Giving Up Goals

I am giving up on goals. You read that right. I will not be focused on making them and attaining them. You may be wondering why I preach learning and success and yet, I plan to give up on prioritizing goals. I am not crazy and am not giving up on success. I am focused on action over achievement!

Rather than creating long or short-term goals which, let’s be honest, I WILL crush, I will be focused on action. For example, think of a goal you had. Remember reaching it? How did you feel? No doubt you were so proud. Maybe you received accolades from friends and family. Now, think about how you felt following that high. Many times our goals are lifelong. If we make a goal to lose 50 pounds, then we achieve it, we may set another goal or that may be our final goal weight. Then what? Maintaining that goal is often harder than achieving it. Many times, people go back to old habits with no motivation to maintain them.

So what can you do? Live your life goallessly? Wait for miracles? No and No.

Live for action. Make each and every choice forever based on your identity over your goal. If you want to be a healthy person, you do not need to make a goal to lose 50 pounds. You can approach each meal as a healthy person would. Live each day as a healthy person would. Approach activity options as a healthy person would. If you are focused on living as a healthy person would, you will eat smarter, be more active, and be focused on healthy living. There may not be a big goal achievement as you are accustomed to the celebration but you will achieve and maintain better.

Set your identity and live it each day. Then ask yourself the questions and make the choices.

How would an emotionally available mom react?
What does a lifelong learner do each day?
What does a healthy person eat?
What does an author do?
How do healed people respond?

Eventually, you become what you set. So, what is your identity?

Are you a reader, an activist, an informed voter, a writer, a photographer, a teacher, an entrepreneur, or an animal activist……who are you, and what do you stand for?