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Thursday, May 26, 2016

Goals and Passion

Deciding to write another blog post was easy to think about......since I had said I would be blogging more seriously.  But then when it came to writing it and wording it just right, well that was another story.  Since I had not put anything out on my blog with a lot of research behind it for some time, I had found some challenges.  Then some challenges might be for some people, that this post is a little bit of a read and the topic became quite lengthy.  But hey, this post is for those looking for help with your goals and following your passion so I hope you stick with it!  Disclaimer: just so you are aware, this is not a "step by step guide" on how to complete your goals or make changes in your life, unless YOU change your life.  This is an article of sorts on some things to think about, to motivate, and hopefully help. Let's get going.

So, I was drawing a blank at times, there were many things I wanted to write down but the wording seemed long-drawn or all wrong at times and some may call it writer's block, but I just call it out of practice.  That aside, I had motivation issues myself when it came to knowing some of the effort this post might take.  In between other tasks, I had opportunities to work on some research towards this post, and sometimes I did and sometimes I didn't.  You know, a nap can also take priority if we are tired.  I just wanted to get some fresh ideas and I watched videos on the topic, read up on it and kept on studying and reading to gain more knowledge on the subject in general.

Today, you guessed it, I want to discuss goals and passions and how to put our energy to it.  How do we stay focused and not give up when things are not so easy?   "Anything worth working for never comes easy", so it is said.  Yes, we work hard and it should all come together, right??  Not exactly.  I think consistency and dedication along with hard work and faith can see us through.  I will try to cover those points and a few more.  Does following your passion have to be work? If you love what you are doing, does that mean issues will not arise and you will always love it when things are more difficult?  No. If you enjoy where you are going with something or in life, it may not seem like work anymore, but even if you don't enjoy it a certain amount of work towards something also gets you going in that direction.  Then you may not necessarily find the steps it took to accomplish as unpleasant....... but that's not always the feeling while we are building momentum or just starting at a new task.  Just like start-up businesses take some time to get established, it should not be a constant struggle the entire life of the business.  In fact, once you review how things went you may even feel they were all necessary lessons or steps, and see future matters with more wisdom and they may not be as difficult or toiling.

Then, will you always have 100% motivation to do the next thing?  That being said, it does take some amount of physical and mental exertion to do things correctly, to learn and to do research, to put skills to use, to surround yourself with motivational mentors and people, and to visualize and take control of one's emotions when you feel like giving up.  Just as you don't always feel 100% everyday, you must not let that stop you and take the helm of your life.  One could meditate or pray to think about accepting where you are and what choices you have to improve.  It is just something you have to do and then work through it.  Again, controlling one's emotions by the minute can be very challenging but necessary.  This has to do with accomplishing your goals and passion in life, so that you have a less difficult time to overcome it.

Personally, in the past I had quit jobs, when I allowed myself to be affected by others poisoning my work environment and my experiences.  My part in it was not controlling my own feelings towards certain situations.  If I let it "get to me" then that is my fault.  Perhaps some people would advise to unleash themselves if you are miserable there anyways, but I believe they mean to prepare to exit a job properly as opposed to making a huge sacrifice to your finances.  So, unleash your strategies and set into motion, including starting with saving and paying off any debts.  It is beneficial if you find yourself soon out of employment, so you have enough for living expenses and not those same funds going to high interest credit cards.

Besides that, stocking up on essential food and other items when they are a good price is excellent and saves you not only money but also time.  Time (as you won't need to shop at the store everyday), and you can use more time to accomplish your goals, or taking some time to find out what you want to focus on.   That is my personal experience, so do things in your best interest before you just quit.  If it gets too much and you are going to do something aggressive you might regret, then start your exit plan, and perhaps seek some counselling or talk to a support person who understands in the meantime.  I understand how things can get overwhelming and how aggravating office politics are, but just think it could give you an edge to hang in there just a bit longer until you need, and in the meantime try to ignore somethings or people and do things that help you cope.  Eat well and sleep well, so you can have your scruples about you.  You could also try a few things first, such as set up a meeting or discuss boundaries you need to be met, and if your attempts to be reasonable and diplomatic don't work, then you can use your discretion. It is easier said than done to control our emotions and feelings, not just reserved for workplace situations.  All aspects of life along with varieties of people that can be difficult, then you will need to use more finesse.

A lot of New Age beliefs say to get "into the vortex" or get happy.  Sometimes, we may try to do that but feel unsatisfied.  If we are always wrapped up in external things or situations in this world to make us happy, instead of being fulfilled in our hearts to be content, then we will always be searching outside ourselves.  I don't think that means that we cannot want to live a good life with all we need though.  Sometimes, our situations in life, health or perhaps hormones are getting us all down and depressed, feeling tired and lethargic.  We may have mixed feelings some days and other days we may have a lot of clarity, but it is varying so much it's hard to stay on track and focus.  In order to accomplish health goals you have to be your own health advocate.  Then you can start to obtain the correct information and food and work towards better health.  I will post more about this another time, but if you are looking for answers on  how to have more energy and vigor, start consistently working on it.

