What are lesser goals anyway? (Yes, it’s a thing and it gets plenty of hits on Google).
My take is this… A lesser goal is one that you settle for. Why? Because it’s smaller, it’s easier, it takes less time, and it’s less risky.
What would be the worst, lesser goal you can think of? I would have to say…
“Somebody else’s goal.”
Did you laugh at that? I hope not—we go after other people’s goals in lieu of our own all the time.
Case in point, did you check your email first this morning or plan your day?
Why is it so hard to make time to do the things in this life that we really want to do? Could you even imagine trying to squeeze in another pursuit? I know I couldn’t. I feel maxed out.
That’s because life is a zero-sum game.
You know, whatever is gained by one side is lost by the other.
Straightforward, right? There’s no other way around it.
At LifeUntucked®, I’ve talked before about the importance of throttling back to make time for what matters most to you. When you slow down and take a step back from life’s busyness, it’s possible to see opportunities for change.
When we let ourselves get caught up in the pace of everyday life, it becomes our default behavior to simply react to the next demand that shows up in line.
Growth and change take both time and work.
We have to work at these things to make them happen.
A few days ago, as I was taking my morning scroll on LinkedIn, I came across Greg McKeown’s weekly post.
Greg is a master of short, curiosity-grabbing headlines. Today’s grabbed my eyeballs…
“How to Let Go of Lesser Goals”
Hey, I’m in! Wouldn’t you love to let go of some of your lesser goals? Now that we know how disruptive they are, that is. Then maybe we’d free up the bandwidth to accomplish our bigger goals that really matter. And that’s exactly his point.
Greg says that growth requires us to lose something.
Like a crab shedding its previous shell, growth requires letting go of a past version of yourself so that you can grow into something bigger and better. It requires letting go of past goals and past dreams. It may require changing your mind or admitting you were wrong.”
—Greg McKeown, bestselling author of Essentialism and Effortless
Do you tend to get hung up when it’s time to change course?
Human nature gets us thinking about everything we’ve already invested, and that gets in the way. We just can’t stop now!
And naturally, by refusing to pull the plug, we erroneously believe we’re protecting our investment.
Additionally, making a pivot, changing direction, or simply changing your mind altogether feel like signs of defeat. Never mind that the uncertainty of making most any change is scary.
In his post, Greg gives us two simple questions that can help you identify your true goal, let go of lesser goals that are in the way, and identify your next steps.
- What do I want so much that I’d be willing to give up what I have right now for it? And,
- What are my next steps to get there?
What’s something you’d rather be pursuing than all the lesser goals in your space? I encourage you to take a couple of minutes to figure out the first few steps and then get going.
You’ll be glad you did.
Be untucked.
p.s. If you needed this today, let me know in a comment… thanks!
p.p.s. You can read Greg McKeown’s post by clicking here.
Copyright © 2022 Jeff Meister – All Rights Reserved
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