Jul
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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:
- Saying them out loud is often the scariest part
- 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)
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
- 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.
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shutup, shutup, shutup!!! i’ve been meaning to tell you- i’m running a half marathon in november. i am REALLY impressed that you are running a full!!! you go girl! now we can run together in July!
Hey- and i convinced a whole bunch of people at work- i think there are 17 of us running it!
That’s awesome!!! Congrats! And yes – we will definitely have to run together in July. That’s great that you’ve convinced a whole cohort to run with you – they will certainly hold you accountable and keep you motivated!
So we just had our annual reviews at work and my boss asked to me write up a 3 year plan. (he has been going to some coaching classes) My 3 year plan includes some BHSGs that now I have to put down on paper and share with my boss!!!!
On financing big hairy scary goals that involve going someplace and then returning – just focus on getting there – then there you are – have fun – the Lord will get you home so you only have to worry about half of the cost of your trip – ie – get scared later like when you are hitchhiking home at two in the morning on some deserted highway in the middle of Texas. The transcendence of your recently past experience will open you to new horizons of problem solving. You will learn things at SXSW that will get you home. You will be an open soul who will connect with someone driving in your direction etc. or like Joe Ely sings: “The lord works in mysterious ways and tonight he's gonna steal your car.” Just kidding.