The cult of goal setting surrounds me. However, my experience with the process and results feels restrictive and limiting. I really have tried to make lists of steps I need to take to achieve some heartfelt goal, but always lose the paperwork as soon as I complete it, probably on purpose. Yes, I have dreams and desires, plans and hopes, but none of them include a set of instructions that lead me directly from here to there. And honestly, why would I want to travel that sort of path, ignoring all road-side-attractions, secret pathways, and intriguing shortcuts?
Setting goals and delineating steps is a lovely and powerful mental process for people who love order and predictability. But I crave adventure and excitement, a sense of passion that overflows my core and transforms the world around me. My soul embraces a journey built on seduction and mystery and the wonder of synchronicity. Leave the prescribed steps for those who believe that all wanderers are lost and forsaken. Give me the power of casting a seductive spell, blowing down the walls that protect and restrict me. Rather than marching to the rhythm of consistency I want to dance to the songs in my soul.
Because of this my journey always leads up switchback trails and challenges me to tack my sailboat upwind, but the rewards are rich and vibrant. Along the way I have met best friends, tasted new spices and flavors, swayed to exotic rhythms, and visited places I did not know existed. And I still fulfilled my dreams, at least the ones I have imagined so far. There are so many more spells to cast and futures to create and without a single list of goals.