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The Sport of Progress

By: Michael Blankenship |

“The path to our destination is not always a straight one. We go down the wrong road, we get lost, we turn back. Maybe it doesn’t matter which road we embark on. Maybe what matters is that we embark.”

– Barbara Hall

Success is a funny thing. 

If you’ve ever felt the high of achievement, then you know it’s a fleeting thing, quickly run over by further goals and future ambitions. 

There’s always more. 

That’s okay… so long as we recognize that the goals are nothing but a necessary part of a more important sport; namely, growing as a person

You might aim to lose weight or write a book or run a marathon. It doesn’t much matter. What matters is doing things that are hard to become the type of person who does hard things.

Why?

There are many benefits to becoming a person who does hard things.

But if it’s true that the real goal is growing as a person, what does that mean about the goals we set? 

It means…

The Result is Not The Goal — So don’t get too attached to the goal you set except for the purpose of growing as a person. You’ll pivot as you learn and grow (which is literally the goal). The goal might change or move but the sport is the same. 

It’s Okay To Quit. It’s Okay To Fail — All of a sudden, because the result is not the goal, these things don’t matter as much so long as you keep learning and growing as a person. Sometimes you’ll quit to pursue something better. Sometimes, you’ll fail and learn something from it. Those are still things that move you toward personal growth.

We All Need a Target — The goal is only to become better. But we only become better by doing hard, unfamiliar things. The target isn’t the end-goal, but it’s a fundamental part of playing the sport. 

Want help? 

Here are 20 achievable goal ideas.

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