{"id":1508,"date":"2010-02-13T12:58:43","date_gmt":"2010-02-13T17:58:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.communify.me\/newvinegrowing\/?p=1508"},"modified":"2019-12-27T16:01:33","modified_gmt":"2019-12-27T21:01:33","slug":"be-careful-what-you-wish-for-setting-goals-youre-sure-you-want","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.communify.me\/newvinegrowing\/be-careful-what-you-wish-for-setting-goals-youre-sure-you-want\/","title":{"rendered":"Be careful what you wish for: setting goals you're sure you want"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Here’s a peek at my 2010 goals, which focus on the essence of what I want in my life, not the specifics.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I read a story once — I wish I could remember where, so maybe you can help me — that helps shape how I set my life goals.<\/p>\n

A woman was pursuing a new job and found a great-sounding position at a company she respected, and she began to pray with all her heart that she would get that job.<\/p>\n

She landed the job and soon found she hated it. She’d gotten her wish but was miserable.<\/p>\n

The woman would have been better off to think about why she thought she wanted that job — salary, opportunity to learn new skills, chance for advancement — and pray for that.<\/p>\n

Why? Among other things, once you’ve already decided your path, it’s easier to tune out the warning signs.<\/p>\n

In hindsight, how many times have you seen copious signals that you were making a bad choice? But at the time, you waltzed right past them, perhaps thrilled with your good luck to have gotten what you wanted most.<\/p>\n

That’s why I write my goals the way I do.<\/p>\n

I don’t say, for example, I want a promotion and a raise at my current company. I can’t see into the future to know if that would make me happy. But why might I want a promotion and a raise? Because I want to be well compensated for work that’s interesting, challenging and rewarding and to be valued by my managers. THAT I’ll put in my goals.<\/p>\n

I don’t say that we love living in our current apartment. I say that we love where we live. What if we got an offer tomorrow to live in a place twice as big for half the price and it was stunningly beautiful? Do I want to be attached to the apartment we’re renting and not take that? No way. So my goals include loving our home, cooking in our kitchen and entertaining friends, and enjoying a vibrant neighborhood.<\/p>\n

For me, writing my goals is an exercise in first thinking about what I want, then asking why why why? When I don’t feel I can get any deeper on “why?” then I write down that answer as a goal.<\/p>\n

Among my goals:<\/p>\n