My thoughts this morning are about getting clear on my goals, I don’t mean the day to day, month to month, “pay off this, go do that” type goals… I mean life goals, the goals that give one purpose lead by a vision, no pressure right? But.. I suppose sometimes we need to turn up the heat on ourselves so our true flavors can start to come out and mingle with the spices we call life. But how do I do this, this “getting clear”? Are we either clear or not clear? And, if we are not clear how do we get clear? I think goal-setting, like focus and self-discipline (2 skills needed to attain a goal by the way) are seldom actually taught but are instead the by-product of activity and learned through trial and error. Some learn it, some don’t, I guess that’s the fact on all aspects of life. So back to my question, how do I figure out my life goals? What are the tools to implement to help me figure out the direction I am moving in? To be honest every time I come to this question I give it a good ponder and then I find a reason to move on. Frankly, its an uncomfortable space, and its more comfortable to get busy with whatever form of distraction is accessible, moving my body or numbing my mind. 

I’ve read a good place to start with this is by setting “end goals”, not the fluff of life along the way but what the actual outcome is. My end goals are: 1) Travel, 2) Help People, 3) Be in Service, 4) Financial Freedom. I know my end goals, the problem for me is not not knowing those. The problem for me is that while travel and financial freedom have some clear steps involved, helping people and being in service are somewhat vague big picture concepts. Truth be told these are things that can be done on every level, through even the smallest acts of kindness, understanding, and acceptance.. I know this and I try to show up in my life in this way daily although admittedly some days are better than others. My big question then is how can I help people and be in service in a way that leads to traveling the world and financial freedom. This is where I get stumped. How can I narrow the field of possibilities to apply laser focus on building these end goals in harmony? Because truth be told these goals can be done, possibly even easily done, in disharmony, trading or compromising an aspect of life for one or the other. How then do I measure out my skill set, my natural gifts, my values, my ethics, the sacrifices I’m willing to make? And how do I match those with vision and purpose that leads to my end goals? 

For me I think the beginning of the end on this complex question might start by first defining what my end goals actually mean to me. What are there inherent values to me and what is my why in having these values? 

For example, what is financial freedom (to me)? Is it having a certain amount of money in the bank? Is it living my life in a particular way? Is it simply that my income exceeds my bills and I am debt free? 

What are my terms around travel that keep it from turning into a chore? How do I define travel? If I travel for work will I eventually become burned out? Is there a way to travel for work that is sustainable? Is travel something that is best to keep as a pleasure and leisure activity?

How do I want to help people? What are my terms and values surrounding helping others? What am I willing and unwilling to do? How do I balance helping others without loosing sight of my own needs?   

And lastly, being in service, what does this even mean to me? How do I define this? How are my values reflected in this idea and why are they important to me? Why do I want to be “in service” what is my why? When does being in service become unsustainable? 

What are the skills I need to nurture or attain to lead me on this path? What are my personal values? And, why do I have these values? Do they still reflect me, my wants in life, my needs? What do they mean? What are the problems and sacrifices I am willing to face and unwilling to face? 

This, I think is a good starting point. Asking the hard questions but better yet is answering them with honesty and abandon. I sense a freedom of the soul is possible by becoming clear in who we are, what we personally value and identifying our own “Why”.

How can you implement some of these musings into your big picture and purpose? What are the questions that will help you define the next step on your path to fulfillment?