Are you investing in your goals?
It seems like a silly question, yet for many of us the question is relevant—and pretty revealing.
This question haunted me a few weeks ago and I was shocked at my gut response to what should be an obvious answer.
After taking up running late last year, I’m training for the Army Ten-Miler this October. When my free trial of the training app Runna expired, I started questioning if I really wanted to pay for another subscription. (This is an affiliate link, which will give you 2 free weeks to try out Runna, which I highly recommend).
It’s a fair question, especially when one of my other goals is to save money for a big family vacation. But it also reveals a common trap we fall in to.
We set goals for ourselves, but we’re not fully committed to them. We find excuses, even good ones, to avoid doing what it takes to achieve our goals—to be fully invested in them.
In the big scheme of things, the Runna subscription is not going to keep me from my goal of saving for a family vacation. But NOT getting the subscription may very well keep me from being successful at the completing the Army Ten-Miler.
And for the record, investing doesn’t only mean money. I am investing time 3 days a week on this training plan. I’m running in the early mornings and in the rain. I’m running on days when I don’t really feel like it. I’m doing yoga to help my body recover from the training. I’m invested!
Investing in your goals might be learning new skills. You could do that be taking on online course or listening to a podcast.
Another way to invest in your goals is spending time to develop your strategy. Chasing your dream without a plan or strategy may not deliver the best ROI. So invest the time in doing it right.
Maybe investing in your goals is hiring a coach or working with an accountability partner to help you help you stay focused on that strategy. Don’t have a coach? I offer a free 20-minute strategy call to discuss your goals and how best to reach them.
What does investing in your goals look like for your professional goals? What does it look like for your personal goals? How are you investing in your purpose-driven goals.
Investing in your goals will look different for every person. It may look different for each goal. But if you’re not willing to invest in your goals, you may want to ask yourself, “Are my goals truly aligned with my values?”
I wish I could remember where I heard this, but someone was describing a client who missed achieving their goal. The client was sad but tried to justify falling short by saying, “well, I did everything I could do.”
The coach asked in response, “Did you? Did you do EVERYTHNG?”
Did you make 100 cold-calls to new potential clients? Did you make 1,000 calls? 5,000?
Did you turn off the TV or put down the phone so you could use that time to work on the book you want to write?
Did you run in the rain or when you are tired? Did you follow your nutrition plan when you really wanted to eat a giant pizza?
Did you do everything, or is that the lie we tell yourselves so we can feel better?
Remember, these aren’t someone else’s goals. They’re yours! Investing in goals that are aligned with your values and vision is really investing in yourself. It’s investing in your happiness, fulfillment, and sense of self-worth.
What will you do today to invest in your goals?