“Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.”
Mahatma Gandhi.
It’s the last week of winter, and it’s been three months since my last post! Now that the finality of the new year is over and we are moving into spring, it seems a fitting time to consider a softer approach to achieving our goals; one that is not focused on achieving at all but on being.
I mentioned in my previous post that I had made the switch from following a ‘to do’ list to a ‘to be’ list – this could look something like the list below:
You’ll notice above that I’ve taken it one-step further to look at what really matters and the reasons behind our choices, and I encourage you to do the same. Have a read of my other posts in Vision and Values if you are interested in this idea – it’s a running theme in my posts!
There are several reasons why this approach can be helpful…
- Doing is busy. Being is calm. Being takes the pressure off and allows us to slow down or stop altogether.
- Knowing what matters. Switching from ‘doing’ to ‘being’ helps us to see the motivations behind our goals, and to get in touch with what really matters. This puts us in a position to choose, moment by moment, whether to act in line with those values or not.
- Being mindful. We become focused on the process instead of the outcome; we can be mindful and live in the moment. By doing this, the end goal will often take care of itself.
- Letting go. Being allows us to let go of the outcome. Energy spent on attempting to control outcomes in life is so often energy wasted. It can be infinitely more valuable to direct your precious energy into areas within your control – doing the best you can and, as the saying goes, whatever will be will be.
- Embracing possibility. ‘To be’ goals are limitless. Because we are not trying to get to an end-point, we open ourselves up to much broader possibilities of who we might become.
- Instant attainment. A ‘to be’ list allows you to think like the person you want to become and more importantly, to be that person instantly, in that moment. If you are writing, you are being a writer. This allows for a much more positive focus – one that focuses on possibilities rather than encouraging you to focus on the distance between you and your goal.
- Alignment. Choosing ‘to be’ carries with it a self-image that can guide our choices and brings us into instant alignment with our values. In any moment, regardless of what choices you have made before or will make again, you have the option of living your truth. And just as Gandhi’s quote above suggests, when we are in alignment, happiness may well follow…