The new year is underway and I know many are still giving thought to what 2022 might bring and set some goals or make (the dreaded) new year's resolutions. It's something we all do from time to time, try to set a new course, or in some cases, correct the course.
The trouble is, and I fall into it as well, we have a tendency to set really big goals, with no idea of how to attain them.
My suggestion to you, for this year, take a moment and reflect on the lessons around the common gavel. It's a simple tool that help chip away and rough parts of the stone to help make it smooth and the right shape for use.
We can do the same with our goals, figure out one small action you can do to help chip away at that goal.
Weight loss is often used as an example, so I'll use it here. The goal, loose fifty pounds.
Now, we can do what so many do, go on a crash diet, hit the gym, start jogging in the morning, these are all positive things you can do to accomplish the weight loss goal, but they are also BIG changes in your life which makes it much harder to stick and work.
So let's apply the common gavel approach instead, we're going to cut out our evening snack once a week. That's not much, it's easy to do, and most of us have the will power to do that so there's our first chip. Maybe our second one is to cut out another night week, or skip the dessert after dinner, or we can shift and add taking the dog for a walk once a week instead of just letting them out every time. They're all small changes that over time build on each other, once you make a single change stick, it's easier to add another small change and the two together help move you towards the goal quicker. Then we just "rinse and repeat" and over time we develop the habits needed to obtain the goal.
But should we be setting goals that are finite with fixed deadlines? Maybe we should be focusing on the process and habits themselves and let the 'big picture' items take care of themselves.
Something to ponder on this week . . . .