3946: A Journey Without a Goal AND Create Structure When You're Floundering by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits

0:005 a.m. I'm up with a crisp Celsius energy drink running 12 miles today grab a green juice quick change and head to work meetings workshops one more Celsius no slowing down working late but obviously still meeting the girls for a little dancing Celsius live fit go grab a cold refreshing Celsius at your local retailer or locate now at Celsius dot com you said you were over him but his hoodie is stealing your rotation it's time grab your phone snap a few pics and sell it on D-Pop listed in minutes with no selling fees and just like that a guy 500 miles away just paid full price for your closure and right on cue nope but I've got tonight's dinner paid for start selling on D-Pop were taste recognizes taste list now with no selling fees payment processing fees and boosting fees still apply see website for details this is optimal living daily a journey without a goal and create structure when you're floundering both by Leo Bada of Zen

1:04habits dot net and I'm just a malloc this isn't your typical podcast there are no interviews here just me reading articles to you with permission from the authors and with a little bit of my commentary at the end sometimes I read two articles in one episode that's the case today so for now let's get right to it and continue optimizing your life a journey without a goal by Leo Bada of Zen habits dot net nearly every activity we do has a purpose a goal in mind we drive to get to work to the store to a class or party we walk for fitness or to get to a specific destination we work to achieve something to reach certain numbers we work out to get healthier to get a nicer body but what would happen if we gave up the goal what would a journey without a goal be like imagine setting out for a walk with no particular purpose you might go in one direction because there's a nice explosion of flowers over there but then explore a different

2:07direction when you see someone playing music then go in another direction because you're curious about what's there no destination in mind nothing to achieve just curiosity fun not knowing what would be like to work without a goal you might write something for fun because you want to get it out of you without knowing what the effect of the writing would be you would figure out the work as you go without knowing what the finished product will look like what would be like to live life without a fixed plan without knowing where you'll be living in five years or what you'll be doing or what you want to achieve I don't know the answers but I do know that I've been freer as I've learned to let go of goals fixed plans and fixed destinations how to flow I've long been a planner and a goal setter but I've been learning a different way over the last few years it's a radical shift in thinking and doing to a freer flowing mode of being how does it work well to be honest there's no one way but it goes a little something like this you wake up excited about being alive you wonder what do I feel like

3:12doing today you aren't constrained to anything at this point but the question is important so you get started doing something you're excited about having fun doing it is that thing you're doing a destination a goal well in some ways yes but it's not fixed there's no set plan and the destination doesn't matter as much as the process the journey you start but you might shift as you go depending on the flow of ideas I'm working with others who might have ideas you didn't foresee on things that happen along the way you couldn't have predicted these things when you got started so you have to adapt no plan can anticipate all of this no goal would be adequate to the task you might even completely shift if something new comes up if a new opportunity presents itself you let go of your idea of what today was going to be because these ideas of what should be are lightly held they mean nothing really and the important thing is the flow you learn to be flexible instead of set you learn to be good at change and uncertainty instead of fearing it as things arise you adapt and let go of your plans and

4:17goals you move with the flow of water with the changing landscape you're free to do this because you don't care where you end up you just want to be present in your journey be compassionate with each step and have fun each moment along the way the destination becomes irrelevant no destination or goal matters if they are all good each step along the way then becomes the destination and is exactly where you should be create structure when you're floundering by Leo Babada of Zenhabits.net the best of intentions often flops around without some kind of structure you might decide you're gonna change your diet and lose some weight but when meal time comes around you just eat the same kind of food and still get too full from eating too much or you decide you're going to procrastinate less and be more focused but then after a short success you start going through usual distractions you start exercising but then get

5:17lazy and fall off the habit you start waking early but then have a late night or two and the whole house of cards comes crashing down we start with great intentions but the harder ventures causes to flounder around then we repeat that start with good intentions flounder around over and over again until we feel hopeless to change anything or start to nourish a deep sense of inadequacy what can we do to change things it's not you it's your method if your current method of change isn't working starting with good intentions and then floundering you have to try a new method unfortunately there isn't just one perfect method but there is one thing you can do to vastly improve your method add some kind of structure how structure improves our method what do I mean by structure anything that keeps you sticking to the course better anything that holds you to your intentions the possibilities are endless but here are some common examples one create rules no sugar don't go two days without a workout no electronics

6:20after 9 p.m meditate first thing upon waking to get accountability I like having a group of people who I report to every day a simple way to do that is to use an app like runkeeper or some kind of diet tracking app where you have friends on the app who will see your log another ways to create a Google spreadsheet and use it to track how you did with a goal each day or just email people each week who agree to hold you accountable three set reminders how you remember to do what you said you did this is a huge obstacle for getting instead of forgetting set reminders on your phone on your computer and little notes all around for do it with others find a workout partner a collaborator on a project a group class doing a project or going through change with others is always an amazing idea five get a coach I am a big believer in coaching for many reasons but one of the simplest reasons is that if you have someone you're paying and reporting to you'll simply be much more likely to follow through and

7:24a coach can see patterns are getting in your way that you can't see number six create a challenge or game I've done challenges with my family or friends like push up challenge drawing challenge reading challenge and also made up games with points and rewards it creates structure it makes it fun two amazing ways to create change in your life you can see the idea what can you do to add structure to your change or goal you just listen to the post titled a journey without a goal and create structure when you're floundering both by Leo Bada of Zen habits.net I'll be right back with my commentary we're leaving today and entering a world of Mickey Mouse waving princess meeting and greetings lightsaber classic the toilets on tower of terror dropping fancy flying space mountain launching galaxy rewinding what's the one that look galaxy rewinding fireworks igniting

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9:30today but then tomorrow could be something else personal development is definitely not one-size-fits-all maybe it's about knowing when you need structure and then when you need to let go when you're stuck or procrastinating or not following through that's when you need the structure like the accountability the rules and the reminders once you're in motion maybe that's when you can flow a bit more I think we want things to be black and white either we plan everything or we plan nothing but life's definitely messier than that so maybe today we can think about where we need more structure and then where we need to loosen our grip a little both can be true at the same time I'll do it for today have a great rest of your day and I'll see you tomorrow where you're optimal life awaits