Don't Miss the Rainbow.....

The goal of my blog is to create a challenge for readers. Challenging readers to look beyond themselves in to self-discovery. Each blog will provide a challenge to dig a little deeper, to push a little further and to boldly make a difference in your own life or in the life of another.

When traveling back from Charlotte NC, my husband and I decided to take a pit stop to Pilot Mountain State Park.  We have seen Pilot Mountain from afar on many trips to the Carolina's but had never stopped to explore.  During this trip, we decided to stop.  Explore.  Enjoy nature.

At the time of our arrival, it was raining.  Low clouds and rain accompanied our trip up to the top of the outlook.  It was two miles of curves and narrow passages.  When we got to the top to the outlook the rain continued.  We like to embrace nature and enjoy experiences so we continued on our journey.  We grabbed an umbrella and continued to hike.  We  walked on slippery rocks and muddy paths up a steep grade in order to reach our destination.  The wind began to carry our umbrella outward as we walked so we closed it and we kept walking.  We talked about how the overlook would not look as pretty because of the cloudy and rainy weather however we continued to walk awaiting our arrival.

Once we reached the overlook, it was very pretty.  The low hanging clouds hovered over the hedges and the landscape looked green in the valley.  The trees below looked so small and the valley looked like a puzzle that you could put together.  The ledge housed trees, flowers, rock and a view where you could see for miles.  The peek of Pilot Mountain which you see from a distance on the highway was now almost within reach.  I couldn't help but consider if the sky was clear and blue, what a breathtaking view it would be and what lovely pictures would be captured.   We continued on our adventure.

The rain subsided while we were standing at the overlook and it was then that I turned and saw a beautiful rainbow stretched out across the sky extending from Pilot Mountain.  The colors were radiant in their red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet array.  At that moment I thought "if we would have decided to change our plans due to the rain, we would have missed this rainbow."  This is what inspired the idea of this blog post.

We hear sayings like "you have to weather the storm," "difficult times makes us stronger," "you have to go through it to get through it," "don't wish for the rain to stop, dance in in."  In this exact moment on the top of the overlook  I thought,  "we would have missed this rainbow if we wouldn't have went through the rain."

How many times do we avoid the rain, the difficulties?  What would have been on the other side of the rain or the pain?  We hear that going through the tough times make us stronger.  Do you believe it?  Are you willing to embrace the rain?

My challenge for you today is to push forward through your rain.  Believe that on the other side is hope and possibly a better outcome.  Embrace it, find peace in it.

On the other side of the rain..... just might be a rainbow.

Getting to the Goal.....

Getting to the goal is sometimes easier said than done.

From a frequent goal setter myself, getting to the goal can sometimes seem impossible. The good news is that by taking small steps toward your goal you WILL see successful outcomes.  I was told by an educator once that we need to do something every 24 hours to get us closer to our goal.  When I looked back on my goals for 2015 I was much more successful than I thought.

Setting goals will give you short-term and long-term motivation and focus.  Settings goals help plan and organize our resources and time so that we can get the best out of life.

Think about your short-term and long-term goals.

By thinking about goals we are making progress.  Just by brainstorming and thinking we can become a step closer to our hopes and dreams.

There is no magic number, there is no magic answer.  Do what works for you.  For those of us who are not as detail-oriented our goals may be more scattered.

For others there may be specific guide lines needed.   I have learned a lot from the idea of the traditional goal setting technique of SMART goal-setting.

S- Specific (or Significant)
M- Measurable (or Meaningful)
A- Attainable (or Action-Oriented)
R- Relevant (or Rewarding)
T- Time-bound (or Trackable)

Some things that work for me include:

Writing and charting my progress. This is a key to successful goal-setting for me.  Even if I making little progress I am still making progress.

Setting clearly defined short-term and long-term goals enabled me to measure progress and achieve personal satisfaction.  My self-confidence and level of competence also improved as I begin to see my capabilities as I achieved my goals.

The basics of goal setting will involve deciding what you really want to do with your personal life and what you need to do to achieve it.  By breaking down goals in to smaller and manageable goals I had a clear written understanding of what I needed to do.

A good way to have a manageable list is to have a daily and weekly set of goals.  By doing this you will be in the position of moving towards you life plan.  Every day will give you the opportunity to fulfill a certain goal.

In 2015 I purchased a datebook that was much more than a datebook.  It was
called "The Inner Guide."  I liked it so much that I bought the same exact one for 2016.

This guide looks at month to month and day to day as a datebook.  It also
has sections to set goals, reflect on progress, and choose our priorities for the month.  The guide gives us a "where I am going" section, lists our top accomplishments and our top challenges.  The guide has a section for a monthly assessment, how we support out mind, body and spirit section and has a section for creative ideas and inspiration.

This book has become my go to for all things goal and inspirational related.

To start achieving your life long goals I challenge you to make a five  year plan. Break that plan down to a one year plan, then a monthly and daily plan.

Remember this is your plan and should work for you.

Get started now.  This time next year you will be glad that you started
your journey today!