In holistic goal setting, always remember, a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. What step are you taking right now? Is it a step to a larger goal? Or are you drifting aimlessly?

If you have a large long-term goal, then it will require the attainment of many smaller goals. Keep that image of the large goal in your awareness as you focus on the prerequisite steps along the way. I remember long ago hearing the story of a man who found inspiration everyday that he went to work to lay bricks. “I’m not just laying bricks,” he said. “I’m building a cathedral.”

The accomplishment of small goals on the way to a big goal helps keep the energy and passion flowing. Just as a jet needs fuel to fly, we each need fuel in the form of passion and inspiration. It’s the difference between waking in the morning with excitement about the day’s work or waking with dread and weariness.

These single steps are self-regenerating with the energy they supply. For with each step’s completion comes a little more confidence. It also provides the momentum to complete the next step.

If you find that the step you are on is too hard to accomplish, break it down into smaller steps. For instance, if you are setting out to build a large website, break it down into how many pages you can build in a day. That creates the mindset of reaching an attainment every day vs. the mindset of “when will this ever be done?”

Set Holistic Goals

It is important to set goals that are in alignment with our whole self. Don’t set a goal that one part of you hates striving for. That creates self-defeating behavior. Don’t set yourself up just to sabotage yourself.

When every part of your being is harmoniously moving towards the same goal, you become as powerful as a laser beam –- all the waves of energy are aligned in the same direction. No obstacle can interfere with your attainment of your goal when you, like the laser beam, are the embodiment of coherent light.

And don’t let your goals come from other people. All sorts of people (parents, media, and society) can set unrealistic goals for you, which almost guarantee failure. They will often do this in ignorance of your own inner claims.

Some people advise not to set your goals too high or too low. Nonsense. Nobody knows what you can do until you discover it for yourself. Just look at Gandhi, or Nelson Mandela.

Don’t be afraid to set your goals high. Just make sure to create within yourself the holistic mindset. Get the intellectual, emotional, mental, spiritual, physical and even the financial part of your being all on the same page. When you do, an infinite intelligence can work miracles in your life. When then is no inner discord, the voice of your intuition is clear. Energy becomes focused and powerful.

Likewise, don’t be afraid to set your goals too small. Small things sometimes lead to big things. Sometimes a bunt single can win the game as effectively as a home run.

Consider the words of Mother Theresa: “A smile can uplift a person to the extent that it changes the course of his or her life, and that life can change the course of the world. Such is the power of love.”

It is interesting to me that a person’s greatest achievement in life could be something he or she is not even aware that they did. A gesture, a smile, a pat on the back. Every interaction with other people has significance.
Achieving your Goals

Some people think that when you achieve a goal that you have to take time to enjoy the satisfaction. But I find that achieving any goal creates an inner satisfaction that is mystical in a sense.

I see reaching goals as an evolving process. With each goal reached I have more knowledge and power, and that allows the attainment of even higher goals. Infinite possibilities await us all. There is an inner source of being within us all that is constantly seeking higher and higher forms of expression.

Our primary duty in life is to allow our selves to be shaped into that higher form of expression, like a piece of wood being hollowed out so that it can become a flute.

Goals don’t have to become progressively harder, as some people advise. If I get an inspiration to do something, it may be hard and it may be easy. I find the more important element is saying yes to inspiration. I find that the more I say yes to it the more it speaks to me. The idea is to follow my bliss, not some hypothetical increase in difficulty of attainment.

What are the Key Points in Goal Setting?

Goal setting is an important method of accomplishing any lifetime achievement. However, there are some key points that you should consider before setting your goals.

• Does it feel right?
• Does the goal’s achievement lead to even higher possibilities of expression for your innermost self?
• Is it in alignment with the over-arching goal of your life’s purpose?

If you answer yes to these questions, then it is likely that you are pursuing your goals with consciousness and not blind ambition. That makes such a difference in the enjoyment of the quest.

So be aware of the step you are taking on what may be a very long journey. Is the step suffused with joy? With dread? The answer to that question can either assure you that you are on the right track, or help point you to the right track. Either way, it is a reliance on consciousness. I remember often the words of St. Theresa of Avila: “All the way to heaven is heaven.”

Yes, there might be pain, suffering, and disappointment, but there is always an inner joy when you are on the right path. It’s a joy from deep within. It’s a rejoice at coming closer and closer to your soul’s deepest longing for wholeness, of being all that you are meant to be.
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