The Art of Futuring - The Lightyear Method
We are approaching the time of year associated with goal setting, whether that be traditional written goals, a new year's resolution, or even affirmations for the coming season. We often see people put off the work of getting clear about what they want until the new year when they have “navigated” the chaos of the holidays and all that accompanies the end of the closing year. At Lightyear, we see things differently. We know that NOW is the time to rest, reflect, and then get into action on creating your vision and goals ahead of the turn of the year.
You may be thinking to yourself, “goal setting never works for me”, or commonly, “I set them and then get down on myself because they never happen” what’s the point? If this is you, you are not alone. If you love goal setting, you are also not alone. Lightyear is here for all goal setters, seasoned and green. If you want to rapidly and radically transform yourself and the world, listen up! Here are the FIVE ways that the Lightyear work is distinct and will provide you with the edge to make the contribution that you want to make in the world.
What is Unique about the Lightyear Method?
1. Create a Whole Life
We ask our students to create their goals across all key domains of living—health, career and personal. Within these key categories can live things such as finance, spirituality, adventure, children, relationships, and more. People can become over focused on one area of their life and lose balance. Set your vision and goals from wholeness. Your whole life. Your integrity, your personal life, your career, your family, your health, your finances, all of it!
2. Remember Your Future
Create your goals from a vision. A vision of possibility. What the world could actually be like. If you are a person that wants to make a change in the environment, or in currency, or in politics, YOU create a vision where that is already happening in the world and where you are already living that. Then write goals starting from that powerful future vision, where the change has already happened, and work backwards to now.
3. Every Day Matters
Tool up with everyday practices that allow you to have the new patterns, behaviors, ways of talking to yourself, ways of talking to others, ways of listening, so you can fulfill on the vision and goals you set for yourself. Because if life isn't’ filled with joy and power everyday, there is not going to be radical transformation.
4. Embody New Pathways
Create your vision using your body. What does it smell like, taste like, feel like? What is your level of health, your energy? Who is around you? What do you see and smell? By doing this, by having the whole body involved, you are able to bring your whole self to the vision and not just your analytic mind.
5. Choice is Key
So often we think we have made a choice. What was the last thing that you ate? Were you really in choice? Was that something that you were marketed to? What was the last thing you bought or the last place you went? Was that your choice or was that someones influence? What does it take for us as humans to recover our own true authentic choice, and be able to set a vision and goals from that place instead of reaction, pleasing other people, looking good, or doing what is expected?
“It wasn't until a few years ago when I was introduced to whole-life strategic goal setting that I realized that goal setting for me had never been about a pathway to a future that I wanted, it had always been about pleasing others. I was a collegiate swimmer and infinitely dedicated to the sport for the better part of my kid and young adult life. It was through athletics that I learned to goal set, which don’t get me wrong, I believe is a wonderful and healthy way to learn about focus, dedication and goal-setting. However, I see now that I learned to goal set solely through the athletic arena of my life and it was never truly about what I individually wanted or about any other part of my life. My coach and I would sit down before the first meet each year and write out the times that “we” wanted to achieve by my final meet of the season. I remember sitting in that same office season after season writing down the number of workouts and the times that I thought would make my coach happy. I do not for a moment remember thinking to myself, what would make me happy? Do I want to commit to 10 workouts a week? Do I have a choice to try doing this differently or try something new? For the better part of 18 years, I trained hard and was fiercely dedicated to goals that were set for the approval and happiness of others, ones that would make others proud of me. I never even saw the possibility of doing it another way. Year after year, I would achieve these goals I had set and yet what I remember most is the approval or disapproval of my coaches, never the celebration of having accomplished something I had set out for myself. I learned and continually reinforced a pattern of goal setting based on the avoidance of disappointment of a coach and never about the future I wanted. Now as an adult post-athletic career, I have struggled tremendously in my exploration of what makes ME feel fulfilled and allowing myself to choose that solely because it is what I want. I am learning now that I have full choice and that all patterns can be rewritten. I value the discipline and focus that I learned through my training and am now grateful for the tools to see my choice and design the future that I truly want”
- Sophie Allen, Community and Ops Maven
If you are committed to designing a life that you love, the five distinct Lightyear ways of goal setting and these steps below can guide you:
1) One common mistake is forgetting that YOU are the author of your goals. You can check in with your goals consistently and edit them if they no longer serve what YOU really want. Rather than failing and throwing them out and starting over with frustration, try allowing yourself to sit with them and edit as you see fit. Put them down and set a reminder to check back in with them.
2) Use what your body is telling you to be in authentic choice when you make these revisions so you know you are listening to your true and authentic self.
3) Remember that you are NOT your goals. You are you, and your goals are your goals. Just as you are not your results or the outcome of your goals. They are simply there as a baseline, a stepping stone. They are a map to help guide you into your vision.
4) Remember to celebrate yourself when you achieve a goal, and always remember to check periodically to see if you are actually standing in the middle of a vision without even realizing you have arrived.
How and when did you learn to set goals? Is it time to rediscover how you create them and who you create them for?