Sometimes, coming to understand what you love in life and what your goals should be can be a real pain. After all, as military spouses, we are often far more concerned with fulfilling the needs of our children, our spouses, and our country than focusing on our own interests and desires!
To truly understand our own goals and motivations, however, we really need to take some time to consider the things that we enjoy doing.
To figure out what these passions are, it often helps to think about what we loved doing as kids. While it may be initially difficult to find the connections between the things that we loved as children and the activities and jobs that we might find fulfilling now, if we let go of the particulars, we can watch the same passions manifest in adulthood.
For example, perhaps you absolutely could not get enough of hopscotch as a kid. Well, you might not find it quite as fulfilling nowadays but this activity could be a great indicator that you will find joy working out at the gym or taking a yoga class. Or, if you just loved rearranging your room or finding the perfect place for each of your stuffed animals as a kid, maybe you’d enjoy pursuing interior design.
Think about your current goals in the areas of health and wealth. Then, really think, and consider what you did when you were younger that was healthy (i.e. tag, hopscotch, running) and what chores or activities you loved the most.
I was on my high school field hockey team and I took great pleasure in the smell of grass and being around friends; now as an adult I take tennis lessons where I get a great workout, enjoy the outdoors, and meet up with good girlfriends. I have more fun going to a tennis lesson than going to the gym so I am more apt to stick with it and keep up with my goal of exercising regularly.
Think of things that are both fun and good for you and you will more likely stick with these activities as you work toward achieving your goals. There are many things that we naturally love that will help us move forward toward the lives we want for ourselves.
By harnessing that childhood glee and passion, we can draw success to us effortlessly.