So is it really ALL up to us to keep ourselves happy and fulfilled to stay moving forward?
Well, I believe we can surround ourselves with a good support system and practice positive spiritual practices it sets us on the right course.  We should implement these things into our life to be more productive and driven in positive ways.  That could be people who are accomplishing their goals and wanting to become their greatest versions of themselves in life and thus happier individuals as well, or people who could be a solid mentor to you.  If we surround ourselves with these types of people as opposed to negative people who only knock us down, then it will set us up for more successful scenarios.  Routine, discipline and a foundation are important in general.

Another thing that can take away time from moving forward is worrying.  Worry is proven poor for your health, especially if done over a prolonged time.  You cannot avoid it altogether, so it's recommended to dedicate a set amount of time in your day to worry.  So, for example, choose 20 minutes when you can be to yourself and worry your head off.  Then leave it alone.  This way you don't spend good productivity time, worrying all day.  Also, while some people may not believe in God or a higher power, prayer is also important and is to some people part of their routines and discipline.  A devote (insert religious belief here), practices their faith daily.  Depending on your beliefs, you might want to take up praying for guidance instead of taking all the burdens all on yourself and worrying yourself crazy.  So for example, a simple prayer of gratitude goes a long way.  Then you can set off on improving and not worry to solve much more.  All in time, and step by step and day by day.

So if you can try to stop worrying, and do something instead, you can turn your worries into positive improvements of action.  You can pamper yourself when you are feeling stress or worry, or do some relaxing yoga or simple neck stretches at the start of your day in order to better deal with stressors. Have a chamomile tea and honey and listen to some peaceful music or go to the park and walk, or see the outdoors.  It does take the edge off, and you are dedicating some time for something good for yourself each day.  It is part of a routine and discipline to treat yourself well in this life. Even a bubble bath with Epsom salts helps to rid your body of toxins and feel better afterwards.  So, all in all, various tools or methods can help you out in order to balance energy in your body.

People have different styles of accomplishing their passions in life.  Of course, there are various personality types and here is a list of them 16 Personality Types ,and I do know that there are some tactics or tools used by some successful people more than others.  Less excuses is always best.  I am not sure how one personality would be better than others, considering each person's strong points, but there is a constructive way to think and a destructive way to think.  I had done a personality test before and found out a lot about myself.  I was an INFJ type but I also lean towards other personality types.  So you may want to learn more about your personality style and find out your strong or weak points or just more about how you "tick". Then use your abilities to your advantage towards obtaining your goals and passions, and be proud of yourself.  Your strong points could be to your advantage, and sometimes your weaknesses can be helpful too, it can all be to your advantage at some point in life.  For example, I tend to over think and then things get to the crunch and I must get them done.  It could be perceived as last minute, but also it could be perceived as more informed or more organized.  Sometimes, I may seem that I have over planned, but I am always prepared.  I can always plan more, so everyday I step it up a level.  I work on inproving my health and step up the information I obtain, to a whole new level as well. So where some people are figuring things out as they go along, some people want to research and take new ideas into their focus and then know what they are getting into.  Embrace who you are and what you know.


There are some peeps  who will want to give up on things before even starting.  Sometimes it's hard to get going and we don't have the oomph.  I get that.  There is a major lack of nutrition in our food, as the soils are depleted these days (look more into that if you want) or look UP at our sky and the air is not clean anymore with spraying from planes, and thus your brain is getting heavy metals built up in it. Don't believe me? Get some blood work done and then find out for yourself by googling geoengineering.  The brain is not firing the best and thus you feel lazy and make up reasons as why not to do things.  I think it could be a bit of both.   Brain fog can really make us feel tired as well, and there are many reasons for that.  One must look into their own health and also surroundings, perhaps for mold in your environment, and see what you can do to improve for now.  It can be a progression and then constant improvement will ultimately lead to the situation you want to be in.

Again, my personality type will recommend to plan, plan some more, have a back up plan, adjust your plan(s), analyze your plan, do a trial run to your plan, edit and adjust your plan again, review and then execute it.  Pheuf.  Maybe it's not that much, but you get that planning is part of progress. Some only need one step to planning.  The main point is, you will learn things along the way when you do this, which is the opposite of not doing and not learning anything.  So how much longer does it take to grow as an individual if you don't ever try to pursue your goals or start, thus don't make any progress?   Given, at times there is a lot on the line everyday, in a world of losses or gains- a mistake can really cost but you can look at planning as a way of starting as well.    It can happen to some people that when they "wing it" their odds are that everything turned out, but you have a better chance of actualization and more of an accurate outcome.  That isn't to say, procrastination is good.  Nothing will ever be perfect or the "perfect time", so use your discretion and set forth.  If there needs to be fire under your step, and it's a life or death emergency then your fight or flight response will kick into gear.

