Are you outcome or process oriented?

[quiethumir]

Do you focus on the goal itself to get you going? Or do you focus on the actions that will take you to that goal. When do you shift to the other perspective?

[sk8joyful]

Originally Posted by quiethumir

Do you focus on the goal itself to get you going?
Or do you focus on the actions that will take you to that goal.
When do you shift to the other perspective?

Yes, the Goal is my motivation.
The process of Achieving it, then comes next. Yet even as
I'm engaging the process... THE goal remains in my Vision.

[AllTogetherNow]

hmmm. not sure how to separate the two - they seem symbiotic. Of course, achieving the goal is my -well- goal (LOL)

but before I begin, i think it through, organize myself, and do a sort of 'project timeline'; to sort out all the steps necessary to produce the desired result. If anything is missing or unclear, I don't begin 'til I have all materials, and all my ducks are in a row.

so once I have the plan and everything necessary to execute it, then i just follow the steps to reach the end-point. I don't have to think about the 'goal' per se, as the motivator, cause I know that following the steps will get me there, whether i hold it in my mind at every moment or not.

and even though this seems to be totally process-oriented, the entire point of having a process at all, is to achieve the outcome. i figure having a plan means less chance of missing or overlooking something necessary to reaching the goal.

so the goal begets the process, and vice-versa; i can't really see them as two separate things....

[taylor]

Focus on process while executing the plan. Only focus on the goal when formulating the plan / reviewing progress.

[AllTogetherNow]

oh geeez

DANG taylor - way to say that whole long blahblahblah i just typed, in such a beautifully succinct way.

[quiethumir]

Thanks guys

Taylor, can an enlightened person have goals?

[taylor]

Originally Posted by AllTogetherNow

oh geeez

DANG taylor - way to say that whole long blahblahblah i just typed, in such a beautifully succinct way.

Why, thank you.

I try to be as simple as possible, but I think you added some finer details as well. Most importantly, we agree.

[taylor]

Originally Posted by quiethumir

Thanks guys

Taylor, can an enlightened person have goals?

Yes and no. There's a subtle contradiction in the question.

The person and enlightenment are two different things. The person can have goals. Enlightenment can't as it's beyond the level of form, beyond the person and its concerns.

In enlightenment you'll be something beyond goals, and yet your person might be very goal oriented just as you may be now. Though I must say when making spiritual progress there is a tendency for superficial goals to fall by the wayside as unimportant.

[lifeforce]

Originally Posted by quiethumir

Do you focus on the goal itself to get you going? Or do you focus on the actions that will take you to that goal. When do you shift to the other perspective?

If you´ve ever been really committed to a goal, then you´ll know that there is a very, very fine line between being goal oriented and being obsessed.

I recently found myself exhausted mentally and as a result, physically drained. My mentor knew I was crossing the line into obsession, and through conversation, pushed me in overdrive. He did that because I don´t listen, and I had to experience the difference between the two in order to learn.

So a good way, is to be aware of the goal, detach emotionally from the outcome and focus on the action plan. When you do the actions and are committed to the process, success comes naturally. You have to focus on the goal it self, but also detach emotionally from it when you´re not working on the goal. Crossing the line into obsession, the goal was all I thought about, and felt guilty and disappointed when I didn´t live up to the perfectionism I visualized. So detaching and doing the action steps, crappy as the quality might be, the accumulation of these actions are what counts towards the bottom line.

Something I am not quite sure about, but think to be true, is that it´s good to obsess about the goal for a month or two. Basically to program and saturate your subconscious mind toward the direction of the goal. And then detach emotionally from it while still doing the action steps. Cause obsessing will lead to burnout and mental exhaustion. When the subconscious mind takes over, it puts you on autopilot towards the destination you´ve programmed in. Sorta like a GPS for your brain. Stop caring and stay committed to the process. Analogy: Like laundry. You want clean clothes, so you wash them. You´re "motivated". But theres no gain in obsessing about it. Want clean clothes? Yes. Do the right actions. Focus on laundry. The bigger the pile, the more action steps.

Again, can´t prove it to be true, but believe it to be.