Topic: Goals - Do you need them?

Note: The coolest part of this post is that I am literally living out one of my goals as I write this. As I'll mention more below, this is literally one more step towards my goal of being a life coach. And although this might not be "perfect", by you reading this post, you are witnessing my own journey and growth towards reaching that goal. This is still the beginning of DanFluence and I am excited to have you here and to be a part of this adventure! I am always looking for feedback - both positive and negative, please! I appreciate your support! Thanks!

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If someone told me a year ago that writing my goals out on a white board and putting them on the wall of my apartment would change my life, I would have laughed at them.

And I probably wouldn't have done it.

In June of 2020, I got to a place in life where I wasn't growing, wasn't changing, had no direction and was completely lost on what to do next in my life. I had been struggling with spending money, going out and being reckless, drinking, unemployment and was just ready for a new life. I was hit and miss with being active. It wasn't going so well for me...

I was depressed. I had anxiety. I was unhealthy. I was tired.

Do you relate to any of these feelings?

Basically, I was left with no other option. I had to do something...

This lead me to listening to some podcasts and doing a little research on what I could do next.

Something that I began hearing over and over was this idea of manifesting your future. That there was this way of writing out your goals on a board and just simply seeing the goals every day. And that this would lead you to achieving these goals.

The goals had to reflect my morals and values. The goals had to fit what fulfills me. The goals needed to be purposeful and intentional and realistic. But the goals could be anything. So I went out to the store, bought a white board and wrote down my goals for life and for the year.

Below are the examples. One is my life goal board. The other is the 2021 board I created at the beginning of 2021.

Now...

If you asked me at the beginning of the year what the odds of completing my 2021 goal board were, I would have told you something like"its going to be an uphill climb for sure"

It's March now... right?

Heres the wild part... And no, I am not meaning to toot my own horn... This is how its just turned out....

I already have to update my 2021 board with new goals. Ive completed over half of them.

It surprises me just how much this works. Not even kidding...

As of today, I have paid off my debt, acquired the savings I desired to have, have multiple streams of revenue, my blog has gone live, I've decided not to move for now, have made multiple smart investments and... As far as how my life goal board has been going.... I will post more on that in the future ;)

Also, God is circled around everything. For me, this has been crucial.

But, going back to Goals.

Is it the Goal we are going after or is the Goal that comes after us?

Here is what I mean by this... Imagine this with me for a minute.

You have your goal. Think of it. Whatever that goal is, where is it? What will it take for you to get there? What changes do you need to do to get there? How long will it take you to get there?

Ok...

So you've put all that thought into that goal, right?

Have you reached the goal, now?

No?

Here's why...

You didn't do anything but think about it!

You envisioned the plans, steps, pathways, timelines of that goal... But the thought isn't making that goal happen.

Its your action right now that makes the goal happen.

This is the second (or really first) crucial part of reaching your goal.

Step by step, inch by inch, day by day, month by month, year by year... You head towards that goal. You get yourself closer to the goal.

You get You closer to Your goal. The goal comes to You as You go toward It.

You have to make it happen. And You can.

Make sense?

Think about this.

When was the last time you took a puzzle box, emptied the contents of the box onto the table and the puzzle was completely solved?

Umm, unless you have a magic puzzle that completes itself, the answer to this would be never.

So what do you do with the puzzle pieces?

Maybe you start looking for the edge pieces. And create the frame. And once you have the frame, you begin filling in the missing pieces in the center... The more pieces the puzzle is, the longer it takes... but isn't it so much more rewarding completing those harder puzzles?

You think about how it once looked like a huge mess on your table.. and now here you are... a big, beautiful picture. And you solved it. You dedicated your time and focus towards it. You now attempt to slide the whole thing onto cardboard in attempts to frame it or hang it up... until you drop it and it falls apart and then you go... ehh, ok... back into the box it goes. And hey... sometimes that’s how life just is, right!?

And then onto the next puzzle to solve.

Anyways...

Thats how setting goals works. You have the photo in your mind and know what you're trying to create, but its the simple steps you take to get there that make the goal happen.

This is why so many people get frustrated and give up on their goals so fast. You cant give up when things don't go the way you want them to go. In fact, i'd argue that things are going just the way they are meant to go... You're just on one big ride called life.

Let the goal be the address you enter into the GPS.... But along the route, you'll be re-directed. Those redirections feel like you're moving away from your goal... but in reality you are still moving towards it.

And you might even find some quicker detours along the way that get you closer to it.

My rule of thumb is... If it fits my morals, values and doesn't harm me, I will consider all options on achieving my goals. So... You'll end up finding yourself getting pretty creative.

The goal board is the daily reminder of where you're heading.

I highly suggest giving it a shot! You will surprise yourself. I know I sure surprised myself...

God bless - I wish you a happy, healthy and productive week, full of joy and fullness.

Thanks for reading! Till next week -

Dan