This week we’re supposed to inspire readers with our unique take on goals. Oh boy. I feel like I might make people perspire as their blood pressure goes up, but inspire? That’s not easy. When I began writing, my goal was to have my novel published. One novel. One story. One main character. One goal. Hardcover, on a shelf at Barnes and Noble. When I got married, my goal was to have four kids, each shinier and more successful than the next, a home in the burbs, and a gravestone that would read, “Man, she was lucky.”
Then life happened.
So – did I give up my goals? Not for a moment. But I was able to go with the flow, adjust my expectations, alter my goals and generally live my life in some version of Twister meets Downward Dog in terms of flexibility. Doesn’t mean the shifts haven’t been painful. Surely they have. But goals change. And that’s OK. Sometimes you have to kiss them goodbye or even kick then to the curb. It’s how you manage those veers off the highway that matter.
Tell me about a goal or two of your own that you’ve said, “OK, your time is up, I’m moving on” and how did you do it?
I’ve given up a lot of goals along the way. And that’s okay. I wouldn’t have made a very good jockey (too tall), ballerina (too clumsy), opera singer (can’t sing), or actress (well, I WAS a pretty good actress — just didn’t have the requisite fire in the belly). Writing was the one constant throughout — the one thing I’ve never given up on. Do believe I’ll keep this one. 🙂
I think sometimes I have goals that when I start working towards them, I realize they’re not for me. At one point, for instance, I thought I wanted to be a copy editor. When I actually did some copyediting, I realized that I didn’t have the patience for it (though my respect for what they did increased a thousandfold)!
My goals tend to be challenges or curiosities that help maintain inspiration as well as motivation.
I’m with Eleanor — I’ve never ditched a goal because I gave up on it, but I have moved on from goals that just weren’t right, like the acting thing I mentioned on Monday, or the mystery party business. Those were things that I thought were my goals for a time, but really weren’t a good fit.
Oh — I DID just give up on my goal NOT to eat an entire flat of strawberries.
I’m rather nauseous, but OMG, fresh strawberries in season…