ten pounds mean to you when it’s gone?
• What happens when you’re eating vegetables at every meal?
• What will happen when you’re meditating daily?

Goals are important, but they’re not the most critical part of the story.

My story isn’t simply marked by the major milestones I’ve accomplished along the way but about the little moments in between.

My story will be told about the small stuff, the days spent traveling or with my family or enjoying great food.

When I reflect on my path, I don’t see a destination in where I am today, I see the journey I’ve experienced up until now.

And I look forward to the continued journey that’s ahead of me.

When we treat goals as a system, a process, we have the ability to weave in satisfaction with the steps along the way & not be so reliant on the outcome for our happiness.

Because what if you lose 5 pounds or eat vegetables with 75% of your meals or you’re meditating every other day?

Is it that you feel unsuccessful because you haven’t reached that ultimate goal you set?

Maybe it’s that we’re attached to a number that has no other value than it sounded good or that’s what someone else told us to work towards.

Need more goal-crushing help?

Check out my Get It Together workshop on why willpower isn't what's keeping you from reaching your goals & how to start crushing your goals with simple steps.

In order to lead a life of balanced wellness, we have to find contentment & satisfaction with where we are now while setting appropriate goals.

Goals, like our lives, should be treated as a part of the process but not the ultimate crux of our experience.

Become a goal-getter with these 5 tracking tools featured in SparkPeople!!!