GOAL SETTING - AN ESSENTIALIST APPROACH

Do you know what your long term goals for your life are? How about short term goals? Do you know how much work it will take to make those dreams a reality, and more importantly, what you will have to sacrifice to make it happen?

~Failing to plan is planning to fail~ -Alan Lakein

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!My objective for this article is to boil down the essential approach one can take to establish a goal for themselves in 3 questions/steps!

Now, first and foremost…

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!WHAT EXACTLY IS IT THAT YOU WANT MOST IN YOUR LIFE?!

Now this can be an easy question that you have already answered for yourself, or it can be the most difficult question ever imposed on you in your life.

But the question remains… Deep down under all of our daily distractions, work, friends, family, and information overload, what is it that you want? The question underneath an already never ceasing drunken monkey we call a mind is… What is it that you REALLY want?

We might have a good idea of our interest from what our inclinations tell us. Or what our natural abilities and talents tend to lead us to. But there is something deeper within that draws us to our true element and passion.

If you don’t have a clue what I mean, then I suggest you take some time to sit down and really dig deep into your mind and find what gets you excited, what gets you amped up!

Why is it you like to ride your bike every day? Why do you spend hours on social media? Paint glorious works of art? Stay up all night playing world of warcraft? Why do you sweat away in the gym, day after day, in order to feel good about yourself?

For me personally, no matter what activity I find myself involved in, I have found that I truly enjoy the feeling of competition. The feeling of winning against insurmountable odds, of solving difficult challenges, and of making myself as strong as possible in both mind and body. This is my “spirit” or “essence”, that drives all of my actions and endeavors.

Interestingly enough through MUCH trial and error, I found that it doesn’t really matter what activity, work, or skill set I use to develop these traits. As long as they allow me to express myself to the best of my ability.

Another person may find true love in helping others, to lead a great cause, to create beautiful pieces of artwork, or to wholeheartedly support their loved ones and family.

It really doesn’t matter! It just has to be your choice! And step number one is identifying this, because none of the rest of these steps will matter or make sense without that solid ground. This is the very essence that will allow us to grow and propel us forward into what we believe will make us the best version of ourselves, to forever evolve and transform.

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!HOW DO YOU PLAN ON ACHIEVING THIS GOAL?!

Now this can be a very difficult step in the process. This will level your mind and open up an endless array of possibilities and options.

I believe that there are 2 major components to this that will determine your ability to accomplish your goal.

SACRIFICE and HARD WORK

SACRIFICE: What will working on this cost you? I mean exactly how much blood must you spill to accomplish this goal, down to the last detail.

How much time must you spend to achieve this end? How much money will it take? What type of social connections do you need? What skill sets are required to make this a success?

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY... What are you willing to give up to get this goal?

If your goal is particularly lofty and dreamy, you may have to give up everything you hold dear for a CHANCE at achieving it.

And guess what? ...It may never happen, you may shoot for the moon and land among the stars. You may crash and burn hard, with less than you started.

This makes the decision of upmost importance, because you may stake everything on this one hand and come up short. But if your cause is worthy enough, wouldn’t you rather fight with everything you have than settle for a life of mediocrity and complacency?

You will fight and go down with honor, knowing damn well you did EVERYTHING you could to make your dream a reality.

OR YOU MAY JUST ACHIEVE IT!!!

How cool would that be? You will never know unless you play the game, get damn good at it, and give it your all.

Last but certainly not least…

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!WORK HARD, AND DON'T STOP WORKING, BECAUSE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!

Seriously though, every minute you are alive you are one step closer to death.

Yes... I realize how dark and morbid this sounds, but with a goal this magnificent why would you waste time doing things you could care less about?

Now stop wasting time, and just get to it!

I’ll see you on the other side, where consistency and hard work meet success.

Thanks for all you readers, I appreciate you

Feel free to comment below!

-livetorise- live a life of never ceasing ambition and success, one that you can be proud of every day of your life