Holding goals lightly

As we arrive at the end of the calendar year in the UK, so we enter the time of resolutions and goal setting. Goal setting can have positive effects when:

• A task is straightforward
• A task is routine
• We believe we have the competence and self-efficacy to achieve the task

The older I get and the more I coach I tend to set less goals. I have a sense of where things are headed but tasks and indeed life is invariably not straightforward and linear! I now look to cultivate an openness and flexibility in direction, a lightness for what unfolds if you like. We tend to be in our 'heads' a lot when setting goals with the illusion being that:

• We know exactly where we are starting
• We know where we really want to go and are ready for this change
• We can figure out how we are going to get there

Instead of setting goals maybe we can start by building the first steps, moving to one step to better. We can then reflect on where we are, notice if anything emerges, thereby giving us a steer on where we are going. Movement gives us hope and when we start to get things in motion we begin to see things more clearly.