My last post was about goal attainment and the obstacle of focusing on outcome instead of process. Another obstacle to achieving our goals is not accepting where we are starting from. A lot of my clients have a long way to go. And that can be hard to accept. They want to believe they are much closer to their goals than is true.
If your goal is to get to New York, it’s important to know whether you’re traveling from Connecticut or California.
If you want a beautifully organized, well-functioning work space and you’re starting with 10 years of accumulated clutter, it’s going to take longer. You will have more steps to go through than the person who does a regular de-cluttering every 6 months.
And if you want to be able to wake up every day and feel confident that you will spend your time wisely, it will take you longer to get there if you’re not currently in the habit of using a calendar and planning your time.
I think one of the reasons we are resistant to starting where we are, is because we are afraid of the journey. We imagine pure drudgery and anguish all along the way. The reality is often quite different.
Think about a goal you attained that took you awhile. Maybe it was graduating from college, learning to play an instrument, losing weight, or creating a garden. Although there may well have been arduous steps along the way, I hope that you weren’t completely miserable during the whole journey!
Most likely, you had many small successes that felt great and helped keep you motivated. You probably also continued on with other enjoyable parts of your life that offered welcome distractions.
As you learned and worked toward your goal, you may have learned other interesting bits of information. You may have made new friends, sparked new creative pursuits. And look at the person you became, once you finally did achieve your goal! You have a rich history that will be yours forever.
Embrace where you are, and get going to where you want to be!