A Confession of TRUTH and Obligations

I have a problem with fulfilling obligations. It is not that I don't take them seriously; I do. And I value when others fulfill theirs. Obligations are, I believe, important trusts that say a great deal about a person.

My problem, I believe, is one of over committing and underperforming, of taking on too much and not following through. It has been amazing how much busier I have become since retiring. But this is not an excuse that I will accept because I take my commitments seriously.

It has been said that half the solution to a problem is recognition that you have a problem. I'm there! The other half is in developing a plan to change the negative behavior, becoming proactive in finding a solution.

I have always been one to set goals to accomplish things in life and in business. I have been successful in accomplishing things, but I have found that this is not enough. The process of actually achieving goals can get complicated enough. You face setbacks and roadblocks that have you questioning your commitment. But it is perhaps even more complicated to ask why and what's next.

The term "goal" actually indicates a conclusion or ending point. But what is next? Along the highway of life, they act as big red stop signs that delay us for a moment, and then we go on to the next bend in the road. Goals are slight delays that allow us to perhaps learn something about ourselves or our environments, avoid hitting others, or even getting a ticket for what we might have done wrong. But then we must move on.

Goals mean very little if you do not have a direction, you are moving or an ultimate objective or destination you hope to reach. Goals must be achieved to mark progress, but they are not the end of our trip.

We will experience challenges or obstacles that are both minor and major throughout our lives. It is up to each of us to decide how we are going to react to them. If we are able to navigate through obstacles, we will find the destination that once seemed unattainable. It will start to become a reality.

This "navigation" that I reference is actually the secret to a successful life, the "holy grail" we must uncover. It is the plan or process we must identify and master to direct us to our destination. If you are headed out on vacation you may establish some points you would like to visit (tourist trap, sites, towns or bumps in the road) along the way, but your ultimate destination is a place on the beach in that ocean-front town where you have a reservation waiting for your arrival. You may get to this destination by chance, but you need a road map to make sure. Your spot on the beach may exist but you should not just expect it to be there without some level of prior planning and investigation.

I know that I have fallen behind in meeting some obligations I made but I don't just have some goals to accomplish them, I have a plan. Please be patient with me as I go about implementing it. This is a new approach to me.

In the past I often got stuck waiting for the traffic to clear in order to proceed forward. Now I have a plan to move forward toward my ultimate objective ...helping my friends!

Follow my newsletter articles next week where I will share some tips for overcoming obstacles in life, and please like or comment below on how this article might have impacted you! As always, thank you for reading it!

Bob