The Process
It wouldn’t be a September post without acknowledging the innate energy that comes along with this month. Taking the memories of your accomplishments over the last year, dreams for your future, and moshing them together into one giant soup of productivity. The Harvest. The Gathering of Goals. Examining of Details. Organizing the moments that add up to be your life.
The process isn’t sexy. There is no hack or shortcut. It isn’t meant to be easy. It is meant to bring forth clarity. I will distill the essence of what it is and since September babies love lists…..here it is.
(1) High Hard Goals – Why you are here. What are you meant to do or be in this life? Figure it out and write it down.
(2) Attainable Goals – The things you need to do to help you achieve your high hard goals. Broken down into small achievable things.
(3) Actionable Goals – Small tasks you do daily or weekly in service to your attainable goals.
Then you put your action items on a list and you do it. No negotiations with yourself. You just execute. Sounds tough? You bet. 99% of all people don’t or won’t do this. They won’t take the time to write things out. Break it down step by step. They won’t execute their actionable goals consistently. They also live a life unfulfilled.
My high hard goals? They have never changed. My interests have been with me and in me since I can remember. (1) Preserve and protect life where you can and alleviate suffering where you can’t (2) Explore the boundaries of human potential by optimizing states and flow (3) Create systems that bring order to disorder/entropy. My high hard goal of protecting animals, insects, and nature is an overarching life passion. That purpose was planted in my heart and soul and drives me. It is partially attainable through my second-tier goals – one of which was becoming a Veterinarian. Of course, I needed actionable goals (i.e. the daily grind of studying every day) to get me through reaching my degree (an attainable goal). That is how the process works. One is never done with a High Hard Goal. It is not something you cross off at the end of the day. There is always something else I can be doing and learning to be of service to the living things of this planet. I can keep setting new Attainable Goals.
High Hard Goal: Protect Life –> Attainable Goal: Become a Veterinarian –> Actionable Goals: Study daily
What drives you? What beautiful mark on this world are you supposed to leave? I suggest you borrow some September willpower and make time for harvesting your goals and you will reap the benefits of a life worth living.