It’s not just about achieving your goal. Who do you want to become when you do?
Picture this: your New Years resolution in 2021 was to start doing yoga three times each week. The world is in the middle of a pandemic, people are getting sick and dying, and you’re stressed and want relief. But also, you want to make your health a priority.
And so you begin. At first, you start practicing with a yoga instructor on YouTube. But six months in, you’re vaccinated, wearing your mask, and you start practicing yoga at a local studio. Rain or shine, you get up early to take the 7AM class. You never miss a class.
Nine months in, you’re 15 pounds down, have made new friends, and are no longer taking introductory classes but have progressed to the mid-level classes. You’ve started to journal, meditate regularly, and find that you’re more focused, rest better at night, and in general are in a better mood.
One year flies by, and you feel like an entirely new person. You feel like you accomplished your goal, yes, but you know that you’re just at the beginning of your journey. But you feel ready, right, because you KNOW you can do it. You willingly take on new challenges because you remember your success with yoga, and you know the tools you needed to master sun salutations will serve you well, no matter where you go. Your consistency, dedication, and persistence have brought you here. You’re ready.
Simply achieving the goal that you set will not provide the transformation that you need. ”Wait, James, I thought everything begins and ends with setting and achieving goals.” There may be “SOME” truth to that statement but it is not the whole truth. Goal setting and achieving your goals are a means to an end. The end is the person that you are transformed into during the pursuit of your goal.
Achieving a goal happens at an instance in time, and once you move forward, that goal is in the past. BUT there is one thing that that goes with you into the future and that is the most important thing – The Transformation from the person you were into the person that you have become while pursuing your goal. The Transformation – mentally, physically, and spiritually – is what stays with you and prepares you for the future.
On one of the recent episodes of Engineer Your Success, I discussed the importance of being consistent when pursuing goals with Billy Keels. The transformation that you will undergo is the reason to be consistent; I would argue that this is MORE important than accomplishing the goal itself. The journey that you will go through makes the difference.
It is never too late to start becoming the person that you want to be. I am here to help – reach out to me if you have questions.