{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"To Goal or Not to Goal","description":"Most of us have been told that goals are the key to success \u2014 write them down, stay focused, never quit. But Cam isn't so sure that's the whole story. ----- I\u2019ve just completed a goal setting webinar. It was thought provoking and well run. Two things stood out. First \u2013 we are halfway through 2026. The webinar host adjusted the what was supposed to be a goal setting workshop with a one-year timeline to half a year to account for the date and though I have a calendar in front of me every day, it still shocked me that this year is half gone. Though factually I know it\u2019s early June, hearing him say that the year is half over startled me. Next, I\u2019m not sure I\u2019m a goal setting type of guy. The speaker said that unless a goal is written down it doesn\u2019t exist. I\u2019m not so sure that\u2019s applicable for me. There are plenty of goals that I replay in my head each day, none of which are written down. They range from trivial \u2013 I want my young and tender potted lemon tree to eventually fruit so I\u2019m giving it lots of time and attention \u2013 to larger things \u2013 I want to celebrate my thirtieth wedding anniversary in an exotic destination somewhere very far from here. I\u2019m not sure writing that down does anything more to cement it - it\u2019s already in my head and replaying frequently. But how about this: what happens if my goal is to be more flexible? What happens if my goal is to not get so anchored in my goals that I miss opportunities that are outside my goals? Which brings me to graduation speakers. There seems to be two types \u2013 the ones who encourage the graduates to set goals for their lives and dedicate their waking moments to achieving those goals. These speakers are often corporate types who climbed ladders and knocked down walls and stayed up late and studied hard to get where they are. The second type seem to be the ones who encourage the graduates to search for opportunity and be ready to shift and pivot as life presents new paths forward. These are usually the entrepreneurs. They\u2019ve shifted and pivoted and shucked and jived all the way. They seem less wed to firm, concrete goals. What if Orville and Wilbur had only wanted to create a massive bike company and never pivoted to see if their contraption would fly. What if Christopher Columbus had intended to find India and when his ship made landfall said, \u201cNo. This is the wrong place. Let\u2019s keep looking.\u201d What if Michelangelo had seen the block of marble that became the David and said \u201cI can\u2019t use this. It has a hole in it. Find something else.\u201d Our world would be dramatically different. So, setting goals is good and powerful stuff. But so is having the will and courage to abandon goals when it appears to be the right thing to do. And to abandon them without remorse. I find when I dig into goals too far, I can\u2019t identify when it\u2019s time to abandon them and I hold on to them to my detriment. It\u2019s happened too many times before. So, at the end of the webinar, I was left with this: to goal or not to goal. That\u2019s the question. I\u2019m Cam Marston, just trying to Keep it Real. ","author_name":"Keepin' It Real with Cam Marston","author_url":"https:\/\/cammarston.com\/keepin-it-real-with-cam-marston\/","html":"