And we’re off!!
After spending the winter enjoying the abundant snow here in Magog, we’re hitting the road… shifting into nomadic mode… #vanlife 😉 First stop: Earthaven Ecovillage in North Carolina (www.earthaven.org)
Well, in fact, we were supposed to leave last wednesday, April 18th. We had set that date as part of the goal setting process (S.M.A.R.T. goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time Based).
The thing is, last week rolled around and we just weren’t ready. It was Tuesday night, and there was still a long list of minor improvements we wanted to make to the van, our stuff wasn’t packed, and the house was a mess.
Goals are meant to bring us joy. The process of reaching for a goal is a playful one. Indeed, to take an example from sports, a goal is ‘the object towards which play is directed’… as in GOOOOOOOAL! By comparison, tasks bring you relief (as in completing your tax return is a task, not a goal). Thank you ACE for this great distinction (www.acecoachtraining.com).
So instead of forcing ourselves to achieve the goal we had set of leaving by april 18th, we realised that it would bring us much more joy to push back our departure date by a week… we have that flexibility, so we might as well enjoy it! Plus, it turns out the weather in North Carolina last week was really not great for camping anyways… and this week is going to be beautiful!
The key is to live intentionally, to make conscious choices in our life with full awareness. To be flexible with ourselves and to have the degree of self awareness and support necessary to discern between abandoning a goal out of fear vs. joyfully updating a goal to reflect the current YOU.
What goals do you have?
Are they S.M.A.R.T.?
Are the goals you have set for yourself in the past still pertinent today?
Do they bring you joy?