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Everyone has goals and hopefully a plan. But how do you figure it out when your goals change? This is often the case when a person is trying to figure out how to get started on something they once said, “This is what I want and this is what I’m going to do.”
They then realize that it has been months and they haven’t made much progress. This starts a cycle of shame and mean self-talk. Then the L words start getting thrown around in your brain like “lazy” and “loser”.
But what if your lack of motivation has nothing to do with being lazy or lacking the ability to get it done? What if the problem is that you no longer want what you thought you wanted? Thoughts get magnified when months or even years have passed. Additional shame goes on that cupcake because you feel like you have wasted too much time thinking about it and getting nothing done to change it.
Are You Sure You Still Want This?
The first thing we ask clients when they are taking a long time to take action is, “Are you sure you still want this?” Then a lightning bug starts sparking up their brain as they realize…well…maybe not.
Then one of two things happens. A look of relief comes over them because they know they aren’t failing. They just don’t want that anymore. However, sometimes the look is more like that of someone who has just realized they are on the wrong road. They look a bit confused and unsure of what to do next.
It’s essential to check in with yourself to ensure you’re clear about what you want and why you want it. Goals need reviewing to ensure that you genuinely choose the direction you declared yourself to be going. There is nothing wrong with changing your mind and choosing again. We have a few ideas to help you easily figure it out when your goals change. 7 Clear and Easy Steps When You Feel Stuck In Life
Easily Figure It Out When Your Goals Change Because Your Life Changed.
If you aren’t excited, interested, or taking action steps towards your goals, your goals may have changed. But that may not be all of your doing. Your life may have changed. What you want as a single person can change once you are married. What you wanted as a college student changes once you get that new job.
What you wanted in childless bliss will definitely change once you have little versions of yourself with needs and wants. The triaging of your time will impact how your goals develop and how much you can work on them.
Maybe your finances changed, and the money isn’t available for what you had planned. Perhaps they changed for the better, and you need to think bigger now. Maybe you are now caring for aging parents. Possibly, you were responsible for your parents, and that responsibility is no longer there.
What Do I Want To Happen Next?
The question to ask yourself is “What is my life like now, and what do I want to happen next?” Get very clear on the “now” part. If things have changed, accept what that change looks like and work from what is, rather than what once was. What do you want right now, given what you have to work with, to achieve it?
The important thing is to stop blaming and shaming yourself for not moving faster or moving at all. Re-access where you are. Find that “You are here” sticker on your mall map and start dreaming again. What do you really want out of this life that you have right now? 7 Clear and Easy Steps When You Feel Stuck In Life
Easily Figure It Out When Your Goals Change Because YOU’VE Changed.
Sometimes, it’s not life that has changed. You’ve changed. There are spots in life that make us re-assess whether we want to or not. What was once important to you may no longer matter. For example, perhaps “things” were once your ultimate goal, and now you just crave experiences.
Then again, you may have craved travel and adventure when you were young and single. But now that you are married with kids, all your goals are wrapped around how much you love your family and what you want for them. Perhaps you once just wanted a simple life. But something has changed in you, and now you feel ambitious with a new sense of inspiration and motivation.
Maybe It’s Flipped In Another Direction.
It may be the other way around. Maybe your goals were once about success and reward, and now you just want enough to live comfortably in a cabin in the woods. Just as you reassess how your life has changed, check in to see how you have changed.
You’ll find your goals wrapped around what has meaning to you and what matters. As you change, that meaning will change too. So maybe it’s not that your goals have stalled out, but that you have changed, and what you choose has changed. If that is the case, re-evaluate and redirect those things you want to create in your life. Again, no blame or shame. Just get clear on who you are now and what you really want.
Easily Figure It Out When Your Goals Change Because The World Changed.
There is a long-standing belief that distinguishes those born before World War II from those born after. Later in the United States, there was an awareness that a difference existed between those born before 9/11 and those born after. The latest version highlights the differences between individuals born before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sometimes it’s not just us or our world that changes – the whole world changes. When that happens, our goals change too. What we know and believe about the world changes, and our vision of what comes next changes. Perhaps when you made your original dream and goal list, the world was a different place. 7 Clear and Easy Steps When You Feel Stuck In Life
It can happen when even just a piece of the world (your piece) changes. Perhaps your goal was to be in management at the largest employer in your town. But how do those goals change if that business shuts down? When significant changes happen, it’s time for your goals to change as well.
Easily Figure It Out When Your Goals Change, Because It’s Time To Choose Again.
Goals and written intentions do not have to be in stone; they can be flexible. They are malleable and changeable. Some people think changing a goal is settling or selling out. It’s neither. It’s a reassessment and restructuring based on where you are now, who you are now, and the world you live in now.
It’s not just that you CAN update and recreate your goals. It is vital to check in with yourself often to ensure that what you wanted is still what you want now. It’s crucial to ensure that you are pushing your energetic cart in the direction you still want to go.
You aren’t overreaching when you upgrade to a higher scale of success or achievement. You also are not delusional when you set your sights higher than they were previously. That’s not your ego, that’s drive, inspiration, and ambition. We love this book to help you create habits to reach those higher goals.
How About A Do-Over?
On the other hand, you’re not cheating to declare an all-over do-over. You aren’t failing if you decide to downsize and downscale what you thought mattered before. You aren’t less ambitious when family means more to you than titles and rungs on the corporate ladder.
Hope this helps you easily figure it out when your goals change. WHAT DO YOU WANT? Own it, declare it, and know, “You’ve got this!”
Pixi-Pebbles…For When Your Goals Change
We’ve used these little Pixi-Pebbles to move ourselves from a feeling we’re not enjoying very much…to a feeling that helps us discover our vision of intention, awareness, and direction.
They lead us to hope, possibilities, and a fire under our butt to live life by design instead of default.
In our blog, Easily Figure It Out When Your Goals Change, here is a Pixi-Pebble that came to mind…
Just a little inspiration to get you from here to there…
The Real You is one of our favorite Enchanted Perspective videos. It’s also one of our most recommended tools for inspiration and connection with your most authentic self. If you’re ready to figure out your goals but not sure where to start…check out our Real You Video for some inspiration.
