Hello and welcome to another Life List Friday! This month is uber special becasue in two weeks all the blogs will be doing giveaways and reporting on their goal progress. And I have a couple books that you guys might like to win!
This week I'm hanging out at Sonia Mederios's blog, so check that out when your done here :)
Today I have the honor of have #lifelistclub co-founder Marica Richards with me again. Wahoo! Take it away Marcia --
Some say, "Live in the moment or you'll miss out on what'shappening around you". Others say, "Steer toward your goals and don'tveer off the path".
I say, 'Focus on what matters most and you'll have the best ofboth worlds'.Choosing what matters most will allow you to live a life ofsignificance.
The single-minded folks heading for success in all things willtell you not to get distracted by anything and keep your sights on your list oftasks to reach your goal.
The laid-back, creative types will encourage simplification ofyour life. Don't strive for better housing or more money, a change in careers,big vacations, new furniture, etc. Be satisfied with your current existenceand...oooh, look at the pretty bird!
Which camp are you in? I fall somewhere in the middle, believinggoals are a useful way to discipline yourself to move forward toward creating asignificant, fulfilling life. Whether written down on paper or in your memory,I think we all have many goals. I co-founded The Life List Club topromote the strategy to attain those dreams.
I personally have never know anyone who started out adult lifewith everything they could ever want and never felt a need to 'have more'or something different. Whether that 'more' is: time with family, money,friends, a better job, bigger home, stress-free time, travel, etc, depends onwho you are and where you are in your life.
Most people could not be happy with a life that is static. Weall want to learn, experience and feel new things throughout life.Enhancing our world keeps us motivated and engaged in everyday happenings.
I also believe that we should be wary of missing out on 'TheMoment'. What wondrous, significant thing is happening right now?
*Spending your days with a narrow focus on your goal to, say,travel to Europe next Spring, is like putting on blinders to daily occurrenceslike watching your toddler using a spoon for the first time withoutspilling his food down his shirt and basking in the glow of his proudgrin.
*The day you wake up before dawn to get in an hour of writing, inorder to meet your daily word count goal before your day job, would beamiss if you failed to take a few minutes to watch the sun come up in all itsglory or listen to the first birdsong of the day.
*If your goal was to read 4 books per month and you read just toget through it, without becoming involved in the story and falling in love withthe characters, your world would be far less enriched.
When you set goals, write them down and begin working toward them,you should keep another list at hand: your list of what matters most toyou in life.
For me, that list would include creating pockets of time: 1.to connect with my husband, 2. to visit with my aging mother, 3. to play withmy grandchildren, 4. to talk with my children and step-children, 5. totake care of my health, and 6. to get out in the world-out of my office-to seesomething fresh and new and replenish my creativity.
What would it be for you?
The moments during breakfast with my husband are savored. We talk,laugh and focus on each other - priceless. I would not interrupt that momentfor anything. After our time together, I go back to working toward my writing,exercise or other goals.
What's your daily moment to savor?
Don't feel as though you're missing out on anything bysetting goals and working toward them, because there's a time for everythingand everything has its time. Listen. See. Breathe. Love. Work.
Life is too short to overlook those precious moments in life.It's so short we shouldn't procrastinate on working toward our dreams,either. We can have both!
Note: If you don't reach every goal you set, have no regrets.Celebrate your efforts and your progress and all you have learned.Sometimes the quality of the journey is more important than reaching thedestination.
So, tell me. For you, is it eyes on the goal, live in themoment, or a little of both? Do you feel like you're missing out on anything? Ireally want to know.
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Thanks for joining us on LifeList Club Friday. Thank you, Jennie, for being a wonderful hostess!
Marcia Richards is a veteran blogger and author of Marcia Richards’ Blog…Sexy.Smart. With Heart. She is interested in health andwellness, fitness, mid-life and life planning. She enjoys fun stuff, too, likewriting historical fiction, playing with the grandkids, traveling and turningold furniture into works of art. She believes there is always something new tolearn. Hang with me on Twitteror on Facebook
12 comments:
What a great post Marcia! Like you, I think I fall somewhere in the middle. I am definitely a daydreamer who doesn't just want but NEEDs a lot of time for living in the moment, reflecting, learning and discovering. I've never been that go-getter who wants all the responsibility and the glory and a calendar so packed that I need to schedule time to use the bathroom. To me success is the security and comfort without extravagence, and lots of time to laugh, write and play. The good news is that my goal of being a published novelist is one that might just allow me to stop being over-committed professionally and get more of that time and security : ).
I think those who think it must be one or the other are seriously mislead. For myself, I do believe that the only way to have real, lasting happiness is to be content with what you have and what you are given. But that shouldn't stop you from having goals and striving for them, as long as you remain content and don't let the things you want but don't yet have sour what you do have.
@Sarah- I totally agree-very well put! Thanks for coming by!
@Pam - You've got it! The 'now' moments AND long-term goals have their place and both serve us well. Thanks, Pam.
I absolutely agree that you should be somewhere in the middle. I thrive off of goals and feeling productive, but I've taught myself to be happy today. Goals are fantastic, but don't put off your happiness until you've met them--be happy with what you've accomplished now.
Excellent post, Marcia and Jen! Goals give me hope and motivate me to do better and to finish. Thanks!
I think there's a lot of value in being content with what we have now and being in the moment. Goals are still important though. I'm not sure how I reconcile the two but I think they're both important.
What an inspiring post! Thanks for sharing ;)
I fall somewhere in the middle but there are times like this past couple of weeks where I become so focused on my goals and what HAS to be done that I did forget to just "be" Thanks for a great post Marcia.
Wise Marcia. Love your posts! And it's true what you said about goals and moments working hand in hand. I would love to read more than 2 books a month, but I would be that speed reader that wouldn't enjoy them then. And when I do succeed in waking up early, I take a moment to watch the sun and smell my coffee. Happiness and balance! Ahhhh.
I spend a lot of time in the now because I have a baby...the only one I get. I really want to wring every drop of joy I can from my time with her.
Great post. I've started setting goals but I don't stress too much at not reaching them, as long as I'm trying/
Focus on what matters most, those are awesome words to live by. Hey there fellow Fantasy writer. I've been off for a week but have just found you on the Campaign. Happy to meet you. I'm now following you.
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