From Dad
Man is a goal seeking animal. His life only has meaning if he is reaching out and striving for is goals. Aristotle
(I stole the idea for the quote from Aunt Elizabeth.)
Aristotle is dead on. As humans we need to constantly be in the process of attaining something. It doesn’t have to be material, but we are a species that likes moving forward, attaining our goals. The problem is that we don’t always attain our goals. This leads to a dispiriting, self sustaining cycle of let downs and self doubt.
Sound familiar?
I don’t have the market cornered on goal attainment, but I do have a pretty good idea how to deal with it when you fall short.
When I play tennis I know I am going to win. Confidence. My goal is to beat my opponent. Within one or two points I know my chances. As the match progresses my goals shift depending on the circumstances.
Is this a cop out? Nope.
Realizing that a goal is unattainable isn’t giving up, but far from it. If you adjust your goal in the pursuit you still come out ahead.
When I find myself in the position of knowing my goal of winning the match is unattainable, I switch to a goal of winning a game or a point.
Yep, it is sneaky since it creates a chain of winning. Winning in your goal and winning in life. The value of creating these chains cannot be understated as it changes your whole outlook on life.
