We all want those “finally” moments:
Finally, I’ve saved enough money to take that trip.
Finally, I’ve lost the unwanted weight.
Finally, I earned that raise.
Finally, finally, finally, but how do we get there?
Many of us either dream too big, too fast or we waffle in trying to determine the goal worth reaching for.
I have a big dream of writing a book, and I get stuck in the details: I need a website. I need to edit through my blog and decide what will migrate to a new site. I need to work on my newsletter and social media to build my platform. I need to submit articles.
It’s all too much, and it feels overwhelming, and while all of those are good steps in the process, some of them might distract me from the actual goal. In fact, I might be creating distractions out of fear of actually tackling my goal. (Anyone relate?)
Today on a walk I finished listening to All it Takes is a Goal by Jon Acuff. It’s worth your time, especially if you feel stuck or need a nudge to keep going. He offers instant actionable steps to get you going. I also felt better about myself for having learned a few of the things he articulates from the experience of working toward my own goals.
If I might boil down some of his advice:
First, start with a Best Moments list – brainstorming your life’s best moments, as many as you can get down.
When you’ve got your list, mark it up with these categories: achievements, experiences, relationships, objects. This will show you what motivates you and point you toward what your big goal should be.
Start with goals so easy they’re laughable: walking down the block and back; writing for five minutes each day; calling one friend for advice. Try easy goals, either repetitions of the same goal or related goals, for a while, maybe a week or a month.
If you’re still at the easy goals after a time and they’re still motivating, find a middle goal, something the easy goals can build towards. Walking down the block might become walking a 5k, something you can train for in about a month.
Keep working with middle goals until they present a big goal, what Acuff calls “a guaranteed goal”: if you work with easy and middle goals long enough, they’ll add up to the big goal – that FINALLY moment – that wouldn’t have been possible in the beginning.
I’ve found this true in my walking. My 2024 guaranteed goal for walking mileage is 2024km, or 1257 miles. In 2023, I walked 1150 miles. I couldn’t have hit 1257 because I hadn’t logged enough easy or middle goals. In fact, potentially I could consider all of my miles for 2023 a middle goal in working toward my 2024 goal.
Now I have a weekly goal of 25-30 miles (my easy goal), middle goals represented by different challenges through The Conqueror Challenges (I’m currently virtually walking 497 miles through India), and my guaranteed goal of 1257 miles because, if I hit all my other goals, my big goal, my finally moment, is guaranteed. (BTW, use my referral code if you’d like to give The Conqueror Challenges a try and we’ll both get a discount).
Now I have to apply that to writing my book. Wish me luck! No, actually, wish me all the easy goals I need to get started.
Five Minute Friday writing prompt: FINALLY
This is so true! We can’t get anywhere unless we plan for it. Same goes for Heaven. We’ve got to live like today is our last. Great post!
Thank you!
Very interesting you sharing your life goals. I like. Nice your think about you writing book.
I get overwhelmed and stuck when trying to decide what my goals should be – I feel like I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up, now that I’m grown up! LOL I think I need to read Acuff’s book. (My husband and I do The Conqueror Challenges too. I found them SO motivating when I was preparing for and recovering from a knee replacement) Visiting from FMF#11
You & me both with the adulting overwhelm! After an unexpected mid-career shift, I’m definitely still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. I definitely recommend Acuff’s book, as well as another one of his books, Soundtracks. And glad to meet another Conqueror! I’m so into these virtual challenges for daily motivation that I’m now hoping to walk IRL El Camino de Santiago, the first Conqueror Challenge I did back in 2021.
May you remain focused on the goals you have set, both in walking and writing. As you do, you will finally get there! 🙂
Thank you!
Best wishes as you start the ground breaking on your book. I recently published my second book. I’m a walker as well. I walk two miles every day! All those little goals help make the bigger ones great accomplishments!! From your friendly neighbor at FMF.
I’ve concluded that walking & writing (including editing) work well together. Thanks for reading!
Love this post.
I can so relate, and I appreciate all the encouraging suggestions and for sharing info about Jon Acuff’s book, which I will check out.
Come back & tell me what you think of Acuff’s book! I’ve also read Soundtracks, another of his books, & found it helpful.
small goals to meet the big goals, makes sense to me. visiting from FMF13
Thanks for reading!
I misread the title as We Need Goats To Get To Finally Moments.
Gotta run with it.
We need goats to get to places
where we will find closure,
for their hearts are full of graces
to which we need exposure,
like remembering not to forget
to sample the discovery
of every tin can we can get
for its contents’ sweet recovery,
and head-butting anyone
who tries to interfere.
Make ’em squeal and make ’em run
and make it very clear
that treasures we have lately found
are not meant to be shared around.
This might be my favorite reply ever!
For what it may be worth, a goal becomes more realistic with a specific and logical timeframe.
When I could still run, I did six miles every day, and wanted to get to ten, mainly as an ego thing.
I stepped up to eight per day, and then when it felt ‘right’ in terms of keeping pace and rhythm, went to nine.
What I didn’t take into account was that while my muscles and CV system were happy, my tendons, ligaments, and bones were not, and I found myself soon unable to do even three miles.
I needed the plateaus to be planned, AND to incorporate more time for stretching. The increase from six to nine miles didn’t up the stress by 50%; a trainer I later worked with said it more than doubled it. He also called me an idiot, an evaluation with which I could agree while limping through the recovery.
No disagreement here! I have weekly goals which require daily effort, & short-term goals that require the daily & weekly effort, which all lead to long-term goals.