I read a great article recently from Authentic Happiness. Basically, it asserted that we poorly predict how happy achieving a goal will make us. Failing to achieve them doesn't make us less happy. Authentic Happiness writer Ben Dean, PhD, sited a study from the economist Richard Easterlin which states that happiness is not tied to financial wealth past about $25,000. That means that earning $250,000 or $35,000 will make you equally happy.
Do an inventory of your goals. Which ones are stagnant goals that don't fit you anymore? Which ones won't really make you happy?
Usually stagnant goals are tangible, for example, "I want to get that promotion" or "I want to buy that home." Recycle your stagnant goals. Transform "I want to buy that home" to something that meets the same or a deeper need, such as, "I want to have an environment that soothes me and a private space of my very own."
Goals that resonate with who you are on a deep level will be energizing and manifest easily. As you go through your list of goals, consider whether they resound inside you. Do an energy check. When you think about a particular goal, does your body lighten up or sag down?
Make sure that what you are working toward will indeed reward you in the way you want to be rewarded. There can be many paths to achievement, choose the one that works best for who you are.
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