Yesterday I talked about the difference between being motivated by Goals versus Foundation. If you missed yesterday's post, here's a simplified summary:
Goals-focused motivation: You begin with the end Goal in mind and work backwards. The end justifies the means.
Foundation-focused motivation: You start by defining the Foundation (values, essential elements, etc.) and the end Goal presents itself. The Goal is the natural result of a carefully constructed Foundation.
My first career choice (Attorney) is a clear example of Goal-focused motivation. I chose the career and then did what I needed to do to achieve the Goal. And I ended up with a successful legal career but without personal fulfillment.
Today I believe that the lack of fulfillment in my legal career stems from my failure to really consider what is important to me: my values, my personality, my natural talents and tendencies, my passions. Instead I looked at my career as a means to an end of self-sufficiency. In my mind, being an attorney meant most and foremost that I would be financially secure and independent, that I would not have to depend or rely on anyone else for my support, and that I would have the means to live the lifestyle for which I longed. All of which added up - at least in my mind - to self worth.
If that weren't enough, I also set aside other components of my life. Components like physical health took a backseat to my law career. I started my first job as an Associate Attorney with the thought that I would get into the swing of my work schedule and then fit exercise and healthy eating into the remaining gaps. I'll give you three guesses as to how that worked out - and the first two don't count!
Alas, you live and you learn.
This time around, I'm taking a completely different approach. This time I am going to start by building a strong Foundation for my future. I am going to do my best to identify the Foundational elements necessary to support a well-rounded, fulfilling, and passionate life. A life in which my career is just one component of a greater whole.
The first two foundational elements that come to mind are Health and Creativity, both elements that are very important to me but that I have neglected over the last 15 years. I'll be talking a lot about Health and Creativity in the coming months and I suspect that they will be the primary topics of my upcoming blog posts. But there is another element that flows like a current beneath and through all other elements: Love. Love for myself and my fellow mankind.
I truly believe that if we all approached life from a place of Love that the world in which we live would be a much better place. What if we addressed each decision in life with the question "does/will this bring Love into the world?" Seems like a pretty good litmus test. If the answer is "Yes", then you're on the right track. If the answer is "No", then you might want to reconsider. Add to that the fact that Love is a resource of boundless supply and . . . well, it's a no-brainer if you ask me!
So here's to Love -- the first ingredient for the Foundation of my future!
mel...ok...so here is the way i look at this...what an amazing revelation!!!...and at such a young age with the ability and fortitude to realize it and actually do something about it...also...don't beat yourself up about your motivation and FIRST choice...the way i see it is look at what great things you accomplished and how successful you managed to be at something that never fulfilled you!!!...i would say "the sky is the limit" when you find a way to "do what you love"...also...maybe now you aren't looking for anyone else's approval...just your own...and you KNOW what makes your heart smile!!!love, jen
Posted by: jennifer brandenburg | Sunday, October 11, 2009 at 10:28 PM