Week Two - Align with the Divine Goal Setting Challenge

Chandika Devālaya

House of Goddess Chandi

(a Lalita Chandika Temple)

Week Two Challenge

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Week Two: Think Action,

Think Momentum, Think Journey

Welcome to Week Two of the Align with the Divine goal-setting challenge.

Wasn’t last week intense? We talked about deciding what you REALLY want in life and we used a framework to check in to see if you have a sense of balance amongst the different aspects of your life.

If you are like me - I recognized immediately some areas in my life that I needed to shore-up.

Today we’re going to be thinking through the benefits of taking step by step methodical actions, but before we start into week two, let's pause for a moment to ask a few questions of you:

Did you do the exercise for last week?

Do have an understanding of the aspects in life that you focus on naturally vs. perhaps the areas you tend to avoid? Is your life balanced?

Did you develop a few key areas where you really want to improve the quality of your life?

If you have not done this week one challenge yet, do not feel badly, just please continue to work on it this week and prior to moving further with this week's challenge. OK?

Reflection:

Typically, when people think of what they want to achieve in life, they think of setting a goal that they will accomplish by a specific time, and then they begin working on it until they reach their target. Their mind is always on the target.

I DON’T think that is the best approach.

Here’s why.

When you only have an endpoint in mind, and you just focus on that endpoint, the only time you feel like you have accomplished something is when you actually REACH your goal.

Until then, you may feel tension; you may feel overwhelmed; you may feel that there are gaps; sometimes you may even get a sense that you’re not getting anywhere.

This can quickly lead to discouragement and BURNOUT, especially if it takes a while to reach your goal.

Rather than just focusing on a specific target or goal, it’s WAYYYY more effective to create a process or a step-by- step system for yourself, and CELEBRATE your progress on the journey.

Here’s how it works: After you have identified 2 - 3 things that you really want in life, create a system of small, easily repeatable actions that will constantly push you toward that end.

Don't focus on the outcomes because the outcomes are not up to you. Rather, focus on enjoying the steps and CELEBRATE that momentum.

Lord Krishna discusses this concept in the Bhagavad Gita. Here is Swamiji's interpretation of that verse:

You have authority over you actions, but never over the fruits. Never let your motive be to the fruits of action, nor let your attachment cause inefficiency. ~ Bhagavad Gita, 2:47

For example, let’s say you want to write a 40,000-page book. That’s a big, AWESOME goal, right?

But it’s kind of overwhelming…

.... until you create a system.

A simple system for this would be to write 500 words per day, every day, at 6:30 AM.

That’s IT. You could probably do that in 30-60 minutes, depending on your writing speed.

If you followed that system, you would complete your book in ONLY 80 days. Just 2.5 months!

That the power of a step-by-step system.

Small, repeatable actions lead to HUGE results.

Here is another example, Let's say you have a sankalpa to perform japa, 100,000 repetitions, of a certain mantra.

Thinking of 100,000 may seem daunting, but if you break that down into smaller, more doable, more manageable tasks every day, it's easy-peasy.

For example, if you do five malas in the morning and five in the evening, (10x108= 1,080 per day), you would complete this sankalpa in three months. That's seems very reasonable, doesn't it?

Always break a GOAL into manageable parts. Always CELEBRATE along the way.

Action:

You already know what you want - you determined that in first challenge when you identified 2 - 3 things that would take your life to a new level.

Now it’s time to create a system.

For each of the "wants" that you identified in the first week challenge, simply develop one to two actions that you can do every day to make progress.

If you want to get into physical shape, create a small system for exercising every day. Start small and congratulate yourself every day.

If you want to deepen relationships, create a system for having one meaningful conversation every week.

If you want to perform a spiritual sankalpa, carve out sadhana time every morning and/or evening to perform.

If you want to lose weight, create a simple system for cutting a small amount of calories out of your daily diet.

You get it? It's simple, but it takes discipline to do. This doesn’t need to be complicated. It DOES need to be easily repeatable! That's the key.

You will gain massive momentum when you follow through every day, and your confidence will indeed soar as you move closer and closer to your ideal state.

Go for it!

I look forward to our call on ZOOM tonight, Monday, Align with the Divine Satsangh at 7:00 pm PST. (see link below)

In case you missed last week's meeting, check out the video:

Finally, for the serious aspirant, try incorporating each day some positive affirmations designed to keep you motivated and inspired.

Week Two Daily Affirmations:

(repeat this simple statement as often as possible this week)

Every day I take small steps toward my goals.

Small achievements make my heart sing.

I celebrate small victories on the journey of life.

Jai Maa!

Reminder: Tonight ZOOM call at 7:00 pm PST

Pushpa Saraswati is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Align with Divine Goal Setting Challenge

Time: Jan 11, 2021 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/94355237563?pwd=d0VCVEZiRWZYaEs3STU2ZXUrNmV4Zz09

Meeting ID: 943 5523 7563

Passcode: 036653

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