Focused Pursuits: Crafting Personal Growth through Boundaries
Vision is for the grown-up man or woman who can no longer just satisfy their own desires but also is responsible for the needs of others. Such vision in your goals should support your greater vision in life.
Last week, I wrote a short piece about setting up constraints to let your creativity develop. Our muscles grow when we give them extra weight to lift. We become better local drivers when we turn off the GPS and actually learn our streets.
And so it goes; you get the point. Giving yourself some boundaries is helpful for you and for those around you. When it comes to time management, as a parent and husband, while maybe studying and also working, things can get a little rough to keep in balance.
Regardless, we need to set some time limitations. For example, I try to write every day, but never set a specific time or length of time to do so; therefore, I do not write every day. The same can be said for my spiritual life and working out.
What are good ways to achieve your goals? We all know the SMART goals, but do we apply them in our daily routine? One thing I think that disconnects SMART goals in personal life, and sometimes also in professional life, is that such goals need to be vision-driven. I do not mean passion-driven; that is for teenagers. Vision is for the grown-up man or woman who can no longer just satisfy their own desires but also is responsible for the needs of others.
Such vision in your goals should support your greater vision in life. With whom do you want to spend time? What do you want to be investing your time in? Where do you want to be based?
Many, including myself, may wonder if boundaries and constraints are like guardrails. Indeed, they are. Exploring the off-beaten path is thrilling, but it's not always the quickest way from point A to point B, especially when your goals are clear. Wandering too far can lead to getting lost or wasting time. There's a time for exploring the woods of imagination, but sometimes, direct paths are key to achieving our goals efficiently.
It is worthwhile to get your vision and then work on your game plan for life.
A personal note: Don't forget to share this with your friends through email, social media, or even by phone text. I'd also love to hear from you in the comments section. How do you manage your time, and what kind of constraints have you put in place?
Until the next one,
Javier