Goals? Now? Seriously, what's the point?!

Now more than ever, if feels pertinent within my own body-mind to have at least one goal. And I feel so many could benefit from this too.

It's always our choice with how we want to move through this world.

When the pandemic hit, I chose to use it as a time to evolve and grow. 

There were teachers I wanted to study with. There were trainings I wanted to take and explore. I wanted to kick up to handstand with more ease and without a wall.

So that's what I chose. 

I took a Yoga Nidra training with a teacher that I wanted to study that particular topic with and because of the pandemic, he took his training online and I was able to participate in it.

I had time to take the ANIMAL FLOW training I've been wanting to take for over 2 years and due to the pandemic, they also brought their training online.

Both trainings were amazing! And I was so thankful that I was able to take part in them. I would not have had that opportunity as easily if it weren't for what was going on in the world at that time.

I also hired a handstand coach and had a ton of fun (well, not always a ton of fun - it was a lot of work too, lol) exploring handstands and feeling more ease in them. Can I kick up and balance in the middle of the room without a wall? Not yet, but maybe one day. But I feel much more ease in that pose. :)

Getting back to the subject of goals

If we do not know what we want, how do you know what to do?

I see goals as subsets underneath the main reason I'm here on this earth (maybe we'll chat about that topic another time). 

So since I'm here on this earth for the time being, I want to enjoy and explore and experience certain things - let's call those the three E's.

But there is one caveat before I go further. Yes, it feels good to complete and reach our goals. However, we also need to remind ourselves not to 'get attached to' or 'identify with' those goals.

Here's what I mean and I'll use myself as an example:

My goal when I hired a Handstand Coach was to kick up in the middle of the room.

If I was attached to that outcome or had any identity wrapped up in that outcome, then when I did not reach that outcome (which I didn't), my ego would've had a field day!

It probably would've rattled off senseless, ridiculous thoughts such as:

See, I knew you couldn't do it!

You're a failure!

Give up the handstanding-in-the-middle-of-the-room dream chump!

But the thing is I wasn't attached to the outcome. Did I set that goal? Yes. Am I any less of a human being because I did not reach it? No. Did I gain strength and confidence when going upside down, inspire others (hopefully), and have a truly insightful experience? Yes.

And for me, the journey toward that goal ended up being so much more.

So that is the biggest freshest tip I can give you of the 5 Fresh Tips For Successful Goal Setting!

Ok, now on to those 5 Fresh Tips:

1. Actually write your goal down! Ok, this one may not be fresh, as you may have heard this one a trillion times. However, those with the highest success rates who actually achieve their goals are those who write their goals down daily and review them daily. Takes all of 15 seconds or less.
2. You're goal gives you a ZING within! Ok, what's a zing? I'll tell you. It's that flutter of excitement when you think about moving toward and achieving that goal. Yeah, a ZING!
3. You can feel/see your progress! When you set a goal, you'll want to be able to track it. For example, if you write a goal down to meditate 5 minutes every single day for 30 days, you can have a calendar (or habit tracker) to mark off every day you practice that action. You will see your progress (the tracker) and feel it too (the benefits of meditating).
4. Give yourself some wiggle room! If you're reading this right now, that means you're in a body and that means you are alive and that means you are going to experience life's ups and downs. Give yourself what I call a S.A.M. -- a Start Again Moment. In my example above, if you missed a day, or 2 or heck even a whole week of meditating, allow that to be your wiggle room. Give yourself a S.A.M. and get right back on track.
5. Be unattached to the outcome! (Also known as Aparigraha - 1 of the 5 yamas in the 8 Limbs of Yoga). As I spoke about above, this is the biggest freshest tip of them all! Know that you are so much more than the outcome of your goal. 

Let your goal setting and journey toward your goal be filled with curiosity and compassion. You just may discover and end up with much more than you ever could have imagined, even when not achieving the goal you set out to achieve. The actual journey may be so much more interesting!

What's your goal?

If you'd like to discover your goal or deepest heart's longing, and want some help with the goal setting and taking action, check out the free gift below I created for you. 

Here's to having more of the three E's:

Enjoyment ~ Exploration ~ Experiences

big love,

gina

💜💫