We all have goals in life. Even if you haven’t taken the time to set them, and formalize them, I can assure you, that you have goals. Goals are always something that are in the future. It is something that we want to achieve or obtain. They can be tangible or intangible. Goals have a time-frame attached to them or else they are only a wish.

Once we have a goal identified, we need to prioritize it and stay focused or else it will fade away and just become nothing more than a passing thought. I’m not writing about setting your goals or deciding what your goals are. I’m concerned right now about developing the focus that is needed to keep it in the forefront of our daily activity.

“Focusing is about saying No.”

Steve Jobs

 We have so many distractions in our lives today, that it is easy to get sidetracked and lose sight of what we really want in life. Social media, the news, games, movies, TV shows and more all try to steal our time. Every day there may be unexpected events that will try to take us off course. We need to put them aside, even if just for a little while, so we can take some type of action to get us closer to what we truly desire.

Focusing on a goal is like walking on the railroad tracks. If you stare at an object ahead of you and focus on it, you will continue to walk straight and stay on track. If you look left or right or up and down, you will lose your balance and step off course. It is the same thing when we set a goal. If we can keep ourselves focused on it then we can keep moving one step at a time in the right direction.

We need to be honest with ourselves. If we don’t stay focused on what we are trying to accomplish, then we need to stop and ask if this is something we truly desire. Is it something we want for ourselves or is it something that someone else wants? Am I setting this goal to live up to someone else’s expectation? These are reasonable questions to ask if you are stalled on a particular goal. If our why isn’t big enough, then it won’t become a priority.

 I have learned to question my goals and keep asking “why?” as I set them. For example: Do I really want this to happen for me? Why? Is this goal too big for me? Why?  Does this benefit me? Why? Does this align with my values? Why? How will I truly feel once I achieve this? Why?

I need to know why I felt the need for these desires or objectives, and I have discovered, that a few of the goals that I have set in the last couple of years weren’t the right ones for me. I kept peeling back the onion, so to speak, and I have eliminated several intentions that weren’t serving my purpose. Now that I have done that, I have been able to find goals that have much more meaning to me, and step by step, it has become easier for me to focus on the ones that have survived the cut and are important to me.

Now, I have targets that move me and make me emotional. I think about them and take action passionately. I prioritize them, even the hard ones. If your goals don’t move you, then chances are, you are not moving for that goal. The point is, that if you truly have chosen the right goal at the right time for yourself, then you won’t allow anything or anyone to take your focus away from achieving it.

Staying focused on your goal, doesn’t come down to all the small tricks or tips that can be found in dozens of books. It comes down to how desperately we want that goal. Is the why big enough? Has it moved in front of pleasing your boss? Is it more important than spending time mindlessly swiping through your phone or staring at the TV? You get the picture. Once a goal is big enough and our desire for it is even bigger, then focusing on it will come naturally.

I believe we all know, that what makes us better, is not the goal itself, but it is the journey we take to get it. The fact that we have something to strive for, which may seem to be out of reach, pushes us to find courage to do things that we wouldn’t normally do. We can find strength in ourselves that has been inside us all along waiting to have a chance to break out.

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”

Anais Nin

I have a picture at home of a fullback carrying a football in a snowstorm. There are about 6 defenders trying to tackle him. Three of them are literally on his back. He was still moving. You can see the strain on his legs. He was focused on moving that ball forward. I always think of that when I am stuck. It reminds me, that like a good fullback, you must keep your legs moving and you will push through anything. Keep your legs moving, every day.

Even if it just a little step in the right direction, it is in the right direction. Life may pull us this way and that way, but if you can take a small action towards achieving your goal, it is better than taking no action at all. Before you know it, those little steps add up and you are closer to the goal line!

 “Whenever you want to achieve something, keep your eyes open, concentrate and make sure you know exactly what it is you want. No one can hit their target with their eyes closed.”
― 

Paulo Coelho, The Devil and Miss Prym