Are you living life or merely going through a list-ticking exercise? It’s very easy for it to become a list-ticking exercise; at home, in your career, at work, in relationships, in business, socially – in all departments. It can become very empty and tiring (much like the image left). This way of living often happens in the space between childhood and adulthood: all of a sudden there are a list of expectations and aspirations that others have for you, hand to you and that you run with or reject.
Goal setting, list-writing, having aspirations is all well and good and can be useful, motivating, encouraging, focusing, valuable and so on in all areas of your personal, career and business progression (and of course I help people with many of those things in my work as a life coach, business coach and corporate coach) but I’m very well aware that goals are not the be all and end all. What’s more sometimes your goals – and your relationship/emotions around them, what they mean – can be where the real difficulty resides. (More below video)
(Above: Rasheed Ogunlaru – Living life or a list ticking exercise video)
So has your life become a list ticking exercise? What might it be like without the ticking? What might it be like without the list? What might it be like without the judging? Does the list writing and ticking work for you? Who wrote the list: you, your boss, your customers, your partner, your parents, your newspaper, your peers? Who influenced the list? Perhaps those who you aspire to or who you’ve had around you? Do your ‘to do list’, plans, goals and strategies work for you personally, professionally and socially?
Knowing yourself is key to this. Sometimes list-ticking can work for some people. But often it can stilt and stifle the very progress and happiness it is that you seek. Especially if you do not approach them mindfully and if you are not deeply aware of what is actually sought by the goal ticking exercise ultimately. It’s easy for the enjoyment, fun, flexibility, creativity, serendipity and possibility can injured of killed off completely. If so living life to the full has been compromised by this list ticking exercise.
If this topic interest you you may well enjoy my ‘Goals; to have, to hold or to let go’ video on my YouTube Channel. It will help you explore your relationships to goals and goal setting and when it can be valuable to set them, when it’s important to hold on to them and when it’s important to be flexible around them, change them or let go of them completely.
Rasheed Ogunlaru is a leading life, business and corporate coach. He is a specialist on inner fulfilment and is author of a range of inspiring books, audio talks and videos including Soul trader – Putting the Heart Back into Your Business. He is also the life / business coach partner to the British Library’s Business & IP Centre where he runs the ‘Soul Trader; your life your business’ workshop.
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