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There might be psychological difference in what we call the pots of gold at the end of our aspirations.  Setting goals or reaching for dreams -- one has the sound of cold steel, the other invites inspired excitement.  Do we remove 'goal' from the language?  No; it'll be much easier to warm the word.

"We all need a dream that excites the living daylights out of us, helping us spring out of bed in the morning with vibrancy and enthusiasm." --Dr. John Eliot, When Goals Fall Flat!, Nightengale Conant advantedgenewsletter

Dr. John Eliot, author, The Maverick Mindset, puts forth that there are five points surrounding rigid goal setting that are happiness- and success-killers, no  matter the level of achievement.


PERFECTIONISM:

Setting goals often carries a feeling of rigidity. as if they're carved in stone.  Those stone carvings, however, don't allow for the serendipity of life as we know it.  Success and happiness don't necessarily recognize Plan A as the only path; in the end, being open to changing plans and paths might bring better results.

Theory isn't perfect and our plans are simply unpracticed theory.  Removing the blinders that make the straight path look like the only path, gives us a great side-to-side view.  It's not perfect; it's better.


IMPATIENCE:

A tight agenda serves no good purpose in the goal/dream arena.  It's a pressure device, constantly reminding us to go, go, go.  When we can't 'go' quickly enough, myopic impatience sets in.  What then?  Irritability when the details can't ge ironed out, aggravation that the pieces won't fit together in the puzzle we've visualized.

Well, how much of the puzzle can be visualized when the agenda is miserly tight?  Far better to scrap the mini-puzzles and focus on that bigger reward.  

There's a natural flow to life.  Since our goals and dreams are part of our lives, acquiescing to that natural flow keeps patience in check and lets us visualize beyond the nitty details.


THINKING IN THE FUTURE:

Every minute in the present was the future and no future will ever exist without its present.  Why, then, do we put so much import on things that will some day and disregard the life that's passing its time now?

If we're absorbed in some indistinct future, we ignore that now is what absorbed us yesterday; where do we finally find satisfaction?

Far better to look down the roads that lead away from today, yet embrace what we have at hand.  Far better to take delight in the accomplishments of the moment and let them guide us to the achievements of the future.


OUTCOME ORIENTATION:

Which outcome has more value on a daily basis?  Knowing that our dreams and goals are a little closer because we've maintained enough momentum to take a few more steps?  Disregarding the newly completed steps in favor of trying to squint into the light at the end of the tunnel?

The tunnel is filled with satisfying joys and accomplishments; they, too, are outcomes.

There's nothing wrong with long-range sight, as long as that sight doesn't overshadow the the accomplishments that sit right in front of our eyes.

Be excited every day.


EXCESS PLANNING:

Everything we do takes time and energy.  How much of either should be siphoned from working toward our dreams by listing those dreams?

A frame of an idea, a skeletal outline of how we want to get from here to there is a great.  But whenever we decide to make our lists and check them twice, we consciously spend more time planning than doing.

The joy is in the doing, the realization of a many jobs well done on the way to the big job successfully completed.

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