We live in a world where normal is rush, rush, rush, rush. We have goals to get someplace and once we get there we set new goals to go someplace else.
I’ve found that goals are generally things that keep us from enjoying the trip. If we’re always focusing on what our objective is we don’t have time to look around as we make the journey.
For me the journey is always more interesting than the destination. I tend to learn much more from observations I make along the way than when I get to my final destination.
Becoming a CFP® was a goal of mine. It took about three years to get there between the course work and the practical experience that I needed to get.
Sitting for the exam was painful. It felt like putting my head in a vice and squeezing for three days. I had prepared well and was one of the lucky ones to pass on the first try.
The goal for me wasn’t actually getting the CFP® mark as it was learning the information that would allow me a certain level of competence with my clients. In other words, it was the trip that I took to get the CFP© that was where all of the value lived. The trip of learning was where the value was with every licensing program I’ve participated in. It certainly was when I was putting major alphabet designations after my name.
Too often we get to the completion of a goal we may have and feel let down. We ask what’s next. Unless we’ve spent time thinking about what our next challenge is going to be we can find ourselves floating through the world without a lot of direction.
Goals provide direction. They don’t provide satisfaction and in of themselves they aren’t very useful. A completed goal just lets us know that we’ve reached some sort of milestone that will become a new milestone.
Take some time to look around. You might find that there are some really interesting things you can learn and adopt as you take your journey through life. I know that I have.
Josh Patrick
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