This is going to sound funny, but I sort of forgot the day, yesterday, so here I am, doing a post on Thurday to make up.
I mean, it just won't do to just keep skipping posts...
Pictures are still coming. I'll try to get them downloaded this weekend.
In the mean time, I thought I'd write about something that's been on my mind since Monday.
Al Diaz wrote this post about life and achieving goals.
He's so right. Setting goals is a wonderful tool, especially when you want to live your life to the full, but not when they blind you to the possibilities life offers.
As he said, we sometimes think we're against a wall. We make a plan to break through it, but when we do, we discover we're actually facing a mountain.
Most of us continue trying to break through as if it's still the wall we thought it was. Some of us aren't even digging through the right mountain.
It'll end up taking up so much time that you don't have time for anything else. To me, that's just not worth it, no matter how wonderful the goal may be.
So, if you're a goal-setter, remember to evaluate your plans for those goals every now and then. And remember to take a break from it every now and then. It's important to rest too.
Don't tell me you'll rest when you're dead. That'll just age you faster.
What about you? Have you ever come so very close to giving up, only to realize you've been going about something the wrong way?
14 comments:
I loved this TED talk by Phil Hansen called Embrace the Shake. In it he talks about finding a new way to his goals when the venue he'd chosen was taken from him and how being forced to look at new techniques opened his creativity. Very inspiring. http://www.ted.com/talks/phil_hansen_embrace_the_shake.html
This looks amazing. Will definitely check it out. Thanks for sharing!
I agree-it's definitely good to take a break here and there to recharge the ole juices. Excellent post with excellent points, Misha. Glad I stopped by!
I've done goals, but the problem is some of them are out of my control. If I say, "I want an agent by (insert date here)" I can't make it so. But I can make more realistic goals.
Thanks for the link.
I think it's important to be flexible. We should often reevaluate what we're doing and if the goals still seem valid. Having alternate plans should be part of the big plan. If we're not willing to concede when we are wrong, then we will reach more disappointments than successfully attained goals.
Lee
Wrote By Rote
I completely agree with you. There's no use comparing oneself to other writers and setting unreasonable goals. That way just leads to disappointment. Soon, writing will be such a chore, you won't want to do it. I try to enjoy life first and worry about writing and "success" second. :-)
I love TED talks! I really appreciate this post at this point in my life. One of my favorite sayings is "Life is what happens when you're busy planning something else." I feel that is exactly where I am right now. And, about that mountain behind the wall, part of learning, I feel, is about being able to decide if the mountain is worth climbing and if we try and fail, at least we've tried. As for climbing the wrong mountain, that too, is a part of the learning experience. I hope I keep trying because that will mean I continue to learn.
I love learning but the internet is information overload and sometimes it gets frustrating. I don't think I'm alone.
Lovely post. I'm a firm believer in goals because they help to keep me focused, but I'm also a realist. My writing goals must never take priority over the people in my life. Neil Gaiman said we should remember to enjoy the journey.
"but not when they blind you to the possibilities life offers."
Love this!
I'm a "sort of" goal setter. Meaning my goals are very flexible. That works for me because my health is very, how could I say, uncertain, and even simple things can become a challenge (and thus need goal setting).
Great post for those of us who are of Very Little Brain, and who are bothered by long words.
Blessings and Bear hugs!
Bears Noting, Life in the Urban Forest (poetry).
Great reminder! For me, it's so easy to get caught up in writing/publishing/etc. that the emotions of it cloud too many other aspects of my life. So I'm learning that I can't be cranky to my husband and kids just because I got a rejection in the mail or my sales numbers aren't what I want them to be.
Not sure if I am going about things the wrong way. I am busy blogging trying to get my presence in place. I have to find time to work on my novel too. :) I am going to be setting goals for this summer. My daughter is out of school. I agree with you though. We are all busy and we all need to rest and take time to smell the flowers, coffee or whatever we enjoy.
That reminds me to make some goals.
Great post with excellent points, Misha!
Nas
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