Differentiating Your Goals From Your Heart’s Desire

A year or so ago I made a document called “My Heart’s Desire”, and listed what I wanted out of life. I just came across it and decided to update it.

I’m struck by the difference. The one I made before focuses a lot on what I want to get. And they are mostly things I didn’t have yet (a business that runs itself seamlessly, more money, nice things, to travel, etc). It was specific and focused (common wisdom on how to make goals). It is very focused on the future, and while it focuses on “abundance”, it kinda whispers “scarcity” between the lines.

I wrote down a new list today. Here it is:

My Heart’s Desire

1. I want to have daily enjoyment in my work.
2. I want to give my business what it needs to grow into its potential and be a contribution to life.
3. I want to release my fears and let love come through me in the many forms it wants to.
4. I want beauty and order and peace in my home, a home that fills me with happiness when I walk through it.
5. I want to give myself to love, to listen and understand the ones I love, and to share my heart with them also.
6. I want to affirm my intrinsic value and the OKness of all my needs and feelings.
7. I want to heal and release every past hurt that bubbles up in me to shed love and light on.
8. I want to remember and renew my connection with Source every day, every moment.
9. I want to live in and appreciate every present moment.
10. I want to relax and trust and let each day nourish me. (give us this day our daily bread)

This new list feels different. It feels peaceful and fulfilled. I relax just reading it.

Here are some more differences:

• It describes things I already have, in most moments
• It describes present-moment stuff, not future stuff
• It is a lot more focused on loving and joyfulness than on acquiring specific things
• It is at the same time more and less specific: more specific about the feelings and needs that are being met – less specific about what that will look like. It says “a home that fills me with happiness when I walk through it”, not “a home filled with beautiful objects”.
• It specifically mentions Source, my last list didn’t.

I think it’s an improvement. I think I’ve learned something about how to stay unhappy: define happiness as dependent on things you’ll get in the future. And about how to be happy: arrange your daily life so that it nourishes you.

What is your heart’s desire? Is it really a specific job, a specific kind of house, a specific kind of lover? Or is it to be a part of the movement of the energy of Love itself throughout life- and feel that in your body every day?

I’ve also noticed it’s a lot easier for me to actually make and commit to specific work-related goals now than it was before. When I had my heart’s desire confused with specific business goals, every goal became a struggle with God, trying to wrestle purpose and meaning out of numbers – money, customers – and always ending up confused and unfulfilled.

Now I get the purpose of goals – to help my business grow and serve life. Not to give my life meaning. Meeting business goals does not nourish my heart directly – my heart is nourished by the daily process of living and serving life. Coming from that place, I make goals that are cleaner, clearer, that work for my business, and that I actually want to do!