Wallace’s Weekly Wrap
Happy Friday you wonderful humans.
It’s the beginning of a new year and an opportune time to stop and reflect on your current position in the universe. I’ve never been one of the ‘New Year, New Me’ advocates. You shouldn’t need the page of a calendar to motivate you to get your shit together, but I am certainly a proponent to use this (or any) time of the year to assess and organise your life to cultivate a year and a life of meaning.
It doesn’t matter which time of the year you decide to sit down and plan out your world domination, but when you do your focus should be on creating the life that you want to live. The life that truly brings you joy. The life that absolutely sets your soul on fire. If you are settling for anything less than this, you are doing your present self, your future self, and the world a disservice. The knowledge that some of us allow the resistance to win, to dim our fire, is the reason why this email exists, the reason why Virtus exists, and the reason why I was put on this earth. The world around you is an infinitely better place when you are at your best. Any way I can assist you in helping you reach that best, I will.
Your goals should not bring meaning to your life, Your life should bring meaning to your goals.
There are many reasons why we reach the goals we set for ourselves, or don’t. However the conversation about success and failure is not dependent on whether or not we achieve what we set out to. If we invest in and embrace the process, we can create joy and meaning regardless of whether the goal is achieved or not.
I’ve always loved hiking. A truly human powered endevour. Plan out your journey, throw a pack on your back and allow yourself to become lost (metaphorically hopefully) in the natural environment, and the inside of your mind.
Setting a goal is much like hiking up a mountain. Initially when we set out, the summit is the aim. But when we are standing at the top, enjoying the view, we realise that it is 1% of the journey. At the summit, we can understand that the majority of the challenge, the growth, the enjoyment, the appreciation, the stuff that life is all about, was found not at the top, but on the way up, on the sides of the mountain.
Life doesn’t happen at the top. It happens on the sides of the mountain, and at the bottom in the valley between mountains. Setting and achieving your goals is only as worthwhile as the enjoyment and challenges you can experience on the way up.
It’s not about the thing. Its about what achieving the thing will challenge you to become. It’s about living our life exploring the sides of a mountain, embracing every minute along the way.
When you sit down and assess your place in the universe, when you plan out what you want to achieve during your next 1/3/5 years of existence, be mindful of the mountain. Set a crazy, audacious summit to climb, but remember to improve yourself for tomorrow. Each day we should move the needle. Each day we should grow our capacity. As James Clear, author of Automic Habits puts it ‘Save to be a little richer tomorrow, Exercise to be a little fitter tomorrow, Read to be a little smarter tomorrow’ You don’t need to look any further ahead than that.
If we live a life true to ourselves, the way up and around the mountain is more enjoyable than the summit.
On the 19th of January, we are running a Goal Setting workshop at Virtus. We would love for you to come, hit this link for more information. We won’t be talking about this from the top of the mountain either. We are on the hike with you. Exploring the sides of the mountain, embracing the journey and learning, just a little more each day, on how to enjoy every step.
Be amazing.
Wallace
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“How noble and good everyone could be if, every evening before falling asleep, they were to recall to their minds the events of the whole day and consider exactly what has been good and bad. Then without realising it, you try to improve yourself at the start of each new day// Anne Frank”