Now that I am past some tedious stuff (to me)- I will write this post less "life coachy" in style.  I do want to share a bit about how I get my passion brewing though.  In a world that is less than passionate, unless there is monetary gain involved.  I think this gives us all a mixed wrong message right from childhood.  If you need money in order to feel passion about anything, then surely the direction in which your focus will be on will be about money and not about what you love.  It still happens to me.  I think that can drive the fun out of your endeavours.  I like to do things I love, "as if" I am already making a living at it.  It doesn't mean I am yet, but we keep our jobs in the meantime if necessary to pay the bills.  Believe in what you are doing and help to uplift others following their passions.

You might want to note that you are working towards your goals and dreams, even when you are  working a job.  That is if you have a plan to make it work to your advantage.  It can be a way to help you alleviate stress of money, but you can still allocate proper amounts of time to your passion.  So, if your boss is always trying to make you work later and put in more overtime, perhaps it's time to make your own passions a #1 priority so you can enroll or learn what you want or join a choir or a club and so on.  You can work your regular hours or some overtime but it's really important to schedule, enroll or set a specific time aside towards your passions.  This is so that you know to stick to it and you can brief your work or your friends or family, or whom ever,  that you will be busy with your commitments.  This way they know what to expect.  It may never materialize otherwise, even if that means spending quality time with family.  Decide and commit to it.  We all can improve at this everyday.

If you try to accomplish something that others have not thought of or heard of, then some might pounce at the chance to comment negatively.  They may say how many ways will not work although they have no idea or what it entails to accomplish it.  They may say it's altogether impossible.  Sometimes, it is about nothing new but the naysayers will say something anyways, just to talk. Remember that.  Not many people listen and they will talk over you, talk to hear themselves, talk to bullshit, talk and talk some more.  So, it sounds mean in a way, but my question is, are you going to take their opinion to heart?   Remember it's not  necessarily as if they have had a personal experience and can forsee your future failings.  Everyone's outcome is always going to be different, as you have a multitude of varying skills and qualities, not to mention opportunities as the stars align differently for us all.  So there are types of people who enjoy robbing others of excitement and would rather bring other down and only offer an idle mentality to conversations, rather than be a positive beacon for others.

It is the same when some people have a lot of questions or comments, just to ask and with no interest of what the project is.  Has that ever happened to you?  Has anyone ever made it known they were not really paying attention to your answer, after they asked you what you do in life?  It actually can divert a person's energy to answer everyone's questions.  For example, you probably wouldn't see an engineer explaining everything he learned all the way up until University, to every Tom, Dick and Harry on the street especially if they were uneducated in all types of ways about the matter. No, it wouldn't be worth his while.  To "catch them up" on the subject is futile and you might lose zest for it and all you will be doing is explaining and justifying.  If you were going into a bank for a business loan that is different, then you have to explain your endeavour. It would be appropriate and you would put together a proper business plan and address all the pertinent information being asked, as there is something in return for your time and effort.  It has to do with your endeavours and it is not  meaningless time spent .  In any case you would take necessary steps to prepare for that "question period".  A lot of people will question how you have accomplished things in your life.  The thing is there is no way to put words to it, nor do you have to and you do not owe people a summary.  Actions are how you did what you did, in the long run, it took your actions to move forward.  The point is you got results, so being authentic and doing your thing your way without answering to anyone is the best way in my opinion.

Back to passion. You can watch motivational videos or read books to get motivation from a mentor who is experienced and helps you to succeed. But more than motivation, where does the passion for something come from?  Having a passion for something, is ongoing and you never want to stop doing it.  You might take breaks and that is why getting motivated is much like showering, one must do it regularly to get the benefits and practice it in different ways.  We can rely on some motivation to accomplish our goals and keep passion for them, for long periods of time.  When it is self-driven and we are always seeking answers and getting curious as to the ins and outs of life, then you could say you are "hungry.  That may help you to have a lot of motivation to work on things, and it could be altogether desperate.  So it really does boil down to what is in your heart to do and how badly you want it.  Whatever that is.  Then you will do it with no excuses.

