We all have our own plans, thoughts, ideas about things we want to accomplish in our life. As we continue on this adventure, and start getting into thoughts of goal planning for next time, I think it would be important to begin with a little different perspective on how to go about coming up with your goals. We all need motivation to help convince ourselves to keep trying, and what that spark would be that will get us going to take on new things, new adventures, new plans for our life. Maybe we need to consider it a different way. Maybe we need to take ourselves out of the equation when deciding on our goals. Maybe, it’s not about us, as individuals. Maybe we need to think of others, and what we can do to help somebody else out. Or, if we take care of ourselves, how will that impact other people in our lives who care about us. As individuals, we all have unique traits and qualities that somebody can learn and benefit by. By focusing on things this way, maybe that in and of itself will be something that would actually motivate us as individuals.
The picture posted at the beginning is one of my training partners Steve, and I, as we are about to cross the finish line at the Disney marathon…Steve’s first. That was a goal he had…to run and finish a marathon. I have talked on Steve before and his health issues he underwent to be able to get to that point. My goal then was not to run a personal best in the marathon for me. My goal was to do whatever I could to help Steve get to the finish line and achieve his goal. It was not about me…this time, my goal was about him. I look back on this picture often. The emotion of Steve’s face as we are nearing the finish line says it all. Everything he had gone through to be able to get to that point, the health scare, the work, the dedication, the discipline…to cross that finish line! That was also my reward. It was all worth it to me as well. The journey we went through to get to that point. There is no better feeling of accomplishment for me than knowing I helped him achieve his goal. It was not about me…this journey was about him…and I got to play a part in it!
Find that purpose in your life where you can make a difference on somebody else’s life. What is that purpose? What is it for each of us as individuals? Each one of us has to answer that. But, it you can keep some of the major underlying reasons for achieving your goals not be about you, but about someone else in your life, you will be more happy and successful that you could imagine. For each of us, we focused on our health, but the main reason we even made that a priority was our own individual families.
Steve and I are each missing one member of our families in this picture…Molly, my daughter, and Jeff, his son. Otherwise this is the rest of our families. This is the reason we want to take care of our health. This is the reason we want to be around…to spend time with them, and for them to spend time with us. It is about them! The journey along the way is just the benefit we get in the process.
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What is that journey for you? And when you do decide to go for it, where will it take you? I am going to post next on actual goal setting, and how to “go”al for it! Keep this concept in mind that “it is not about us”. Make it about somebody else, whether friend, family…God…whatever it may be. When you do things for somebody or something else, it can be even more rewarding! The thing that helped motivate me in this way was reading the book by Rick Warren…”The Purpose Driven”. This is what he talks about as well. If you have never read, do it!
That journey can truly be a success, not just a destination. A success that keeps on going, and keeps on benefiting you. That is how it can be for you! Enjoy the journey! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3236
