Big. Hairy. Scary. Goals. There - I said it again. You all know what I’m talking about - those goals that seem so big and scary that you can barely bring yourself to admit that they exist somewhere in that brain of yours.  As I continue along through my training to become a life coach, I’ve made some personal observations about BHSGs:

1. Saying them out loud is often the scariest part
2. Scratch #1. Saying them out loud to another person (who is awake and listening) is even scarier, but it makes the goal start to feel REAL (and even possible)
3. When someone first tells you a goal of theirs, especially a BHSG, congratulate them! Say nothing about practical considerations or what might stop them - so often those are about your baggage or perceived limitations, not theirs.
4. The bigger and more important (in a life-fulfilling kind of way) the goal, the louder and more insistent my “Sabateur” becomes. Sabateurs are those voices that try to bring me down or protect the status quo with phrases like “you’re not thin/rich/experienced/smart/etc enough” or “you can’t do that - who do you think you are?” Our Sabateurs do not define us - we can choose whether to listen to those voices or not.
5. If you stop referring to your goals as scary, it starts to take the scariness away. “Scary” just means the opportunity is big enough. Our language creates our reality.
6. Setting BHSGs and working toward them feels REALLY good. That does NOT mean it feels easy or effortless. It feels really good to stretch and expand beyond what I originally thought was possible for myself. It feels even better to learn, grow, and inspire others in the process. And it feels good to fail and know that I can pick myself back up!
7. So many of our limitations in life are limitations we place on ourselves. What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

And with that, I will tell you (with trepidation, trembling hands, and a healthy dose of excitement) that I am going to run the Nike Women’s Marathon in October.

This entry was posted Tuesday, July 1st, 2008 at 9:55 am and is filed under Coaching, Life. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.