Are You Sick of Recycling and Reusing Old Goals?

Some of you have seen me write or heard me say my philosophy of living life.  It is To Create Value in All things.

Our affluent lifestyles in the Western World tend to produce a lot of waste, just look at how much garbage is hauled to landfills and then sometimes hauled by barge out to sea to be dumped. And then imagine how much more there would be if human ingenuity had not discovered how to recycle and reuse.

I love how some of the ‘old’ ways are returning such as the resurgence in home canning of food and the use of cloth shopping bags.  If I forget to take mine with me to the grocery store and I have to say ‘yes’ when the person on checkout asks me if I need bags, I look and feel guilty even if I do reuse the bags to dispose of used kitty litter!

So, you ask, what has this got to do with your goals?  It has to do with the difference between inspired goals and uninspired goals. For one thing, inspired goals are the right goals for you and you know it in your heart. Inspired goals make your heart sing. These are not ‘should’ goals or ‘I need’ goals or ‘I’ll try’ goals. You can be assured that if your goal brings you joy, wealth, conveniences, luxuries, contentment, peace etc. via a route through touching the hearts and lives of others, it is indeed an inspired goal, not the ‘old’ type of goal wherein we strived to accumulate for ourselves only (ego centered goals).  In this case recycling and reusing tired, old goals is a definite waste.

When you set out to reach inspired goals and you hit a pothole, have to turn back, take a detour or start over, what you are doing is not a waste.  It is not a waste of money, time or effort or anything else. It is an investment and you are creating compounding interest!

So often we look at not going straight to our goal, such as repeating a course, not getting the degree, having a business fail, not passing that driver’s road test first time (I got so nervous I had to do it 3 times!), etc. as a waste of our time, money and effort.  Uh-uh, it’s an investment in your knowledge, the kind of knowledge not taught in any school, collage or university.

Let’s say these potholes had value (they do, you know). Repeating the course taught you things you needed to know that you didn’t get the first time, perhaps not getting that degree is a way the Universe shows you it was not the career you were meant to have, there is a better one that expresses your purpose and therefore will love doing. The failed business teaches you what not to do next time, and learning to drive a vehicle correctly and safe is much more worthy of your time than putting your life and the lives of others at risk. There is always a value in everything if you just look for it. It takes practice and lots of honesty, but the result is a much more joyful you.

It’s much like being offered a choice of a million dollars or a penny which will double in value everyday for a month. Which would you take? Take the penny! At the end of 30 days the million dollars is still worth a millions dollars, but the value of the penny doubling for 30 days comes to over three million! I’m no mathematician, and you can figure it out, but it is at least that. This is the value of investment.

Recycling and reusing goals that don’t make your heart sing is a waste. Invest in Inspired Goals, and nothing you do on your way to achieving them will end up in the waste-of-life-landfill no matter how many potholes you have to fill along the way.

Inspired (in-spirit) goals are your investment in your life. The more potholes, the more interest accumulating (ie: wisdom).  The interest will compound just like the penny and bring you and others you touch such abundance you can’t find words to express it.

Keep on Goaling!

Lynn

©Lynn Moore 2010