THE POWER OF GOALS AND FOCUS ON THE “NOW”

Starting a new year 2024, is a great opportunity to decide on the Goals. Goals are like guides that keep us in the direction and remove all the distractions on the way. It's also the way to reset from time to time to come back to the path of achieving the goal. But focusing on goals alone can take the joy of living in the NOW. Goals are always long-term milestones that take a lot of time and effort to achieve. However, to achieve the long-term goals which are achieved over a long period in focusing on NOW. Because in a practical sense, what we have is the NOW. If we can continue to focus on NOW every moment, there is always a great opportunity to achieve the mini steps towards the larger Goals.

The year gone by has been a great teacher for me. And I could progress substantially in my long-term goals. A lot of times, I failed in the process, but that’s a great way to learn. Things that did not work out have made me wiser and better on the path to the achievement of my long-term goals.

Here are some of the learnings of 2023 and I wish to continue in these values for 2024 and beyond;

1. Always be grateful for what we already have in life. Be grateful to God & and everyone in life family, friends, customers, associates, colleagues, and strangers. Especially, in an entrepreneurial journey, strangers play a very important role in bringing a lot of positive impact apart from everyone else.

2. Having an Abundant Mindset helps; Early days of the entrepreneurial journey the cash flows and personal finances can be challenging at times. Hence, it’s very important to focus on what is possible now, rather than what could have been done or can be done in the future. Because the past cannot be changed and the future cannot be controlled.

3. Having faith; The future is very uncertain in every aspect. But if the intent is clear that through you, the customers, your family members, and friends can be positively supported, then the fear of uncertainty fades. Here again, focusing on the “NOW” is very important.

4.  We always have a choice in life; There is always something to choose in life. One is the right thing to do and the other is the easier and meaner thing to do. Staying on course to do the right thing is difficult, but that gives a lot of mental peace and satisfaction compared to doing something mean. Being mean may be easy now, but the burden of not being right always weighs you down.

5.  Investing time in Personal Development; Out of the 24 hours, there has to be at least 1 hour dedicated towards the personal development of trying to learn something new, a skill, a concept, etc. The world is always in flux of constant change and the rate of change is moving faster than ever before. Constantly learning something new daily is a good habit to keep. I have been able to dedicate time every day morning to read a variety of books which exposes me to different skills and concepts.

6. Focus on Good Health Daily; Some form of daily physical exercise is a must and one has to dedicate at least an hour of the 24 hours every day. And it's not about just the physical exercise, but also the food intake. Making conscious changes in the diet towards more vegetarian, plant-based, nutritious food is a must. You may have occasional cheat days, but a conscious and deliberate attempt to listen to your body is important daily. I have become 7 kg lighter by this method in 2023.

7. Focus on good; It is very likely when you start the journey of transformation, it may not be possible to eliminate old habits, ways, friends, and acquaintances abruptly. But as you focus more on the alternatives, whether it is food or friends or acquaintances, they fill your lives more, and slowly the old get overtaken by the new and healthier and better habits in life. For this to happen, every time you have to keep bringing your focus on NOW and the choices you have. When you are conscious about what you’re doing in the NOW, there is always resistance in the subconscious mind that, though you are choosing to let’s say consume some food that is not healthy but has been part of your earlier lifestyle, the protest in the conscious mind is silently getting registered in your subconscious mind. And eventually, when this happens more often, you will start saying NO.

8. Power of Saying NO; Very often we don’t dare to say no, which probably don’t want to do but just doing it to please someone. But by doing something that is not aligned with the new you, there is a lot of inner resistance that is getting built up in the subconscious mind. Unless you learn to express your true feelings to others, the pent-up emotions will create more disharmony and eventually spoil inner peace and relationships in the long run. Saying NO need not be impolite, but can be more of an emotional way of expressing your true feelings with others and in the process creating a stronger relationship. Don’t be afraid to Communicate. Life is too short, let the true self live to the fullest potential rather than a life of wrong values in disharmony to.

9. Focus on How You Can Serve; We are constantly caught up in measuring material acquisitions and wealth. While setting your new goals in 2024, try to see how you can serve as well in the process of achieving the materialistic goals. Because, the joy of achieving a materialistic goal is great, but it lasts only for a few moments and then again, we are on to the next one. But your materialistic goals have some positive impact in terms of serving your customers, family members, or society in general, the impact of those materialistic goals will be far-reaching and sustained for a very long period.

10. Invest time in Spiritual well-being; One must not forget that all physical possessions including our body are here only temporarily. There are so many spiritual books and audio, videos available now as per the needs and faith of every religion. Invest some time, daily for a few minutes to remind yourself about the impermanency of all life and the physical world, it will help you in achieving a lot in all your goals in a very objective manner without too much attachment towards the outcome of your efforts.