Every Decision Counts

The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. 

Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it.

~ Steve Jobs

 

I remember saying to a friend at the beginning of February:  

 

“This is the month that good shit is going to happen!”

I just had a feeling that things were going to start to fall into place, particularly with starting my business. For the most part they did fairly easily and quickly. In fact I couldn't help but think every now and then, that it was almost too easy... I know I should listen to my friends' encouragements to just enjoy the process as it unfolds, to not look nor wait for the obstacles. That they may occur and will be resolved in their own time. And quite likely that if I just keep focused on the good stuff and the end goal, that the obstacles and disappointments along the way may not seem so important, rather a step on the journey.

When I started writing the blog for this week, that was to be the topic: not fully appreciating and enjoying the good by waiting for these obstacles. But as I wrote, I started to realize something else...

Early in February I was watching an episode of one of my current TV interests, and heard one character ask another:

“What is it you want to do with your life?”

Following her response, he said:

“Then every decision you make should be leading you towards that goal.”

Those words struck a cord with me and I realized how easy it is to distract ourselves with decisions that really have nothing to do with our true goals and desires. What would happen if I started to view every decision I made as leading me towards my goal of opening my own private counselling practice? So I started repeating those words to myself whenever I was faced with a decision: decisions about finalizing and furnishing office space; confirming a clinical supervisor; activities to engage in during my “spare” time; and who to connect or network with in the community. And seemingly less relevant, every day decisions about my appearance and behavioural presentation when in public; time spent visiting family and friends out of town; time spent and activities engaged in with friends in town; how to respond to the text from that cute guy asking me to hang out...

Simply asking myself, “how will this decision lead me towards my goal” helped to keep the goal in the forefront of my mind. Even when the decision didn’t directly impact it.

It wasn't that I became obsessed with this goal. I definitely allowed myself down time, choosing to relax and indulge in other activities I enjoyed like playing my guitar and watching Netflix. Simply because sometimes a break is as important as the work.

I also found myself thinking about some of the other areas of my life that I wanted to focus on and give attention to. Things like my friendships, my family, the possibility of a romantic relationship. Things like writing for an on-line dating blog and keeping up with my own personal blog, making music, reading for pleasure, cooking healthy meals, baking treats, and attempting to maintain some kind of a fitness routine. And so I added these to the list of “how will this decision lead me towards my goal(s).”

As I look back over the past 6 weeks I am starting to see how much that one simple question impacted my activities and progress. Perhaps equally important is that I have thoroughly enjoyed most if not all of the activities I engaged in. Knowing that my decisions are moving me towards the goals that I have for myself and reflecting the areas of my life that I want to be developing and giving attention to has in some ways, without me even realizing it, given new meaning to all that I do. Watching Netflix is no more a waste of time or mindless distraction. It is a relaxing break I enjoy and allow myself to indulge in!

Ok, so maybe Netflix is still a mindless distraction sometimes. But I'm putting less stress and pressure on my daily life. I feel like I am accomplishing something every day, which increases my motivation and a sense of achievement in the process. All because of one little question that I started asking myself over and over again:

How will this decision lead me towards my goal(s)?