Taking the Leap to Reach Your Goals

It has been a bit of an eye-opening week for me. I had a milestone birthday and I feel I am forced to admit I am moving a little further down the timeline of life. I think we all are a little slapped in the face and forced to look at our lives when those milestone dates appear on the calendar. It has made me look at my goals personally and professionally and even if they were the right goals in the first place. Analyzing your life can be exhausting

I came across an article by billionaire hedge fund manager Ray Dalio talking about habits to break if you want to reach your personal goals. I thought you might enjoy.

Becoming overwhelmed with possibilities

First, you have to make big decisions about what you want most, Dalio writes. That means focusing on some priorities while letting go of others.

“Choosing a goal often means rejecting some things you want in order to get other things that you want or need even more.” Not being selective is a big mistake, Dalio contends.

“Some people fail at this point, before they have even started. Afraid to reject a good alternative for a better one, they try to pursue too many goals at once, achieving few or none of them,” he writes. “Don’t let yourself be paralyzed by all the choices.”

Confusing a goal with a desire

When you’re considering what priorities or ambitions to focus on, be clear about the difference between a goal and a desire.

“A proper goal is something that you really need to achieve,” Dalio writes. “Desires are things that you want that can prevent you from reaching your goals.”

Changing habits

Getting a handle on these two habits can make a big difference in where you end up in life. These are honestly two habits I struggle with in my own life. When I feel overwhelmed with possibilities and unsure what to do, I tend to just shut down and just not make a decision. I tend to figuratively pull the covers over my head or stick my head in the sand. Once I have made a decision I am all in, but feeling overwhelmed can keep me stuck.

One thing I have tried to do is just focus on doing what is next. Just do that next thing and keep on doing it and eventually you have that forward momentum you need to make the decision and set the goals for you future. My teen idol heart throb Donny Osmond said it best. “If you’re climbing the ladder of life, you go rung by rung, one step at a time. Don’t look too far up, set your goals high but take one step at a time. Sometimes you don’t think you’re progressing until you step back and see how high you’ve really gone.” That’s the view from where I sit this week; a little older and maybe a little wiser too.