Do you really want that, or do you just think you SHOULD want it?
Choice is a double-edged sword.
On the one hand, knowing you have options to choose from creates a sense of personal power and calm. On the other, the sheer number of options and opportunities facing you can easily lead to you feeling overwhelmed.
I’ve come to notice there’s yet another challenge inherent in making good choices: knowing for sure that those choices reflect your true wishes rather than another’s expectation of or wish for you. In other words, you get to figure out whether you really want that goal you’re working toward, or if you’re doing it to make other people think well of you.
If we’re honest, almost all of us will acknowledge our desire to be admired and encouraged by those around us. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, unless we sacrifice our heartfelt wishes in order to achieve that admiration.
Does your To Do list address your dreams?
Think you might have inadvertently gotten sucked in to pursuing other people’s important goals instead of your own? Here are some clues that your dreams may have gotten highjacked.
- When you think of the goal, do you feel apathetic, maybe even burdened, rather than excited?
- When you talk about it, are your voice and demeanor subdued?
- Do you fumble when you try to explain how achievement of that goal will make you feel wonderfully fulfilled?
- Do you realize that none of your reasons for aspiring to that goal have anything to do with your emotions?
- Does that goal conflict with one or more of your core values?
If you found yourself answering “yes” to any of those questions, it may be time to get away from your daily grind and reflect on the goals that matter to you. We’ll explore how to do that in the next post.
(Thanks to nicksarebi for posting the signpost image in the Creative Commons section of Flickr.)
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