what's the point?

Turning 38 yesterday was like rounding a corner and opening up the view straight through to 40.

With exactly two years before that milestone, I’m wondering what to add to the list of things to do before then - other than see the Aurora Borealis and inadvertently turn up in the middle of a Flash Mob.  

Despite being big on goals, I’ve never really been one for 5-year-plans.  So many variables can change in that time, including the direction you want to head in. While I always have some ‘big stuff’ on the horizon, I tend to make up 'how to get there' as I go along (partly because creativity is a big personal value). 

There are pros and cons with this approach. The variety and excitement is stimulating.  Locking in some specific plans would be beneficial and two years is a good stretch of time to give something a red hot go.

Elite athletes are taught to visualise their performance with their eyes shut because imagining goals tricks the brain into creating new neural pathways that make it easier to take the steps in real life.  Interestingly, the subconscious mind can't distinguish between what you've done and what you've imagined doing. The more times you imagine something, the more expert you can become at it.

Make the most of this quirk of the mind by describing goals as if they're happening now.  Include language about what you see, feel and hear to involve the visual, auditory and kinaesthetic senses, as these make it seem even more compelling. 

For example:

I’m celebrating my 40^th birthday under the Aurora Borealis, surrounded by the people who matter most to me.  I’m strong, vibrant, energetic and healthy.  I hear happiness in the voices of my family – squeals of laughter, deep conversations and contented silences.  My teen novels have been published and WorkLifeBliss is fun and flourishing.  I feel secure financially and emotionally.

Once you've embedded a goal like this, keep visualising it - make the image sharper and more vibrant and increase the size of it in your mind.  Re-visit it often.  (Some people make a 'vision board' of pictures that represent their goals, as reminders.)

Ask yourself what the last step was that you took before reaching that goal... and the step before that?  Work backwards until you know what to do right now.

Every day, as you're spending time doing any task, check in and see if you're on track. 

Ask:

• What is the purpose of this? 
• How does this contribute to the big picture that I'm aiming for?

This is essential for keeping focussed, and works for big goals and small ones - including getting out of the office on time today... 

We can spend a lot of our time on tasks that aren't crucial to our purpose - colouring in the title page instead of focussing on the main unit of work.  Sometimes we opt for easy activities, tasks within our comfort zone or the list of 'little things' that we can cross off quickly.  At the end of the day, though, the major job on our list hasn't been touched and looms larger and more difficult through our neglect.

Are you swimming towards your goal, or are you treading water or moving further away from it?  Before you begin your next piece of work, ask that key question:

'What's the point of this?' 

Choose to do the things that count.