A Case of Creative Distraction?

“If one advances confidently in the direction of one's dreams, and endeavors to live the life which one has imagined, one will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” -Henry David Thoreau

It's been several weeks since my first post for WallFlower Blooms. It took quite a bit of effort to get started on this personal goal challenge and, like any project, it's tempting to wonder whether the initial 'bloom' has worn off now that it's time to get down to the nitty gritty.

The Goal Wheel: Does it work for you?

Many well known self-improvement gurus, such as Zig Ziglar and Anthony Robbins, use something called The Wheel of Life for mapping out goals.

This is how it goes: You draw a circle, then cut the circle into multiple (roughly 8 or 10) 'slices of pie.' Then you label each of the 'spokes' (edges of the slices) with one area of your life (goal). You draw a dot somewhere on each spoke to represent where you are (on achieving the goal) between the middle of the circle (no progress at all) and the outside of the circle which is presumably 'perfection.'

Once you've marked your 'points' for each category, you are supposed to draw a line between each -- ending up with something that often resembles a flat tire (unless you are perfectly balanced in all areas of your life). This is supposed to tell you where your life is out of balance and where you need to equal things out. [See: Zig Ziglar]

As much as I admire Tony Robbins and these other great achievers, I have to admit there is something that just doesn't work for me on this Wheel of Life.

Fear: Getting past the first post

I've been pondering how hard it was getting past the first post and how it's often the case that just getting started is one of the biggest challenges.

Of course, I've had to do other things to initiate my personal goal plan, but this is the one that took it public. What was it about this step that was so hard?

Getting honest, I realized it was fear. But I didn't know why. Was it fear of failure? Fear of success? Or something else?

Worse than that, I was allowing this fear to drag on and on, and time was passing. If I couldn't ever start, my whole life would go by without going after my truest most deepest dreams. And that would be really sad.

Making the Leap: Re-committing to Me

I've always loved goals and goal-setting. I love the fresh start that comes with milestones like a new year or a birthday -- or any other moment with the potential for reflection and re-commitment. When a dream sparks, it seems like anything is possible.

I've already accomplished some important goals. My education. My career. Getting through some serious life challenges. Even so, I've realized I've often been a wallflower in my own life. Afraid to live full-out. Afraid to go after my truest most biggest most scariest dreams. Life just has a way of ... getting in the way.

So here I am, doing something even scarier -- committing, in public, to (re)discovering and going after those dreams.