Purposeful Living: Turning Achievable Goals Into Purposeful Habits

It has been said that “You are only as good as your habits.” While “good” is certainly a relative term, I think we can agree that purpose can only be lived out with deep intentionality and awareness.

In the last two months, we have given you exercises to help you craft your seeds of hope and then turn those seeds of hope into achievable goals . This month we will give you some contemplation to consider the habits that will help you achieve your goals.

The seeds of hope contain your purposeful life plan. The soil you place them in (the systems around you), will either foster growth or stifle growth. To foster growth and see goals turn into sustained life, your day-to-day habits must be intentional and disciplined.

As an amateur green-thumb, I find immense joy in watching my veggies grow each summer. However, there is one factor that drives me nuts: the weeds.

Those annoying weeds have the subtle power to reduce the health of each crop I plant. To ensure that is not the case, I need to be proactive and reactive to make sure my plants are healthy.

In the same way, you need to be proactive and reactive to intentionally craft habits in your life that will ensure your goals become sustainable and achievable.

Proactive goals are simple. When gardening, I will put weed prevention in the soil ever so often. In the same way, I must be proactive in my life to consider what I can do to prevent distractions from hitting my goals.

Even though I lay down weed prevention in my garden, weeds still find a way to creep in. If I am negligent and do not recognize the threats early on, the weeds will tackle the growth of the veggies. On the other hand, if I recognize them, I can pluck them from the root and get on with the hopes of delighting in those veggies.

In the same way, many subtle threats will come into our day-to-day lives that want to spoil our achievable goals. With intentionality and the right habits of contemplation, we can all recognize those threats and get rid of them before they destroy our purposeful life goals.

So, as you look to accomplish your achievable goals you must develop the right habits. Answer the following questions to support you in the design of those habits so you can increase the proactive and reactive intentionality to make sure your soil, the environment around you, is clear of threats:

• How can you be proactive to ensure your achievable goals are fulfilled:
  • Have you written down your goals and posted them somewhere you can see daily?
  • Have you shared these goals with people who can healthily check-in with you to hold you accountable to progress?
  • At work, have you communicated your life and work goals with your leadership?
    • If not, is there some crafted communication you need to do so?
  • Are there any limiting beliefs you hold about your ability to achieve your goals?
  • What factors creep into your ecosystem that might keep you from achieving your goals:
    • Hourly?
    • Daily?
    • Weekly?
    • Monthly?

Now, look at your answers and commit to three habits (proactive and reactive) to adopt to ensure your goals are achievable.

Focus this month on creating these boundaries. Doing so will enrich your soil so that your seeds of hope can grow, and lasting impact can lead to more purpose.

This analysis is a great starting point to create the right boundaries. In the Purpose Promise book and Workbook, you will dive deeper and find more support for your healthy growth. Please let us know if we can support you as you turn those seeds of hope into achievable goals.