I was at a conference last year, and was asked to write out my BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) in one sentence. This was to define who I was and what I wanted to bring to the world. As I thought about that, I was reminded that it would take effort in setting small goals if I ever wanted to come close to that BHAG that seemed so far away.
As I think back to my health journey, I’m reminded of a few things I thought about along the way as I was looking for healing.
Have you thought about what you want the “end picture” of your health to look like?
What is health to you? And… is that different from wellness?
When I began my quest to better health, I started looking at the difference between health and wellness, and I put those into my own words and thoughts before determining my end goals.
The definition of health is the state of being free from illness or injury; a person’s mental or physical condition.
My personal definition of health is being able to have energy to do what I want to do, freedom from medication, feeling good inside and out. It’s without symptoms like hair loss, pain, fatigue, acne, stomach pain, constant nausea, exhaustion (which were a few of the things I experienced on a daily basis).
How is that different from wellness?
The definition of wellness is the state of being in good health, especially as an actively pursued goal.
My personal definition of wellness is being able to enjoy my life because I’m living free from any form of sickness and disease.
But as I began my journey, I realized that my experience was taking me to a deeper level. It was more than health and wellness. I wanted to be made whole.
Wholeness means being complete and harmonious. It is a place of unity; a state of being unbroken or undamaged.
To me, this encompasses the entire person – mind, body, and spirit – bringing it into alignment. It’s having balance not only in my physical body, but in my mind and emotions as well.
So this is the goal I set out to find for myself – and this is what I want for you too.
The Basics of Goal Setting
One of the first things I did was set these goals right from the beginning. If we have no idea what we want, then how are we going to achieve it? If we can’t answer these questions then how can we ever expect to reach our fullest potential? Without goal-setting, we are doing nothing more than blindly building.
Many times we don’t get what we want because we simply don’t know what we want. We’ve never defined our life goals or what success looks like. Many times we dream about things and they turn to wishful thinking because we never back them up with a plan.
I believe that vague goals bring us vague results. Are your goals so vague that you really have no way of knowing whether or not you’ve achieved them? Sometimes it’s our lack of faith in ourselves that prevents us from going out on a limb and laying our truest desires on the line. Maybe we’re afraid we won’t achieve them, but if we don’t lay them out, we never give ourselves a chance.
Get Specific When Setting Goals
The more faith we have in our ability, the more specific we will be. And the more specific we are, the more likely we will achieve. If our goals are not specific, then we are robbed in the end. We never know if the result could or would have happened. Well defined goals give us an opportunity to envision our future. When we envision our future, we can work to bring it to pass.
Your goals should be very specific and measurable. They should have beginning and an end. You should have a clear picture of what the result will look like in your mind. Sometimes the end looks a little different than we imagine, but change will come, and many times it’s even greater than we imagined.
What Are You Going To Do?
So I ask you today, what are you willing to do for you? You need to answer that question and clearly spell it out. If you can’t answer that question, stop reading. Quiet yourself and get an answer. The cool thing is, as we grow, this answer will change. If you’ve been chasing the same goals year after year, then you’re not growing. Eventually, your goals should look like a moving target, but you have to start somewhere. Why not right here, right where you are, right now? Define your dream, spell out your goal, claim your victory.
So many times we don’t get what we want because we don’t know what we want.
Then there comes the big question. Why? Why do you want to even achieve these goals?
When we answer the what and the why, the how will likely come to us.
If you’re struggling to reach your goals, then I encourage you to take action today. Truly sit down and begin to ask yourself the hard questions. Why are you truly stuck? You may be shocked to find the truth. But in finding the truth, you will find Freedom.
Leave me a message. Let me know what your BHAG is, or one simple goal you’re setting to help you reach that Big Hairy Audacious Goal. And do yourself a big favor — Make Today Amazing!
You can catch this same content in a 6 minute video as well.
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