Do your actions match your goals?

You hear it all the time, in so many situations. A friend, a loved one, and perhaps even you, say something like "I really need to save money", or "I really need to get out of this relationship", or even, "I'm going to start my own business". And how many times have you seen the person saying that just continuing to do the same things as always? This brings up an interesting question. Do your actions take you further towards your goals, or further away from them? Most people say those comments with the best intentions, but intentions are not actions. When it comes down to the action part, we see them fall away of what they said they wanted so passionately. Looking at it from the outside, we see it so very clearly, but with them looking at it from the inside, it is much more difficult to see the reasons why their goals and their actions don't match.

As I've often said, the hardest part of spiritual growth is admitting the things about yourself that you don't like. The ego doesn't want to hear that we are afraid, or angry, or jealous, or anything other than we are doing just fine! Looking into the mirror and admitting to yourself that you are not perfect may seem like an easy thing to do, but it is quite difficult when you actually have to do it. When you find that your actions are not leading you towards your goals, you must look inside and say "What about me is keeping me from my goals?" If it is a relationship, it's simply "What about me is staying in this relationship when I know it isn't fulfilling for me?" If it's money, it may be "What about me has trouble saving money?", or "What about me creates bad spending habits?". The answer is always inside of us, and the number one answer is usually fear. Fear can paralyze us from doing even the simplest of things, even if we want desperately to do it. You must remember, that doing the right thing, is very rarely doing the easiest thing. So what scares you? Being alone? Not having the security of a bank account? Not being able to be successful? On the surface as you read this, it may seem pretty silly that those things can get in the way of your goals, but when you are actually going through it, you will find your insecurities will be on the front lines, and those fears become very real.

How then, do you get past that fear and get back on track for your goals? Again, the first thing is to find out what about you is preventing you from moving forward. Let's say you are in a relationship, but you feel unfulfilled. You know it is not the best relationship for you to be in. So, you start making excuses on why you should stay. And maybe you feel that the relationship is better than being alone. Notice that you are only focused on one part of the equation. It is not all about THAT relationship, but also, the millions of possibilities that the Universe offers. A thought process such as "Who is waiting out there for me that cannot see me because I am with this person?" can start to open your mind to the infinite number of possibilities that exist out there. Another way of saying the same thing is "What am I missing while I waste my time here?" Once you put the power back within you, you can create the change you seek in your life. When you start thinking about the better things that exist out there, your fear is overcome, because you start to look at the benefits of leaving, instead of the insecurities.

Remember that fear is just misguided intention. It's when we focus more on what could happen, than what we want to happen. When you make a strong choice in what you want to achieve, and stand by that choice, then fear dissipates, and the positive change starts to manifest in your life. So, take a few minutes and write down some of your immediate goals, then see if you actions are bringing you closer or farther away from those goals. If you find that your actions do not match your goals, identify why that is, overcome that obstacle, make a strong, committed choice, and get back on the path to your goals. When you look back in the rear view mirror, you'll wonder why you weren't doing this all along.

Do your actions match your goals?