The Goal of Joy
One of the hobbies I enjoy the most is running.
Susanne hates running and thinks I am nuts but I love it!
It is my time to think, meditate, and be alone with my own thoughts (I do not run with headphones). And the physical benefits are abundant.
I first started running with regularity around 2006 and with that I began to set goals for each run. As I continued, my goals became more aggressive.
I set goals for how many miles I would run and my time per mile. I tracked my negative splits. I would compare one week versus another.
I became quite obsessed.
I would come home from a run and when Susanne would ask how it went, my response was based on how I fared against my goals versus the actual run.
My obsession began to chip away at the joy I found in running. Over time running became more of a chore than something that was invigorating.
Over the last year, I have run a lot, and have rediscovered the joy in it.
Why?
I have stopped focusing on my goals and made the choice to just enjoy it.
Rather than setting a goal of a certain number of miles or a time, I run based on how I feel.
I run based on what I am wanting from the run that day or set a range. If I set out to run four or five miles and I make it that’s great, if not, I was able to get out and do something I love.
We live in a hyperactive, goal-oriented society.
I speak with many who have a goal of reaching a certain professional rank by a certain age. Others have a goal of having a certain amount of money by some arbitrary time and some believe they have to accomplish certain things they have on a "bucket list" (I hate the idea of a bucket list, but that’s for another time).
Inevitably, most of those I talk to are so focused on achieving their goals, they fail to enjoy the journey and the experience of life.
They come to believe that if they miss their goals that they are a failure rather than realizing that a failure is an event, not a person.
If you have certain goals in your life, ask yourself why you set them?
What is it about that goal that is so important and what would it look like if you held it loosely and enjoyed the process of getting there?
On the journey with you,
Carlos
P.S. One of our recent podcasts focused on what happens when we reach a goal and then life throws us a curve ball. Such a great conversation with Dr. Angela Mulrooney.
This edition was first published in The Life Design Newsletter on LinkedIn.