Did you realize there are important messages concealed in your goal list?
Yes, like playing Stairway to Heaven backwards reveals a secret message, a long list of goals will reveal secret themes too. It’s important to take note of these subtle feelings now so you can capitalize on this knowledge later.Although it takes only a few minutes it’s still important. The benefit of writing down the emotions connected with some of your goals could save you years of struggling if ambivalence strikes later down the road.
So pull out your goal list and take a look. Since your big list is still fresh, you will probably remember which ones brought on certain memories or feelings.
Is there a heavy sway in the number of goals focused toward:
- Money
- Expensive possessions
- Educating yourself
- Giving to others
- Any other area?
We’ll call those the power pulling goals. Draw a dot or a star next to each of these.
When you are done with the power pullers, it’s time to ask a different question. In contrast, is there an emotion of bittersweet sadness in any of your listed goals? Are you resisting examining one or two of the goals on your list for some reason? You might even feel like defending a particular goal. That defense is a signal – you need to pay attention and write it down.
Put a frowny face 
next to the ones that make you feel slightly sad, guilty or defensive.
Notice I didn’t say cross them off or erase them. You simply want to be aware of the ones that are a bit off.
You see, there can be a conflict between what you logically want and emotionally want. That’s not too far fetched is it? Did you ever want an ice-cream cone but didn’t want the potential weight that goes along with it? A common example of a goal conflict is the student who wants to be a computer engineer who goes to law school because he is from a family of lawyers.
Being pulled in two different directions with a goal will work against you.
Later in the series we’ll use these hidden messages to pinpoint which goals lead to what you really want. We’ll also peel back the layers on goals that are “false positives” in that you think you want them, but your heart hates with a passion.
- This is tip #4 of the 31 day series 101 Goal Setting Breakthroughs: A 31 Day Blog Series That Will Make 2008 Your Best Year Ever! Subscribe to my free RSS feed to get the rest of the series and never miss a tip!
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