The Weight Of Unchecked Goals
An article occasionally appears in my inbox with a title that reads something like, “What My 50 Year-Old Self Would Tell My 20 Year-Old Self.”
It is not so much that I completely dismiss this kind of article but the premise suggests that if I had only gained more wisdom and life experience in my 20s, I could have made fewer mistakes, accomplished more, and been better off today.
This past week, I started to reflect upon what I would have liked to have known or which skills I wished I had developed before the coronavirus spread so quickly.
And then it hits me…
Why am I asking myself these questions as if the better version of myself to which I aspire today is based on the same better version of myself to which I had aspired a few months ago? Perhaps a few years ago? Maybe even a few decades ago?
To what am I not letting go?
The “best image” of ourselves — particularly the image of achieving more and ascending faster — often clings to us with little regard for how long it has been in place or relative to the conditions of the outside world.
This image desires only one conclusion — to be accomplished.
This is not to question and consider what we want. By all means, define what constitutes comfort, safety, connection, growth, and satisfaction.
This is about to what are we hanging on. More specifically, the kind of hanging on that resists the forces of universal change happening around us and the effect these forces have on the value of what is truly important.
If our goals influence our thoughts, feelings, actions, and ultimately, our identities, choose wisely. And revisit frequently.
An unchecked goal is a heavy anchor to drag around in a rapidly changing world that values traveling light with agility and adaptability.
With gratitude,
-Joe
Connect with Joe:
5 With Joe Performance Coaching
I coach established and experienced professionals, who feel stuck in place, to thrive in transition and bring focus to what matters most without compromising their lives.
I position my experiences winning an Olympic Gold Medal, serving as CEO of a national sports organization, and my current “Simple, Slower, and Less” lifestyle in the Catalan Pyrenees to form accountable and transformative collaborations that see my clients create their next and most impactful chapter.
