Blog by Marshele Scherrer
Most of us write a “to-do list” each day. We sit down with our cup of joe each morning and, as we read through our emails, we create a list of all of the tasks we have to do that day. When was the last time you woke up and created your “goal list”? Many do not realize the difference between setting goals and setting tasks. A quick run down…
Tasks are things that you are going to get done eventually. No matter what—going grocery shopping, for instance, will get done. You may eat out five nights in a row before you actually go to the grocery store, but at some point, you will buy groceries.
Goals are things that are not going to happen unless you make a conscious effort to achieve them. Examples of this may be running a marathon or starting your own business. Goals are what inspire and motivate you. Goals require a sense of possibility. Soren Kierkegaard says this about possibility,
“If I were to wish for anything, I should not wish for wealth and power, but for the passionate sense of the potential, for the eye which, ever young and ardent, sees the possible. Pleasure disappoints, possibility never. And what wine is so sparkling, what so fragrant, what so intoxicating, as a possibility!”
There are three things that I want to mention about the possibility as it relates to goals.
1) Possibility allows the past to stay the past.
2) It provides ways to overcome or remove constraints.
3) Possibility comes from above the line.
More specifically, in my opinion, there is an invisible and sometimes indistinguishable line where our motives reside which can impact how successful we will be in achieving our goals. For example, if a goal is set below the line on the foundation of anger, jealousy or fear, we are less likely to achieve those goals. However, when we create goals driving above the line from a place of passion, confidence, or commitment, we empower ourselves to succeed.
My challenge to you today is to discover your “possibility.” Before setting your day-to-day tasks, make sure you take the time to set goals. You can set your goals for next week, for the next year and for the next ten years. This way your daily tasks align with bigger goals that align with your purpose.
