Be The Bird

As we’re ending the first quarter of 2020, I felt it fitting to check in with those who set new year goals disguised as new year resolutions or vice versa. We often see a lot of people make these resolutions or goals and might go strong for a little while with them, but then fall off and not stick to them. This happens a lot and has happened to me even in my life- setting goals and not seeing them all the way through. For myself, this has happened because my goals weren’t actually grounded in anything real, so I wanted to address this for my friends to encourage those of you who may not be sticking to the plan. Maybe you haven’t been faithful to that goal because it wasn’t actually grounded in anything real for you and that’s understandable.

So, that being said, what is a goal. Well for me, a goal is an accomplishment that is a stepping stone towards a bigger picture. A goal is something that when you accomplish it, the main takeaway is momentum to continue pushing towards the larger focus. Goals are something that when we accomplish them, we are able to set a new one which pushes us to the next level and one step closer to our ultimate goal-the bigger one.

This is why I think a lot of us lose steam after setting goals and resolutions. They weren’t ever actually grounded in the bigger picture, so not accomplishing or achieving that goal didn’t mean anything to us. A goal shouldn’t be so disposable. Our goals should be set up in a way that we lose sleep when we realize we’re not working towards achieving them. Our goals should be so important to us that we acknowledge not achieving them is greatly diminishing the impact we’re able to have on the world and the opportunity we have to live our best lives and fulfill our purposes.

So how do we go about setting goals with that perspective? Well, the answer is simple but not actually simple at all. I always like to ask though, what keeps you up at night? What is the thing you fantasize about the most? What’s that one dream of yours that you may think is unrealistic, but makes you giddy every time you allow yourself to think about it?

(Side note to my friends who still say nothing. If there is nothing you think about that gives you this feeling, I encourage you to first find out for you what is most peaceful. Find an activity or a place where you feel like you can drop all the cares of the world and just be. Just allow your mind to wander and think. I’m confident that in these moments, your thing will be revealed to you.)

Once you have your thing, what does it look like when you’re fully walking in it care-free, successfully, and ideally. Between where you are now and that ideal, there should be a huge gap. It’s in that gap where you’re able to identify your goals, or your stepping stones to take you from the present into the ideal. Another area I think we lose steam is in not honoring the value of small goals because they don’t seem as lofty. The thing about small goals is once they are achieved, we gain momentum and excitement to carry that energy over into working to achieve the bigger, harder goals.

So, all of us, regardless of who you are, have an opportunity to do a better job about resetting our focus on things that matter to help us fulfill our purposes in life. Take some time out and reflect on what your bigger picture is. Modify it. Make it even bigger. Then write down the things you need to do next in order to achieve that. Make it part of your daily lifestyle to talk about it with other people-especially other people who are creative and positive thinkers. If you feel like you’re really good at goal-setting, but not as strong at following thru with them, it’s likely because you don’t actually care that much about them. If you don’t, then it’s not the right goal for you. Re-evaluate.

Never forget that the Starr Life is all about helping others live a better life. We can’t help improve others when we’re still broken and lost ourselves. So it’s time for us to get some goals that matter and mean a lot to us so that we elevate ourselves to a place where we are more valuable for others. We want to allow others to reach new heights through their association with us. We do that way more effectively once we’ve taken the time to sit down and work towards something great and actually achieve it.

Head on over to my YouTube channel to find out what “Be the Bird” is all about!