Vision and Goals: Future and Presence

For the last few weeks, we have been talking about goals. Goals are fun. They are motivating. They enliven our time with a sense of purpose. We also admitted that goals are a trap. They set us up for all-or-nothing thinking (we win or we lose, no matter how we played the game). Goals can also blind us to changes that call for shifting priorities. We may not notice that commitments to family are more important than running a specific race.

Today, we explore yet another challenge of living in harmony with long-term goals. That challenge is the balance of aspiring to a better future while living fully in the present.

Both spiritual and psychological traditions emphasize the present. They advocate the practice of “presence,” of attending to what is happening— in front of us, and inside of us. Spiritual writer Eckhart Tolle calls it The Power of Now. Psychologist Mikhail Csikszentmihalyi calls it Flow. Inner peace and optimal happiness arise from focus in the moment. They do not come from planning for tomorrow.

Why, then, as a proponent of psychological and spiritual well-being, do I advocate goal-setting for a happy life? I see goals not only in terms of future success. More importantly, I find that they offer a framework for living deeply in the moment. When we plan, we draw on what we experience in the now, and listen to the voice speaking from within. Our most powerful goals for the future are built upon a foundation of values that we consider most important today.

I want to be physically healthy. Why? I want to be self-sufficient. I want to work and to contribute. I want to spend my income on travel and learning, not on medical bills. I want to live a long time in my elder-unfriendly home and care for its labor-intensive yard. As a step toward those deeper values, I have set a goal of finishing half marathons in 25 states by the time I turn 70.

Goals are most powerful when they arise from deep roots in present values. They are most rewarding when they add purpose and direction to our choices in the moment. Goals detract from the Present when they shift our focus to the destination without a view of the path.

Take a look at your own vision and goals. Do they ground you more solidly in the present? Do they give you both direction and energy in the now? If not, take another look. Do they come from deep within? Listen for the voice of wisdom and, if the answer is no, try again.

Until the next time, go well.

Pam
www.wellbuddies.com