One Amazing Tool To Help You Accomplish Goals
Setting goals can be easy. Following through with them...well...that’s a different story. Many of us set goals but procrastinate, putting the goal off until tomorrow or until we are in a better “position” to pursue that goal. Sometimes, and possibly even more frustrating, we start moving in a desired direction with health, work, relationships, etc., then find ourselves right back in old habits and patterns. We’ve all been there, but I have a solution. That solution is rhythms.
Let me paint a picture for you that might help explain what I mean...
I love listening to music and playing music. Most people enjoy music. Think about the times you have been listening to a favorite song and realize that you are locked into a rhythm. You “feel” the song. Within the rhythm, everything else flows and connects as it supports melody. Rhythm is so important to music. In an instant, you find your head bobbing, your legs moving, that “feel good stank expression” on your face...ok...maybe that’s just me…
But you get the point: Rhythm is the backbone of the song!
And the amazing thing about rhythm is that it is not just vital to our favorite tunes. Rhythm is vital to life. A healthy rhythm of life is a vital tool that helps us do two things: cultivate well-being and promote flourishing.
When you are out of rhythm, you know it. It’s like listening to my kids’ attempts to play instruments together. They can’t get on the same page because they struggle with the rhythm, and it sounds terrible!
So what exactly is rhythm and how does it relate to life? The term "rhythm” refers to a regularly recurring sequence of events, patterns, or processes. We most often think about rhythm in terms of music, but rhythm can refer to patterns of thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in several key areas of life. The important areas of life where rhythms are needed for health and flourishing include: your physical body, your soul, your relationships, your vocation, your finances, and your spiritual life.
Think about each of these areas for a moment. What are your life rhythms in each of these areas? Are they healthy or unhealthy? Do you fight unwanted thoughts and emotions? Do you engage in behavior from which you really want to be free? Or, you may not currently have any major struggles, but you realize the importance of needing healthier life rhythms to grow as a person and engage life with meaning.
No matter what is happening in our lives, we must realize that overcoming struggles and personally flourishing are a part of every life...yours and mine. We need healthy life rhythms to support our freedom and promote our flourishing.
So, I want to give you two ways to examine and begin sharpening your tool of rhythms.
- See the chart below. It will help you think about each area of life and what rhythms need to be developed.
- If you want to take this to another level, we are launching a video series (with tons of supportive resources) on February 27, 2019. The video series is called...wait for it...Rhythms. It was designed to help you create and sustain healthy life rhythms that promote hope, wellness, and meaning in life. It is affordable and will add way more value to your life than what you will pay for it. If you’re interested, enter your e-mail here and we will let you know when Rhythms is officially live.
I recently heard that February is the most important month of the year because it is the month that sets the tone for the rest of the year and often determines whether or not we will stick with our goals for the year. So...here’s to seeing our goals through. Here’s to developing healthy rhythms of life that support our goals of change and growth. Here’s to Hope, Wellness, and Life!