Running a business, raising a family, and other endeavors in life require setting goals. I’ve always looked at goals and how to achieve them as a sort of map of life. Maybe it’s my social studies background but I love the idea of a destination with multiple ways to get there.
Different people achieve their goals in different ways. Some have a direct route, no fuss, no muss. Others may encounter a detour along the way. They may take a wrong turn here or there but as long as they keep moving forward in the right direction, they get to where they are going.
Several years ago, we took a vacation up north to see our extended family. We live outside of Raleigh NC. My husband wanted to take a different, more scenic route. I thought it was a great idea. We get bored taking the same route over and over and it would be a nice way to see other parts of our state. About an hour or two into the trip, I asked about a map. My husband’s reply was (say it with me ladies) “I know where I’m going.” While I was aware that he knew what our destination was, I wasn’t so sure about the route he was taking. As I looked out my passenger window, I noticed the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance. Now, I am geographically challenged but even I knew that those mountains should be to the west of our car. “Shouldn’t those mountains be on the driver’s side of the car?” I asked my husband. The car got curiously quiet. We got to Elmira, NY in about twelve hours (it’s normally a 9 hour trip).
I tell this story, one because it’s funny but two, because we got to our destination. We took a little longer to get there but we learned some lessons along the way. You can do the same when setting goals for yourself:
Step 1—Take a look at where you currently are. No judgments. What have you achieved already? Make a list. Give yourself a pat on the back for your acheivements. What have you set out to do but not accomplished? Did you give up in the middle for a reason? What was it?