Again, sometimes there are health issues or other things in the way that stop you from feeling feeling tip-top. Lack of exercise, battling depression or an illness, that robs you of energy, lack of motivation due to mental laziness or perhaps you are around someone that is constantly negative and fighting you thus affecting energy and confidence.  Factors that can bring you down are not a joke.  Any of these reasons and many more, can be a contributing factor into whether you let them interfere with getting things done in your life.  You might want to change the circumstances and people who are around you and thus influencing your life.  It is best to make a change than to continue in a rut or a broken environment.  So what do you try to do?  What ever it takes.  Have courage, and have faith.  Action is the catalyst to all change and  all chance really.  It is the very thing that changes circumstances, whether the action is small or large.  Don't downplay what you have accomplished and how far you have come along. Look to adjust when things are uncomfortable, and keep planning.  Once you understand that it is time, you can start to get excited about where you want to go just by planning and learning about the resources around you.  There is not a need to get overwhelmed, just know you are moving forward toward your goal.  If you are overwhelmed just remember it is a part of the experience of overcoming and quite necessary.  If you don't learn to deal with such feelings, you will not be able to cope on larger platforms or levels as you succeed.  We all have to start somewhere.

When it comes to deadlines you might find that just by starting something and slowly getting into it, you start to get on a roll.  I recommend starting early on any project, as there may be "unseens" that can happen and the more time you can be prepared to handle them as they arise the better.  This can help to not get overwhelmed.  Somethings cannot be intended and some things can, and it's essential to keep a nice pace so you don't burn yourself out.  It's also good to stay ahead, for some people that seems to always be on the verge of running late.  I, for one, try to stay on time by starting early which ends up being just on time.  If you get what I am saying, there is always Murphy's Law to contend with or things that take more time like getting out the door to where you must be.  Just try your best to save time when you can, prepare things ahead of time and multi-task when necessary; in past IAJLGOM's posts advice on saving time came up often.  If that isn't helping, then perhaps you can look into your time management or tools and apps that can help you with that.  Delegating tasks that you can or paying someone to take over in certain areas could help as well.

Just like exercise goals, health goals are real but although nutrition is important, it can also be unreal to some.  It becomes real when you start to lose your health,  Don't just try out diet fads, trends or exercises that fall in line with results that are trendy.  Get real nutrition into your body and stick with nourishing yourself, giving yourself a fighting chance to obtain good health and healing any underlying conditions you might have.  So don't base your exercise and health goals on end results that you actually don't want yourself, but feel you now must accomplish because you see it in advertisements or your friends are doing it.  Back in the 90's, it all of a sudden became the rage to be waif thin and this was due to a lot of supermodels were that skinny, and posed and were promoted in magazines and on television.   Ask yourself why do you have to be skinny or a certain way?  Does it mean you will be healthy or does it mean you will be unhealthy and jeopardizing yourself?  I would avoid diets that promote that, and rather choose to be healthy and fit.  Here is a past IAJLGOM's post on some ways and ideas to boost your energy level so you can stay on track: Energy Boosters .

Sometimes, it might not look like anything is getting done but then it all comes together in the end.  Progress is progress.  Give it your best and then don't worry about it, knowing it is in the works. For example, if someone wants a scarf for winter, they might try knitting a scarf for the first time in which they may make a lot of errors and get the yarn tangled up many times.  Where if they want to complete the scarf in time for winter, then they will fix their mistakes and forge ahead.  They may find they don't have time to complete knitting, maybe they will decide knitting isn't for them and go and purchase a scarf at a store, or they might mention to someone the need of a scarf.   Perhaps that person decides they have one too many and gives them  a scarf.  Either way, it's trying different avenues that bring you to your end goal.  In this case a scarf.  Repetition and trying different things can tend to work out to your advantage.

 If your passion is love for example, as some people are always looking for love even "in the wrong places", well you can see them doing what they love to do all day, everyday- without lack of energy. Whether it is a short term or long term relationship they find themselves in, nothing else will mean much to them except the hunt and chasing for love.  Perhaps they meet someone new all the time and fall in love easily, then they tend to start looking for love again even if it is elsewhere.  It is the feeling of love they are addicted to, but you should note the focus they have on what they want.  It can be all consuming to some people and I don't mean to say their focus is balanced, but for what they are working towards is really a passion of theirs and they do keep finding something that feels like love to themselves.   I assume one day or other they will find true everlasting love- with themselves even if for a moment.

There are many ways to defeat yourself and quite a few ways to succeed at your goals and passions in life.  We all have different methods.  Maybe you want to start asking yourself the right questions in order to fuel a desire to do better, such as how do successful people succeed or accomplish goals? What do they do in certain situations? How might I succeed with the information I can obtain by looking? When you don't know where to start, asking at least may get you idea, jot it down and then you can try and see how it goes.  There are libraries and librarians or search engines (Google), or other web searches on computers willing to help and assist you and there are of course answers all around us in the Universe. It is all about passion and moving towards your goal.  Alan Watts also speaks in the video on: Following Your Passion.  Enjoy!