Goal Setting... Part 1

Very few people I've met are 100% happy with where they are in life.

Many want to change their circumstances or where they are in life. Often even contented people have aspirations, desires and things they want to achieve next.

The desire for change is ubiquitous.

When you get to the point where you chose to make a meaningful change in your life, or you have to make a big decision, many people draw on their friends and family for advice and guidance.

Now this is only natural. We are social creatures and bouncing ideas off a group of trusted people is often a good place to start. However there is a school of thought that says the bigger the decision around where you want your life to go, the more you should listen to yourself and not others....

Do they really know you? Think about it, how much do even our closest friends and family know about what we think or feel at any given time? We often present ourselves differently to family than we do to friends, even to different groups of friends. The people around us only see aspects of our personality, they don't know how we think or feel, they do not share in our dreams or fears.

Their advice would be coloured by what they think they know about us and by what hey think is in our best interest. This advice might be spot on but then it might be biased.

The only person that truly knows you - is you!

The other side to this argument is accountability.

If you take advice from others when deciding on which path to take from a cross roads you always have someone else to blame if it turns out to be the wrong choice.

For the big decisions it has to be your choice because you are going to live with the consequences - you need to be 100% accountable for the direction you chose.

So down to the crux of the matter - how do you chose the best direction for you?

There is a technique that has been used throughout human history which can be of great help in developing a clear picture of where you want to be in life. That technique is meditation.

Now meditation comes with all kinds of social preconceptions and the thought of shutting yourself away from everything for an hour with nothing but yourself is just plain stupid to a lot of people. I know that's what I used to think. But for really discovering where you want your life to go and really focussing on what is important to you - there is nothing better in my opinion.

How To Meditate

• Find a place where there are no distractions, free from interruptions and importantly where you feel comfortable 
• Switch your mobile off! 
• Sit with your back straight with your hands resting naturally in your lap. If you lie down or slouch there's the risk that you'll just drift off to sleep 
• Close your eyes 
• Breathe deep with an even natural rhythm 
• Focus on your breathing 

Now some people just meditate as part of their daily routine or for fun ;)
But we're here to get some direction to our lives - right?

So once you've got into a relaxed state let your mind drift away from your breathing and onto some questions about your life:-

• What do you like doing? 
• What made you most proud of yourself during your entire life? 
• What is it that you always wanted to do and you never found the time? 
• What period of my life do I like most? 
• What period of my life do I like least? 
• What is it more important for you, you family life or your career? 
• How much do you depend on others?

Now many of these questions are similar to those covered in an earlier post. In that post we were exploring the concious minds view and applying a very analytical technique.

However during meditation we are trying to uncover more of the unconscious view. You should let your mind meander on these topics but try and keep focussed on how you would like to see yourself in the future.  

Take however long you need and once you have finished spend some time writing down the results.

From this exercise we will then look at setting some goals.

Peace 

G