What this is really all about.

I like to talk a lot about productivity and getting things done. There's lots of talk of setting goals and accountability. But what is this really all about? None of that is the point. These are tools for what we're really after.

All of this is about living with intentionality. Having goals and working towards them help us design a purposeful life. 

Man's mission, according to Viktor Frankl (Nazi prison camp survivor and Psychiatrist) is to find the meaning of life. When we live without purpose or intent, we flounder. We chase a life defined by others. We chase meaningless things and we fill our lives with things that aren't important. And we feel rushed and tired all the time and we ask - is this all there is? Without intention, we can spend our lives just paying the bills.

The principles and practices that I follow and use support setting goals and then creating a plan that allows for discovery and action. So while we are doing, we are learning, we are evolving. We explore.

We focus and fine tune. And while we're at it, we're removing what we don't need. What I love about the books Essentialism and The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck  is that they talk as much about removing the non-essentials (or not giving a f*ck) as much as they do about how to focus on the essentials. To focus on the essential and live with intentionality, we have to remove what is not important. It's all noise and reduces focus.

I love the quote from Prince EA in his video EVERYBODY DIES, BUT NOT EVERYBODY LIVES, "It is not death that most people are afraid of, it is getting to the end of life only to realize that you never truly lived." 

It's my biggest fear to get to the end of life having not lived, especially in today's world where we have access to everything.  When I finally realized I was on that exact path, I decided it was time to get off that train and direct my energies towards filling my life with the things I want. I am working on goals that align with the life I want and a way to get there that makes it fun and exciting and open to the surprises that come along the way.

What are your life goals and do you have a plan for getting there?  

Join our 4-part email series on achieving your goals. Find Part 1 here.

Check out our first post about our new pilot program on setting and reaching life goals - Why Can't I Achieve my Life Goals?

And take a quick look at our program information.

The Energy of Shared Consciousness

Tonight we had our regular meeting and I will admit, I was tired.  I was tired and a little unmotivated.  I so wanted to "call in" tired.  I wanted to check out and take a nap.  I had already worked a full 9 hours, plus two hours of driving and even cooked a quick dinner.

But alas, I had an obligation and this is my program, after all.  I got on our video conference and admitted I was tired.  

Checking in

We always start with a check-in.  It's a technique I'd heard and read about years ago in coaching classes but thought it was too weird to do with my teams at work.  After a teaming class last fall, I decided to try it for certain meetings and I learned that it was useful.  Then we started working with some consultants and they explained more fully that the check-in served the purpose of becoming present for the meeting and I was hooked.  Our program participants and I now always check in and we love it.  We answer the question - what has our attention? Sometimes we're distracted and it's something else.  Sometimes we are fully present and announce that to the group.  It's completely without judgement. What it does is set us up as a team to understand what our present state is.  It allows us to put out to the universe and to the team where we are mentally and it sets us free from any thoughts that we're holding on to.  For those of us who practice mindfulness, it allows us to move on and be present.

As quickly as that, the first 10 minutes, I was energized.  I did most of the talking tonight, which I don't love. But this was a teaching day where I had to share the process with the team.  Not only did I get through it, I was energized and inspired.  I was able to talk through the what and the why (the why can get kind of mushy sometimes).  I am not totally comfortable with all of this yet since I am trying all of this for the first time.  But I was there and I felt inspired to share more and motivate the other ladies.

In his book, Team of Teams, General McChrystal talked about a shared consciousness.  It's basically how we function as a group in terms of our beliefs, ideas and attitudes.  

At the end of the meeting, we now do a closing round. Each team member shares how they feel at the end of the meeting.  We all shared that we felt focused and motivated. One team member shared that we validate that her goals are not silly and that there is potential in her interests.  

Miraculously, this is exactly where we should be.  We are kicking off the action part of our little project and everyone is feeling focused and motivated and there really isn't anything better than that.

Next for everyone is a plan to get started.  This week we all work on developing a plan and breaking that down into small, attainable tasks.  Each week going forward, we'll report on our progress, discuss what we've learned and then plan the next week.  

Read my previous post on the program pilot: Accountability Trumps Will-Power