Achieving Personal Goals

Today I’m just updating an prior post (1/2/10).

I just read an interesting post by Seth Godin on his blog today, where he is referencing a post he made 10 years ago. Below is an excerpt from that post. It’s about taking advantage of opportunities, but he also speaks to the idea that we should not let our talents go to waste or be unfulfilled:

“The thing is, we still live in a world that’s filled with opportunity. In fact, we have more than an opportunity — we have an obligation. An obligation to spend our time doing great things. To find ideas that matter and to share them. To push ourselves and the people around us to demonstrate gratitude, insight, and inspiration. To take risks and to make the world better by being amazing.”

About Seth

OK, now back to my original post on Oct 17, 2009 ….

It’s easy to take the path of least resistance. It’s easy to just get by, to run on cruise control, and to pursue things that are easy or safe. There’s only one problem with that (well, at least one) – it robs you, and it robs others, of the benefits of your gifts and talents.
 
I guess this idea depends on whether you hold the belief that we each have unique gifts (call them talents, aptitudes, passions or whatever you like), that we each have something unique and valuable to offer. I believe we do, and I think we have an obligation to use our gifts (a) so they are not wasted, and (b) so that others can benefit from them.
 
The good news is that if you’re willing to get in the game and make use of your gifts, everyone can win.
 
You win, because most of the time, the satisfaction we receive from an activity is proportionate to the commitment and energy we put into it. By investing in the development of your talents, it’s more than likely you will find satisfaction and fulfillment that would have otherwise been missed.
 
Others really win, because your gift and talents are then shared and they can experience the benefits that otherwise would have never been possible.

“The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity.” – Leo Tolstoy

So…

• If you know what your gift is but you’re not using it to it’s full potential, set a goal that describes how you will start to use it, and when.
• If you’re not sure what your gift(s) is, your first step is to set a goal to start trying new things until you find it (it’s out there somewhere!).
• If you know your gift and are already using it, set a goal to use it to accomplish something bigger, grander and more audacious then ever before, so that it makes the biggest impact possible.

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