Most of us have a lot of ideas about what makes us
successful. Some are more concrete
markers, and others are more intangible.
Whether we’re conscious of all of them or not, those thoughts guide our
direction and choices in life so that we can meet those goalposts.
I’ve recently experienced some successes in several areas of
my life, meeting several milestones which I’ve been working toward for quite
some time. At first I allowed myself a
pause for some celebration. It’s
perfectly divine to acknowledge our accomplishments! And then I got back into the flow of my life,
encouraging the momentum of my accomplishments as they continued to unfold. I was really enjoying myself and the ease
with which everything flowed.
However, after a while I began to feel a sense of anxiety
and pressure. The joy in my successes
was fading. The momentum seemed to be
ebbing. I felt a little directionless
and unsure of my next steps. I realized
that I’d been operating by the old goalposts for so long, I hadn’t really taken
time to set up any new ones. My mind
began to race about future possibilities, new projects I felt that I should be
working on. But that didn’t relieve the
anxiety or bring back the joy. Instead
of inviting creativity, it just created pressure.
As always, the key was to go within for guidance. The answer is always there when we open up to
our inner wisdom. And my answer to the
question of what my new goalpost should be: there is no new goalpost. My new goal is to let go of my need to
have a new goal and allow myself to enjoy the flow!
There will come a time when it is appropriate for me to have a little more structure about my direction again and follow some concrete action steps. But if I try to force that too soon, it will come from a place of frustration and it won't take me forward. In truth, the real success all along was the joy and flow I was feeling. The goalposts were just a means to get me there. And from that continued place of joy and flow, my new vision will naturally take shape and carry me forward to new successes.
