The Goal-Purpose Connection

I just heard something from David Neagle, an extremely gifted life and success coach (www.DavidNeagle.com), that really gave me pause to think. “Your goals give direction to your purpose”. I never had looked at a goal in that manner and in fact, this statement totally turned my understanding of what a goal is upside down. We are so focused on setting and reaching goals but are we missing the mark? The more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me. I had always viewed goals in the short-term and self-contained within the project or whatever I was working on but now see goals are much bigger than that! Goals are in actuality the vehicle we use to fulfill our life’s purpose. Rather than focusing on setting the goals first, should we not first focus on our purpose and the form our goals around that? Something to think about.

What I’m coming to understand now is that goals actually are the stepping stones of life. When we set a goal, it gives us a sense of direction and purpose. But without a context to frame our goals, we often get off track and feel like we’re just going through the motions. Our goals should ignite a passion deep within us and not just be another task on our "to do" list. When we view our goals in the bigger context of our life’s purpose, we then realize that as each goal is set and achieved, we are closer to fulfilling our ultimate destiny.

Just as a rudder guides and directs a ship through the vastness of the sea, our goals guide and direct us through the vastness of our life. Understanding this concept has helped me tremendously to put my goals in perspective. Now, before setting any goal, I ask myself, “Does this align with my values and bring me closer to God’s purpose for my life”. If the answer is yes, I can be sure it will lead me to the next level and closer to fulfilling the ultimate destiny God has planned for me.

Get Uncomfortable

If you want to experience the greatness life has to offer you, you have to be willing to get uncomfortable. What does that mean? It means stretching yourself beyond your capabilities knowing that in the end you’ll grow and your newly acquired strength and confidence will continue to propel you forward to reaching your vision. We all have this ability to go outside our comfort zone and persevere – otherwise we’d still be crawling on the floor : ) Think about a baby taking its first steps. Crawling around met our needs but we all knew there was something better. We’d struggle to pull ourselves up knowing this was the first step in walking but quickly realized it wasn’t as easy as it looked. We’d fall down time and time again, sometimes taking a nasty fall and getting injured. But we wouldn’t let that stop us because each time we tried, we’d gain that much more strength and feel our goal of walking that much closer until one day we’re able to easily stand. With renewed confidence, we take our first step only to fall once again. But we knew with commitment and perseverance, we somehow learned to pull ourselves up so surely we can walk! We practiced again and again, putting all our energy into taking that first step, not letting anything stand in the way of reaching our goal. Then one day we finally do it, our perseverance paid off and we take that first step, second step and before you know it, we’re running around elated that we’ve reached our goal and loving the new life we’ve arrived into!

But, how do we lose the ability to persevere through anything to reach our goals? Somewhere along the way, someone told us we can’t do it, made us feel inadequate or told us our dreams were too big for us and we began thinking small and living a life that was comfortable. Think of how amazing our lives would be if we employed the same level of commitment and perseverance we did as a young baby trying to walk into all that we do today! We can do this and those that have achieved greatness before us have tapped into this allowing nothing and no one to stop them from achieving their vision for their life. Think of some of the great sports figures of today. Tiger Woods started life not knowing how to swing a golf club, Michael Phelps didn’t swim before he walked, although some may disagree : ). They both started at the beginning, taking those first few strokes, experiencing the challenges along with the victories, and living a life that was probably more uncomfortable than comfortable in those early years. But it was that internal drive to go beyond their current capabilities that allowed them to excel, growing stronger both mentally and physically. They each embraced their sport and passionately committed to being the best at what they did. They had a vision of greatness and they didn’t let the challenges and setbacks that came their way stop them!

No one said the path to achieving greatness in life would be easy but the journey is well worth the results! Find that inner child in you that allowed you to persevere and not give up at the first challenge that came your way and reconnect with that belief and inner drive to achieve anything you put your mind to! Learn to ignore the naysayers, learn from your setbacks to make you stronger and let your vision of something better be your guiding light. Your greatness is within your reach!!