Do I HAVE To?: Reevaluating Your Goals

I had a lot on my plate today. 

I am also sick.

Something has to give. Right? 

I had three goals that I wanted to meet today, as well as 7 Acts = Great Day and when I went to my journal today I said: NOPE.

It wasn't going to work for me.

I wasn't going to be able to dance when I'm coughing my head off, and my bones are aching. Wasn't going to be able to get to all the things on my list either.

Can't do this and can't do that.

Does that mean I failed? Wouldn't have a great day? Nope. I had to reevaluate what was necessary for me. I changed things, not to hide the fact that I couldn't do them, but to make them reflect my current needs. Rest rather than dancing, take a nap. Lemon and honey for my throat.

Putting me in there, because that is the reason for my journal in the first place. What is written down is to help me learn about me, to grow, to become better. Even if I'm 61, doesn't mean I'm going downhill. Not if I take charge of myself.

Of course, today's a one off. Right? I mean, one cant one can't. True.

But similarly, there are times when you are meeting your goals, but they aren't working for you. Or when you aren't meeting your goals, and you are feeling you are letting yourself down.

When it comes to that you have to go back to the drawing board and figure out, what is preventing you from achieving your real goal, which is not only to do XYZ but also to have that action improve your life.

First go back to the goal itself and reread why you undertook the goal.

Is that goal still important to you? If not, chuck it. Maybe you once wanted to learn Italian but the reason for learning Italian no longer exists. There is no reason to feel guilty, just okay, not necessary now.

If it is still important to you, then recheck the reason for the goal. Have you been specific enough about the reason for your goal? A loosely written goal will result in loose adherence to the steps you need to get there. "Exercise lowers your chances of getting Alzheimer's Disease" is a better reason for dancing daily than "I want to be healthier."  

Next, check to see if the goals you stated are reasonable. If you set a goal of dancing for ten minutes, yet you can't keep that up, then you need to lower the goal. And if ten minutes goes by quickly, then you need to up your time. 

Perhaps it is neither of those. Perhaps you need to find a better time, a better method or a better place to achieve your daily goal. Perhaps you need outside help, an app, a friend, a mentor, a teacher.

Use your journal to ask yourself these questions. You can express disappointment in yourself, and if you are feeling disappointed or angry let those feelings out. Don't stay there. Move on to ask yourself, "Why isn't this working for me?"

You may even want to put it like this, "Why isn't this working for you (your name)" and then answer the questions.