Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Goals for Focus and Motivation

Some people live life day by day. They just go with the flow of time and never consider the long-term implications of the decisions they make in the moment. It sounds very existential, very Jimmy Buffett-ish, but it seldom ends well. Without some sense of direction there is almost always the proverbial cliff that such a person ends up flying off of, or the wall into which they slam.


I'm not that kind of person. While I can occasionally hit the pause button in my commitment to moving toward a clearly defined goal, and I can just take a mental (if not actual) vacation from my A-Type personality, the truth is that I am by nature a goal oriented individual.


When I was in the 7th and 8th grades I had goals for my high school experience. I wanted to be the first person to get my picture up twice in the school sports' hall of fame; I wanted to be voted most athletic in my senior class, I wanted to be voted outstanding senior athlete of the year in the school; and I wanted to be the captain of the football team. Those were my goals and I was committed to them. How did it turn out? Well, I did not get voted captain of the football team (though I was captain of the wrestling and track teams), and I did not get my picture up twice in the hall of fame (I only got it up once for being the state runner-up in wrestling). However, I was voted most athletic and I did win the trophy for outstanding senior athlete of the year in our county. The point is that without any goals, I probably would not have experienced the achievements that I did.

To this day I have goals that I am pursuing. At the age of 50 my goals include my desire to finish well, and to enter into retirement debt-free. To achieve that objective I am formulating action steps that will take me step by step toward that goal. It requires commitment and focus and accountability. This is where the coach is so important, namely, accountability. It is easy to deviate from our goals and end up far from where we intended to be if we are not accountable for steps we take along the way. The coach provides support, encouragement, and accountability.

2 comments:

  1. Whether you're working with a Coach or thinking about it, here are a few reflective pointers I think are relevant to the discussion. For many of course what I'm advocating may well be the norm. life coaches

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  2. It has always been a very important factor to succeed in various steps of life, to have focus and motivation towards the goals to achieve.. It is very hard to remain motivated while you face a lot of troubles in between. The best thing to do is to find a good Career coach and look for the help, and then follow on the steps you are told to follow.

    career coaching boston

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