The Thing I’d Been Putting Off for 18 Months
When I moved house about 18 months ago my DVD player didn’t make the journey with me. It wasn’t in a great shape, the quality of anything I tried to watch with it was awful and I put everyone out of their misery when I left it behind. (I actually took it to an electrical recycling place, so it didn’t get thrown away as such.) About 8 months ago I decorated my lounge and all my DVDs are lined up, waiting to be watched on a non-existent DVD player.
Finally Getting What I Wanted… Almost
Two weeks ago, I finally succumbed and bought a new one. I was so pleased with myself – something I’d been meaning to do for 18 months was done. I got it home, took it out of the box and then. Nothing. It hadn’t come with any cables, so even though I had a shiny new player, I still couldn’t watch anything on it! ARGH!
When the Goal Doesn’t Feel How You Imagined
Last weekend, I bought the necessary cable (which took the better part of a day as I don’t drive and it required trains, trams and buses… My very own John Candy movie but without the snow. There was rain, however. Boo!). I got it home, set up the DVD player, and thought ‘Ooh, I can watch a DVD tonight! How exciting! And I went through my collection and there wasn’t anything I really wanted to watch. I didn’t really feel like anything.
And I went from being all chuffed that I had finally achieved my goal (getting a new DVD player), slightly deflated that I still couldn’t watch anything due to the missing cable, then slightly underwhelmed when it was all set up.
This Is Exactly What Goal Setting Can Feel Like
It got me thinking this is a bit like goal setting. You think you want something (which may, or may not be a big thing). Take ages to work for it and achieve it (and that’s ignoring it actually might not be that big of a thing in the first place!) and then when you get it, whilst you’re happy you’ve done it, it’s not quite what you imagine and are then left feeling a bit flat. Does this sound at all familiar?
It’s OK to Change Direction
Take heart if it does! There’s still the pride of achieving the thing you set out to do, of completing a project, actually reaching your goal. And it’s OK to change your mind, either before achieving it, or once you have. It’s OK to want something different, or to want more. And to then take a moment to sit with those feelings and think about what you actually do want, and what you need to do to achieve that, and start again.
It’s Not Too Late to Start Again
As we’re now in February, it’s absolutely not too late to think about what you want from this year – there are still another 48 weeks to achieve your goal, or if it’s a big one, to knuckle down and work towards it. And if you’re struggling to really think about a goal, what sets your soul alight, and how you can make it happen, then reach out – I’d love to support you.