Have you ever declared a new goal or resolution for the year, only to find yourself slipping within a week or two? It happens to the best of us, even with all of our good intentions. I’ll share with you a few tips that might help you. But first, a quick story. Yesterday, we had a couple of our friends come over our place for tamales and eggs. One of our friends offered to poach some eggs for us, using our stainless-steel pot. The poached eggs were delicious! But unfortunately, the cooking process left some caked on egg at the bottom of the pot. Our friend mixed vinegar and water to soak the pot. A few hours later, Richard tried scrubbing the pot and still had a hard time cleaning it out. Richard decided to soak the pot some more by putting in something in the pot. (I’m not sure what it was, but when I saw the pot this morning, it was filled with a bluish liquid.) By the time I got to wash the morning dishes, the egg was still caked on the bottom of the pot! I poured a little hot water and started scrubbing away. The eggs stubbornly stuck to the bottom. After putting in some elbow grease, I noticed some of the egg started to come off. So I kept on scrubbing. After what seemed an eternity, little by little, I started to see specks of shiny steel visible on the bottom of the pot. But as I continued to scrub, some thoughts started to arise:
And yet, with each of these thoughts, other thoughts would emerge and take their place:
I continued to scrub until...voila!, the pot was finally clean! In my mind, I thought it took me about 30 minutes to scrub this pot. All in all, I think the whole process only took me 5 minutes. I share this story because I see this same pattern of thoughts come up when I’ve attempted to achieve some of my goals. You may have experienced this yourself. You set a goal for yourself with great gusto and determination, saying “This is the year I’m going to do it!” And then, things happen that you didn't expect. It might be harder than you originally imagined. Obstacles may pop up. All of a sudden, the goal starts to slip away. That's where my morning pot scrubbing gave me some insights and lessons to share with you that you might apply when you find it challenging to stick to your goals:
And here’s the thing to remember in the midst of all this, and it’s a spiritual Truth: The goal that you’re wanting to achieve is born from a deeper desire within you to experience and express more Good in your life. What is that Good you’re wanting to experience in your goal? For me, cleaning the pot meant seeing beauty in our kitchen and experiencing ease when I needed to cook the next time. You might have different goals. If you have a health goal, the Good you desire might be a feeling of vibrancy and vitality in your life. If you have a career or business goal, the Good you desire might be experiencing more freedom and purpose. If you have a relationship goal, the Good you desire might be sharing connection and experiencing greater authentic love in your life. If you have a spiritual goal, the Good you desire might be awakening your own senses to the grandness of Life. When you recognize and remind yourself of the underlying Good inherent in your goal, you touch the vision of Why you set the goal in the first place. Your Why can be the greatest motivating force to keep you moving forward. As we embark on this new year, here is my prayer for you: May your heart guide you with clarity and joy to experience and to express more Good in your life. Abundant Blessings, Namaste and Happy New Year! I’d love to hear if your thoughts about today's post, and if you have any other tips for sticking to your goals. Let me know by leaving a comment below. |
About JoselitoJoselito is a spiritual life coach helping people create a purposeful, spiritual path to career and financial freedom. Sign me up to receive the free newsletterPopular Blog Articles Beware (Be Aware of) these 5 Unhelpful Money Stories How my body told me to quit my job How I was offered an all-expenses paid cruise after making my Vision Board Today I choose to live my GREATNESS You are not your stories. You are the story-teller. Your job is not your Source. |