Pause. Before Goal Setting.

Which questions help you get into a great state to set inspiring goals?

It's that time of year - when those notorious New Years Resolutions come up.  Why are resolutions notorious?  In my book, resolutions are notorious because we tend to set resolutions based on:

• What do the other people in my life think I should do?
• What are my peers doing that I should be doing too?
• What's my worst case scenario that I should avoid?

Any time I see the world "should," it lets me know that I might be attending to values other than my own.  "Should" also indicates that I might be pondering something other than what I really want or plan to do.These "should" questions aren't actually bad questions - there are certainly some useful applications of them.  And.... they're not the kind of questions that help us get into a state of mind that's helpful for dreaming up a happy future.I have a few suggested questions you might wish to try out, before you consider your goals.  Choose one or two questions and really attend to them.  You can journal your answers if you like, talk about them with a friend or partner or spouse, or focus on a particular question for a few minutes and discover what happens.Warning:  if you haven't considered questions like these in a while, they might be uncomfortable for a breath or two.  That's because these questions focus on the self - on you - and some of us are a bit out of practice with that.  These questions also call forth something positive about you.Choose a question and try it out for at least 6 breaths and discover what you find!  Come up with at least one answer.

• How am I awesome?  
• What do I already do really well?
• When is it easiest for me to be loving, strong, competent, or content?

When you attend to these kinds of questions, what state arises within you?  You don't necessarily have to name it, just experience that state.  Then notice... Is that state useful as a resource for setting an inspiring goal? Here's to wonderful you,Katie