We all set ourselves goals and objectives but are you too fixated on the destination? It is easy to think that our problems will be solved once we get through a tricky week, or once we move house, once we change jobs. But this type of thinking may not be helpful:
- It puts the onus for our happiness or success on someone or something else and as a result we feel less ownership
- It assumes that when we move to that place, nothing else will have changed in our life which is hardly ever the case!
- It often assumes a rose-tinted version of that event, without a healthy dose of reality
- It doesn’t account for the fact that we may change, and we need to be self-aware to adapt our destination as we grow
Instead, I like to think of life as a journey – we do have goals or a focus, guided by our values and purpose, but we may get swept in different directions along the way. If we can live in the moment, the journey itself can be incredibly energising.
So rather than focussing on one specific moment and assuming that is the answer to all your problems, it may be helpful to gain greater self-awareness of the here and now. Here are some tips to help you achieve this:
- Be present in the moment to experience life fully
- Be aware of what you can control and influence, and let go of things that are out of your control
- Get a perspective on your current situation
- Drill down into your thoughts and feelings and understand what’s going on for you. If work is stressful, try to understand what is causing it and what tiny tweaks you can make to build your resilience
- Make time for what is important to you. When life is tough, we can neglect looking after ourselves when we need it the most
- Develop the art of improvisation. Life constantly throws weird and wonderful things at us. The more we can move in flow with this, the more we can find opportunities to learn, grow and make the most of those unexpected moments of joy
It is great to have goals and a focus but don’t worry about the different turns along the way. You might just uncover a new, unexpected and fulfilling path.
Written by Rosanna Machado, Executive Coach at alterniq inspired growth
<< Return to Insight page
