It seems to be the notion of our society that goal-setters are a notch above the rest of us. They're the go-get'ers, the achievers, the driven. They're the ones who actually keep their New Year's Resolutions, the ones that stay with the diet, the ones that follow through with their exercise plans. They skip the butter with the popcorn and forgo the ice cream after dinner. They take the extra class - AND do the extra credit - all in the name of a goal. We look up to them, admire them, and possibly even envy them for their success - because we could never do that.
BUT WHY NOT??
Good Question.
At this point someone else might continue into a high-level discourse on the eternal potential of the human soul and the incredible power within all of us. The quote about the light within each of us - you know the one, "Your playing small does not serve the world" - and attributed to at least four influential people, would probably be inserted. A call would be made to burn the ships and face the future, trusting in your inner light to guide you to soaring heights.
I'm not going to say that yet.
You see, there's more to goals than rabid enthusiasm of momentary desire. Goals require more than desire - they require RESOLVE, and resolve needs commitment and clarity of purpose. There has to be a conviction to change and a direction that the conviction can be aimed. To illustrate goals, an example is frequently used of a man stranded in a boat in the middle of the ocean, with only a glimpse of land in sight. The man's goal is, obviously, to reach land. He sees it, he knows the end from the beginning. Contrast this with a man who just wants to reach land, but doesn't bother to look where it is. They both may begin with the same energy, but only one knows where exactly he will end up. President Uchtdorf, an Apostle within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, put it this way:
I have learned that the difference between happiness and misery ... often comes down to an error of only a few degrees.
Goals are hard to set because they must both reflect our ambitions and lead us in a wise direction. I'm preparing to set some goals in my own life - perhaps I'll share them on here - but before I set out the details, I need to know where I want to end up. Knowing that, I believe it is far easier to set goals that will truly make us successful. Preparation is the greater part of victory, after all.
Carpe Diem Everyone.
Now, cue the motivation:
I love your clarification between desire and resolve. It reminds me of what Alma says in his discourse on faith. The desire is in planting the seed, it's the beginning. However, if we simply focus all of our efforts on desire, then we find that it fizzles out. We need to have the resolve to cultivate and fertilize it. Which takes a lot of effort! Sometimes, I find that I unnecessarily worry that effort means that something is not meant to be. Which is ridiculous, because as the late Mr. Romney says, "the pursuit of the difficult makes men strong."
ReplyDeleteThank you for your insights, it was exactly what I needed today!