Category: setting goals

Okay, it's been 21 days since I suggested we each start a new habit. How did you do? Better than before we started?

Running your own business is hard work and 99%+ of the folks who do it never get rich, I'd guess, but it can be hugely rewarding in other ways.

Here's a nice inspiring little story about a 25 year old doing his own thing and doing it well.

Got something you keep vaguely intending to change? Start now.

Pick something measurable – not "be more active" but "walk an average of more steps each day of the week than I did the previous week" – and start measuring it.

They say it takes 21 days to really acquire a new habit, so let's get going. I've got mine, what's yours?

How about that, huh? Six months of daily tips! And my brain, good links, and your suggestions haven't dried up yet, so more to come.

So what's today's tip?

When you come up with a wild idea that won't really cost you any money, where you have some experience in that area and you do really like the idea, sleep on it for a few days and if you still want to do it, go for it!

It'll probably work out great and even if it doesn't, I bet you'll learn a lot from the whole project.

Don't avoid something just because you're afraid to fail or you're also being afraid to succeed.

From LifeHacker, here's a link to The 10 Commandments of Goal-Setting.

My favorite is number 9, Thou Shalt Inspect What Thy Expect:

The Shelf life of all
plans is limited.

I have written about objects that are doing "dream duty" and which therefore should be considered for discarding if the dream isn't really yours anymore. This is the purely mental version of that.

Today would be a great day to get together with someone you like and respect and talk about your dreams.

Not (necessarily) those things your brain does while you sleep, but what you've been wishing for in the past and lately.

What we're longing for and daydreaming about is very important to who we are. It informs the stories we want told about us when we're gone.

Talk with someone today about who you've wanted to become, what turned out to happen, what you're dreaming of now.

Maybe you'll also talk about how to make those new dreams real, but that's not important today. Just talk and remember and mull things over. Put some ingredients in your mental soup pot and see what it cooks up after you let it simmer for a week or two.

Here are some good tips on motivation from Life Hacker.

This bit made me smile:

To motivate himself for the marathon, for example, my friend has made
an agreement with his sister. He's writing her a check for a sizable
sum, and if he doesn't complete the race, she's going to cash the
check. Now he has a lot more at stake than health and fitness, which by
itself is normally a relatively easy thing to ignore.

Trade in some of your scepticism to keep a wild idea alive in your heart.

Me? I want to go hear the music in Bamako, Mali.

How are things going? What has changed since the beginning of the year? Are the goals you had then the ones you have now?

Take some time today to walk and think and sit and dream.

Maybe it's a good day to set or re-commit to a goal, yes?

When there's something you know you really want to do and circumstances are all lined up to support it, but it's a really big leap, ask yourself if the regret if you don't do it outweighs the risks if you do.

It's good to plan, it's good to have safety nets and it's good to keep yourself from getting over-extended in general, but sometimes it is the right time to stretch.

Don't make yourself miss out on the good, but hard stuff just because it's hard.

Go for it!