Our one true goal: a good life

Let’s talk about life goals. When it comes to goal-setting we all fall somewhere into the “to set them” or “screw them” camps.

Do you mull over unsettling existential questions like:

• What is the meaning of my life?
• How can I be happier?
• Is this all there is to life?
• What is my purpose?

The challenge of identifying life goals

Today’s world accentuates our search for clarity, goals, and meaning. We may live in an age of information but with so much of it, we often get overwhelmed. In spite of being hyper-connected, more people report feeling lonely.

We have freedom of choice when it comes to lifestyle, career and personal expression. Yet more and more people feel scared sharing what they think, or to question the status quo.

So how do we use our minds to pinpoint the true compass so that our best efforts go towards worthwhile goals?

How do we identify goals that are congruent with who we are?

And how do we pick goals that will motivate and move us towards something good?

One possible answer

Research into positive psychology shows that the best goals contribute to a “good life”. Good life goals have health benefits according to research by Robert Waldinger.

It sounds so simple! So why are people with great jobs, nice houses, perfect families still unhappy? Why do they report higher levels of:

• disengagement,
• internal emptiness,
• loneliness,
• fear, and
• emotional exhaustion?

The answer turns out to be far simpler than we realise. They are losing connection with themselves.

A personal story about setting life goals

I have felt lost in my life many times. It ignited a deep curiosity into a process I’ve been exploring in my coaching practice for over a decade. I call this work mind, heart, body and spirit integration.

My spirit has a big element of discovery. So when my parents tried to pressure me into becoming a doctor or a lawyer, I chose a research career instead.

Fascinated by how the mind worked, I enrolled on a neuroscience degree at New York University. The first of its kind in the country.

I stayed in education and research for close to fifteen years. My life was good. I felt mentally stimulated and connected to people who shared my curiosity. My heart was happy because I felt supported and loved. My body was healthy and I was true to my spirit. I was a pioneer.

This happy state did not last.

The high performance and pressures of top academic environments brought on conflict. I experienced bullying and incredible stress from workload and interpersonal rivalries.

The experience was traumatic and caused my body to fail. I was not equipped with skills to keep my mind and heart safe. In the process, my spirit waned and I began to doubt my career choice.

Was I in research for the right reasons?

Was research done the way I wanted to work and live?

I began to notice that what mattered far more to me was being happy and healthy again.

Key insight

I made a major discovery. One that has informed much of my current work and helped me deal with many difficult situations. It is this:

A return to the path towards having a good life always signalled realignment of my mind, heart, body, and spirit.

With time and much more training, I became a guide and coach.

I help my clients navigate life by integrating insights from:

• clinical neuroscience,
• positive psychology,
• coaching,
• leadership, and
• spiritual traditions

I also build tools to support growth and brilliance.

Those I coach need to integrate within

People I see are talented individuals who for one reason or another struggle. They may be having difficulties being noticed, recognised, beak through, get promoted or given access. They may face massive overwhelm not knowing where to start after a major setback. They hurt because they are aware they can be doing better. You could say I coach the proverbial underdog. 

And the narrative often boils down to this. Somewhere along the way, the mind disconnected from the heart. Sometimes it even forgot it belongs to a body! And it ran ahead of the rest trying to prove itself. In time, the mind began to pay more attention to what others think than to what really matters or what the right thing is. And then one day it got lost in all of the doing.

The fast pace of life and constant rush to do more and be more. This way of going about things separates the mind from the rest of the body or what makes us distinctly human: heartfelt genuine connection. Too many people today struggle with relating at work and in their personal lives. Many relationships are essentially Ego battlefields dominated by comparisons and evaluations instead of mutual respect and positive regard. Disconnected, the mind and heart tussle for control exhausting the body and killing the spirit of the person. In contrast, an integrated person is a wiser, calmer and more effective. He or she has a better sense of who they really are outside of their job title, their social standing or financial wealth.

5 practical ways to identify your unique life goals

1. Start by getting clear with yourself on one thing – you matter and your life matters! The day you own this belief is the day your life changes for the better.
2. Pinpoint how you’d like to add value, to whom and how come? Being clear on the cause, grouping or set of people do you want to serve helps you connect with those people.
3. Review the last 2-3 weeks for occasions that really made you genuinely happy and dizzy with delight. I doubt it will be a social media posting unless it’s that funny cat video that’s gone viral. If you’re missing them – you need new goals asap.
4. Establish who you enjoy spending time with and make time for in-person touch points. Nothing communicates more respect and love as the gift of our time to those we treasure from clients, friends, family or our next door neighbor. 
5. Decide on where and how you will live so that you have the least amount of physical, emotional, and psychological stress. One of the biggest sources of stress comes from having little sense of safety even at home. 

How we can help you in your goal setting

The true definition of a good life is deeply subjective. That being true, our ability to create a good life is linked with being able to stay connected with and follow what we truly desire, what we can imagine and want to realise and what ultimately feels good in the present moment. None of this is mirrored by what social media tells us is now in vogue.

I have created short and practical heart and mind retreats to help people learn a process and vital tools for keeping integrated within. Over our day together we create a dialogue with our mind, heart, body, and spirit so that we can connect to their real experience of life as it is! If this is something that sounds useful to you, then learn more about our retreats.

If you want to dive deeper without leaving your home or work desk you can join my year-long Da Vinci inner leadership programme online. In as little as 1-2 hours each month, you could be changing your life becoming more present, centered and resourceful. Take action now and make time count for you!