Is Your Goal What You Really Want to Do?
People have been coming to me for years when they’ve been stuck, spinning their wheels and getting nowhere in some chosen objective they say is important to them. The focus differs from time to time, from person to person. It might be about work or career, a friendship, a love relationship, pursuing a new skill they thought would enhance their talent, improving their performance in sports, in art or music. It’s something they’ve set as a goal, that they believe is important, at least they used to think it was. But now they can’t muster the energy they need to get on track. They feel guilty, confused and disappointed in themselves for dropping the ball. It’s as if the life gets sucked out of them as soon as they start thinking about it, let alone work on it. They need energy, a renewed sense of enthusiasm and excitement in order to move forward.
“Doc, I’m so discouraged. I came to you for inspiration.”
But what does it mean to be inspired?
- “The process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially something creative.” Source: Oxforddictionaries.com
- “A feeling of enthusiasm you get from someone or something, which gives you new and creative ideas.” Source: Collinsdictionary.com
- “The excitement of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity.” Source: Thefreedictionary.com
I particularly like this one.
Inspire - to be filled with the urge or ability to do or feel something, especially to do something creative. "His passion for romantic literature inspired him to begin writing"
The derivation of the word inspire is ‘to breathe.’ When we feel inspired, we experience the benefits of inhaling oxygen. We come alive with the breath of fresh air that feeds our cells and systems, that enlivens and energizes.
We take breathing for granted, but it has many benefits including those we experience as motivating and energizing.
Breathing . . .
Stimulates brain activity and increases memory
Boosts concentration and enhances alertness
Raises energy levels while it improves strength and builds endurance
Detoxes your blood
Reduces stress and calms anxiety and physical symptoms of tension
Enhances cardiovascular activity as well as strengthening the immune system
Without air and oxygen, without inspiration we feel flat, deflated, unable to move. Picture a hot air balloon that’s lost it’s source of inflation. It begins to fall to the ground instead of gracefully navigating the air currents, riding the wind. When we’re infused with breath, we feel rejuvenated, full of energy, light, ready to take on the world and our goals with excitement and enthusiasm.
Is the goal you say you want to achieve inspiring?
You might start by asking yourself these questions.
Why do I want to do it?
Is this something I really want to do or think I SHOULD do?
Is this something other people think I should do?
How do I feel when working towards accomplishing it?
Is it more exciting or more like dread?
What’s the goal behind the goal?
Would I rather be working towards something else? Why?
To achieve anything of importance, we need to feel inspired to take action.
In this series, we’ll be talking about how to identify your real goals and how to harness the inspiration to get there.
I’ll show you why inspiration is critical, where to find it and how to use it to ignite your dedication and commitment to dramatically change your life.
To your success!
Doc Sharon