As I sit and write this, I wonder if my short term actions are aligned. Some of them are, such as a daily writing habit and reading everyday. Some are not, like healthy eating and exercise.
Goals are something we put out in order to give us something to work for. We all have goals, even if we don’t name them. For instance, you might have a concert planned for the upcoming weekend. Call it what you want but the intention to be at the concert venue on the date and time that it starts is a goal.
It doesn’t have to be some high achieving, earth shattering intention, anything you set your mind to is a goal. In order to get to that concert, a ticket must be purchased and in order to purchase it money is required. To make money would take going to work, so getting up and going to work would be a short term action toward a long term goal.
Now it’s time to think of other long term goals. Losing weight, buying a house, moving forward in a career. Those are a little more long term than going to a concert. What is the object of your desire? It’s not going to fall in your lap out of thin air. It does take some action on your part, but it’s not major, pain inducing leaps that are needed. Small steps. For me, I am working on publishing a book, so I write ten minutes a day. If I write 500 words in the ten minutes it will take 140 days to write 70,000 words, that’s a book.
I have to get it out of my mind that the idea is going to put itself on paper instantly. The story can’t be rushed. It flows steadily into the written word. If a small ten minute action is taken daily, momentum builds until the job is complete.
I could be more consistent with writing everyday, but some days I’m not feeling it and need a break. Its only ten minutes, but if I push too hard, I might experience burnout. Taking the small actions takes patience. Patience with yourself and your own limits. Yes, we all have those too, but they can be stretched through small actions.
Your long term goal doesn’t have to be anything grand in anyone else’s eyes. Maybe your goal is to be happy. What actions are you taking to meet that objective?
G A ZUBIA 