"This Lifetime will never come again;
it is precious and irreplaceable.
To live without regret,
it is crucial for us to have a concrete purpose
and continually set goals and challenges for ourselves.
It is equally important
that we keep moving toward specific targets
steadily and tenaciously, one step at a time."
Daisaku Ikeda, For Today and Tomorrow, page 55.
We all know we need to make lists and write down our targets and goals, don't we? We've seen the studies that report that college graduates with clear goals achieve more success than others who don't have written goals. But still, somehow it can be difficult to set goals and write them down.
Why is Setting Goals difficult?
1. Many of us have set goals and failed to reach them. Ugh. For more years than I could count I set a goal to lose x amount of weight by my birthday. Raise your hands if you've ever done the same. And we've seen those targets breeze by...losing faith in ourselves. These failures mean nothing. We should make goals anyway.
Amos Snell, my dear friends and mentor who helped raise me into this faith would always say "Do you know how many times you get to remake a determination? A million or more. Just keep remaking that determination, chanting in front of the Gohonzon and you'll make it happen. Don't give up." He'd also say "You're a Buddha. Dream BIG!"
2. Sometimes it's hard for us to decide what our goals ARE. Maybe this does not describe you. Maybe you can set clear goals and targets and achieve them every time. Well, for the rest of us it is more difficult. For whatever reason, sometimes I just have the hardest time deciding. So I chant about making the correct decision and bringing wisdom forth from my life.
3. We're afraid we won't reach our goals. That's a version of number 1 above. Or...maybe we're afraid we WILL reach them, and regret the outcome.
So let's just go for it and set those goals.
I put kosen-rufu at the center of every goal. "I want to acheive THIS so I can show actual proof and inspire others to chant!" That's kosen-rufu in action.
3 Secrets For Setting Goals
and Reaching Them!
By Jamie Lee Silver from Chantforhappiness.com
1. For every goal you have be clear on WHY you want to achieve that goal. Write your goal...and write WHY you want to achieve it. As a Votary of the Lotus Sutra all of my goals include the vow to show actual proof through my own life that the impossible is possible. Years ago before I lost about 50 pounds I wrote down all of the reasons I wanted to be thinner. I still have that list and have referred to it over and over through the years. That list of WHYS has really powered my results.
2. Make yourself an inspiring name for this goal. I have a friend who embarked upon a fitness regime with a trainer. After a few days she was feeling discouraged, and I suggested she come up with a name for herself for this endeavor. She exclaimed "Fitgirl!" and has told me over and over how calling herself "Fitgirl" gets her out of bed and to her workout every day. What name can you come up with for yourself to invigorate (great word - meaning "give life to") your goals? Email me some of your goal names! You will inspire me and others.
3. Chant about it. Inspire yourself. Release the fear. Chant to change yourself so you can make this goal become real.
Write yourself your own personal PowerPrayer (fresh determination) or adapt one of the PowerPrayers from this blog. Really chant about it! Schedule time to make it happen. Go Buddha Go!
So here we are, May 26th.
Ho Nim Myo! From this day forth.
Be bold. Be Brave. Make your list. If I can do it...so can you! Go Buddha Go!
