No More Pink Bunny Suits
I’m not sure you’re from planet earth if you haven’t seen the Christmas classic movie, “A CHRISTMAS STORY”. If you haven’t seen it, stop right now, find it and watch it. It is required viewing in my household no matter what time of the year it is.
It’s the story of Ralphie, who only wants a very specific BB gun for Christmas, while everyone including Santa Claus tells him he will shoot his eye out. Through all the battles that Ralphie must endure, the worst was being forced by his mother to wear a pink bunny suit that an aunt had made for him. A big, pink, bunny suite including pink feet, tail and big pink ears, all in one incredibly tasteless and dorky suit. He did it. He didn’t like it.
I think of Ralphie and his bunny suite dilemma every time I hear a client tell me that their only goals were the goals that their employer had given them. So many people spend their entire life, doing things that they don’t want to do but doing them to satisfy someone other than themselves. Now I’m not saying that’s always wrong but if that is the extent of someone’s dreams or aspirations, then they will be doomed to a lonely and unsatisfying life, as many are.
It’s easy to fall into a groove where a life revolves totally around the goals of someone else. Our entire existence is based on achieving the goals that were given to us. It’s easy to fall into a survival mindset, one of just getting by every day. It’s easy to be solely focused on making the numbers or achieving the deadlines that our boss gave us with absolutely no consideration of our own hopes and dreams.
In the world we live in today, survival mentality should not be an option. Anything is possible today. Anything that you can dream or visualize is possible. And, that is the rub. Many of you have forgotten how to dream about your own potential and what would make you happy or happier. Get out of the rut and live the life that you were meant to live. Go ahead and tackle the goals that you have at work, goals for the company, but be sure to focus on goals and dreams and vision for yourself as well. You deserve that.
Most goal setting and achieving experts will tell you that there are seven main areas to set goals in for a strong and fulfilled life. This existence is not just about the goals that someone else gives you, it’s about you having your own hopes and dreams as well. So, peel off that pink bunny suit and see if there might be a Superman suit laying around. It just might fit!