What's Really Important to You

Today I read a pithy yet inspiring little quote: "Actions speak louder than goals." Now, anyone who knows me well knows that I am all about having a number of clear, written, specific goals. In fact, right now as I look through the files on my laptop, I see a life goals list, a summer 2012 goals list, a fall 2012 academic goals list, and a 2012 year goals list. That's a lot of goals. But as this quote reminded me, goals are completely useless if they aren't backed by action. You can make goals all you want to, but they don't amount to much if you never DO anything to make them happen. A goal without action is shallow idealism. I know some people (and I probably do this sometimes too) who talk all the time about goals they want to accomplish, but I never see them taking any concrete steps to bring their goals to fruition.

And then there are the excuses--I know you've probably used them a time or two, because we all have! "I'm too tired. I'm too busy. It's too hard." But the thing is, you WILL find the time, energy, and means to do the things that are truly important to you. In fact, if you want to know what's really important to you, don't bother pulling up your goals list. Just take a look at how you spend most of your time, what you think about the most, what keeps you up at night and wakes you up early in the morning, what you talk about and write about and ponder. Whatever it is, for good or bad, that's what's important to you. This can be kind of a sobering exercise--there are definitely days when the things I spent the most time and energy on were decidedly NOT what I want to consider important in my life. (Trust me, I would never want to say, "Oh yeah, today my life priorities were updating my Facebook status and reading Seventeen magazines.") But it's a good reality check as to what's really a priority.

So in sum: a goal is a good thing. It's definitely a start. But by itself, it's just not enough. Sometimes, one decisive action is worth ten goals.

If you want to accomplish something, you will make a way. If not, you will make an excuse.