Carrying my tote bag stuffed full with a beach towel, water shoes, water bottle, and sun visor, I walk from my car to the community pool entrance.
For a change, I’m not just on time, I’m two minutes early for the Aqua Fit Class. As I turn the corner and see the edge of the Olympic-sized pool, I stop in my tracks. There’s one lonely lifeguard on her perch, but not a soul in or around the pool. Turns out the instructor called o
ut and there’s no class. It seems I’m the only one who “didn’t get the memo.”
And then came the moment of truth.
Do I take the plunge into the water I am certain will be too cold (as it always is) to do my own thing—or turn around and head back home to my next work project?
Do I accept the obvious obstacle in my path or not?
This is what we face every day. There’s no perfectly smooth route to our highest aspirations and intentions.
Do we let a breakdown or change of plans throw us off track so easily?
The answer lies in the lens you’re looking through.
Is my hour of exercise a To-Do or something much bigger-picture?
Two distinctions will shed some light on this dilemma.
To Fulfill vs. To Do. Since my intention was to use the class in order to fulfill my desire to feel stronger and more flexible, I simply needed to remember that there are alternate ways to fulfill that desire even though this one particular class was canceled and not available To Do. Fulfillment is connected to why.
Vision vs. Goal. Goals are specific and quantifiable. Once you’ve achieved a goal, you’re done with it. Goals tell us what we need to do to achieve an outcome. Examples: I will attend Aqua Fit class twice each week; I will write 1000 words/day; I will save 20% of every paycheck this year; I will call and talk with my siblings every weekend. (It’s easy to see that there is a why behind each of these actions.)
Visions are imaginative and not necessarily measurable. When you close your eyes and picture your ideal life, that’s a vision. It’s an ideal to move toward, and it can really impact your life even though attaining the ideal may never come to be.
Rosabeth Moss Kanter said, “A vision is not just a picture of what could be. It is an appeal to our better selves. A call to become something more.”
Goal or vision? Have both. Write a vision statement for yourself that vividly describes your ideal future. Some prefer to use visuals such as a vision board to bring their imagination into a tangible form. This is the North Star you want to keep your eye on and have it guide you.
Proverbs 29:18 (NIV): “Where there is no vision, the people perish…”
Also, set some goals that keep you in action (to accomplish milestones along the way to fulfilling your vision). Expect that life will serve up obstacles to achieving goals, and that’s okay. The important thing is to keep your vision alive and vivid for you. This makes everything so much easier!
At the pool that day, I faced a moment of choice. It’s clear to me that my recent “vision work” that was fresh on my mind made my next action simply effortless. I walked to my usual spot to park my tote bag and put on my water shoes. Then I entered the pool and began my usual stretches. One activity after another, I moved my body through the usual routines for flexibility, cardio, and balance. Because I was connected to my vision of a healthy, strong body, I took the opportunity at hand to move closer to that ideal. Not doing the “To Do” of attending a particular class had no bearing at all. Afterward, I felt completely rejuvenated in body and mind.
Other people and circumstances can always derail your plan to reach a goal, but you can hold your vision no matter what. Then, like a miracle, your (new) next right action will reveal itself to you, and all you have to do is take it.
No matter the challenge, you can be unstoppable!
