What do you want?

What do you want?  Sometimes the answer to that question is dependent on if you are thinking about short-term answers vs. long-term goals.  For example, this weekend you might have wanted to hang out with friends, relax and watch the March Madness basketball games.  But then another longer term goal might have been that you want to be proactive and work ahead on your big school project so that you aren't super stressed about it at the last minute.

So, perhaps a better question really comes down to "What do you want now?" and "What do you want MOST?"  Discipline is choosing to do the things now that will lead you to the goals aligned with what you want most.

But being disciplined is hard at times.  It is easier to procrastinate, to push off the thoughts of what isn't immediate, and to do something that you feel you "deserve."  And, let me clarify, I believe that it is unbelievably important that you have balance in your life!  So I am not saying you should be living a life only for the future goals and not for the present moment.  I am definitely NOT saying that.  But sometimes we get trapped in this cycle of live in the moment without any care of the future and then panic when the future is now and we have things that must be done.

School examples like I mentioned above are often the easiest to consider, but the reality is this type of a choice is something you will be faced with for the rest of your life.  And, many of the decisions you are making now will impact you far into the future.  At the very least, your decisions matter because you are developing a consistent practice of how you will manage your choices.  If you consistently make the decision to focus on your goal and where you want to be in the future - those small steps, made with consistency, will result in big gains.  For example, if I want to run a marathon and I can't run down the block, then I would need to start by taking small steps toward my goals each day.  I don't need to suddenly try to run 5 miles - it would be a frustrating failure and I'd think I could never reach my goal.  But if I would walk today, then maybe tomorrow I can walk again, but also run down one block, and then gradually, with time, patience, consistency, and an unwillingness to give up on what I want most I will eventually be able to reach my goal.

If you are finding yourself stuck in cycles where you are struggling to figure out how to make choices that focus on What you Want Most - stop by and see me.  Let's talk about it and see if we can try to come up with a plan that will help you reach your goals in a reasonable manner that will still allow you to have fun, live in the moment, but without neglecting what you want most.