Gotta Get Goals

I was tagged by Dave Schoof of Engaging the Disquiet about top goals in my life, as part of a meme.

I’ve been watching this thread go ’round some blogs recently, and I think it’s fascinating. It seems it’s been pushing people to really think about their lives, instead of living unconsciously.

At the same time, I recently came across a Sufi teaching that says, in effect, (I don’t have the exact word-for-word quote… and I wouldn’t anyway, because the original is in Arabic) “All actions are prayers. Results only come from the Divine. Thinking that your actions create results is an illusion. However, to not act means you aren’t praying, and praying is extremely helpful.”

If you let your mind get too much a hold of this, it can be a pretzel-twister, for sure. But, what I take away from it is a great deal of mercy and relief. Engage in action as a prayer, as a request that all needs are cared for. And to avoid, as much as possible, engaging in action to manipulate the world and force an outcome.

Ahhhh…. easier already, eh?

Okay, so with this context in heart, here are my current ‘gotta get goals.’

1. Family
Many of you don’t know this, but as soon as my wife and I got married, she was hit hard with chronic fatigue… which ultimately turned out to be Lyme Disease (don’t believe the Wiki entry- Lyme Disease is NOT easily treated with antibiotics- unless it’s caught within a week or two of the original infection)- a horrible, degenerative disorder of the nervous system. After seven years and lots and lots of alternative holistic support (Western medicine was nearly useless) she has recovered 95%+ of her health…

… only to find herself in menopause. No kids.

We very much want family together, and so this year is the year of exploring adoption options. To have family, to be a parent, a father, to be a good husband in partnership with Holly as we engage with the miracle of growth and love (with all the frustrations, lost sleep, and other joys) is something I’ve longed for a long time. And I’m looking forward to stretching and growing in this way.

2. Spirituality
The longer I’m on this planet, the more I realize how crazy the way we live is- it really feels backwards. Things come from Source, I (meaning me, the ego, the self, who I see myself as in life) don’t create anything at all. As the Sufis say: “The only power the self has is the power to cover up the Truth.”

I pray that I use what strength and will power I have to connect and surrender as much as possible, and to release self-governance to whatever extent that is granted. In plain words: I want to Remember that the Divine is here as much as possible, in every moment if that’s granted to me, to be moved and breathed by the Source of Love and Truth.

3. Unity
I was raised Jewish, and now I’m a practicing Sufi (pssss… that means Islam… ;)). The struggle I had in my own heart between Judaism and Islam, now completely at peace is such a mirror for the struggles I see in the outside world between Jews and Muslims, between the West and Islam, between people of different religions, different beliefs, different backgrounds. And, it’s so ironic, because there is no real difference between the teachings of Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism… those are the ones I’m familiar with- I’m guessing the rest of the religions are the same.

Sure, some of the details, dates, and names are different- but the core teachings are the exact same.

My highest hope is that my work in this life contributes to the healing of false splits between peoples, between religions and faiths, and that we come to realize the Unity of our hearts.

4. Service
I have to admit, I love playing in business. I love my company, Heart of Business, Inc. I’m having a blast watching it grow, I’m humbled by how the teachings are affecting people, and I’m gratified that it’s so well-received.

I pray that my work in the world is fun for me, that it supports my family, and that it is in nourishing service to all who come into contact with it.

As much fun as I’m having, I’m acutely aware that our fate as a species is looking a little precarious, to say the least. And, let’s be clear: it’s not about saving the Earth- the earth will be around long after we’re extinct. Working on reducing global warming and environmental degradation is about saving our own butts.

And, unfortunately, much of what has happened is a result of what Jon Ramer of the Interra Project told me is called the ‘social dilemma.’ It’s where a choice is totally rational for an individual, but totally irrational for the group. “My family needs more money, so I’ll chop down all of these trees.” etc, etc.

My work is dedicated to the profound understanding that this dilemma does not exist when you engage the heart in connection to Source. When connected to Source, any choice that is bad for anyone else, is also bad for me, no matter what kind of short term gains might be involved.

And this becomes obvious when your heart is connected. And I pray that the teachings that Heart of Business is giving help as many people as possible understand that we can make choices, have healthy, organic development of our businesses, and meet the needs of everyone and everything around us at the same time.

5… 6… 7…?
Sure, I want to have fun in my life, eat good food, enjoy my friends and community, be surrounded in beauty, etc, etc, etc. My experience has been that as long as I’m connected to the goals above, these other things take care of themselves.

Gratitude to Dave
Thanks for being the catalyst to get me to write this up. It was useful to me- hopefully it’s useful to others.

I’m going to tag:

Patrick Galvin of Buzz Builder.
Robert Middleton of Action Plan Marketing
Jennifer Louden
Molly Gordon

Go get’em, y’all.