With a symphony of birds in the cool morning breeze on my porch this weekend, I took pen to paper to make good on my promise to complete the assignments given by Jack Canfield on his training call last week. See last week’s article, “Teachings from Jack Canfield.”
Have you ever attempted to make a list of 101 goals you want to achieve before you die? Sounds like an easy thing to do, until you try to do it. I got to #60, and my pen dried up. It is interesting what happens when you commit to paper. I still have a ways to go on that assignment. Try it and let me know how far you get.
Jack then encouraged us to write a breakthrough goal to accomplish in the next year. Writing the goal is the easy part. The challenge will come in with implementing his “Rule of Five” – take five steps every day that will move you closer to that goal, and do it six days a week. Gulp, now that will be a challenge. However, do I want to feel and experience the accomplishment of that major goal one year from now? Do you? Taking five steps a day is definitely a way to break through any barriers holding us back. I think what I will do is develop the habit of daily numbering 1 – 5 in my planner to hold myself accountable.
The next exercise was very enlightening. Jack says it is important to write goals for each of the seven major components of our life. His message: write three goals in each of the following seven categories that you want to achieve and are willing to commit to in the next twelve months.
- Job/career
- Finance/money
- Relationships
- Health and fitness
- Fun and recreation
- Personal
- Contribution to the world
The interesting thing that came up for me was how easy it was to write nonstop in certain categories, and yet how difficult it was in others. Might a sneaky side benefit of this exercise be to point out to us how balanced we are in our life? For example, as crazy as it may sound, the ‘fun and recreation’ goal was one of the most challenging for me. I wrote the following “stretch goal” for myself: “Implement fun into my day on a daily basis.”
I got off to a good start yesterday. Dr. Whitney Gabhart is not only proficient in endocrinology, she is an incredible photographer. Whitney, her Uncle Charles, and I traveled to Spring Mill State Park to take a photo shoot for the cover of my upcoming book, The Awakened Body. Self conscious at first, eventually I became more relaxed and then actually began to enjoy the process – all 395 shots. We had so much fun, tromping around the park, acting like kids.
The beauty of Nature all around us replenished our souls. I kicked off my sandals and ventured out into the cold streams. At one point Dr. Gabhart called to me as I struggled to maintain my footing on the slippery stones, “Balance, Rosie. Show me balance. Isn’t that what it’s all about?” I thought about those seven categories. Balance. Yes, perhaps that is what it’s all about.
I do better when I have accountability partners. Would you join me on this mission of creating an incredible life in the next twelve months? Thank you, Jack, for the nudge to get us to show up in our life!
