Confessions of a Serial Goal Digger
Illustration by: Inès Longevial
Self help articles give cute and sparkly advice to goal diggers. It’s all gold, glitter, and hand claps of support. Often times they leave out the not so popular parts of what it takes to accomplish your goals (like when you’re crawling on your hands and knees slow and bloody toward a goal just so you can get started on another one). Okay so it’s not thaaaaaat dramatic but still. As a self proclaimed “serial goal digger” I’ll let you in on a few things people often fail to mention about the road to success.
1. It’s sorta lonely.
The circle of people who I call my “best friends” is extremely small. Yes, I have a large circle of acquaintances. However, I made the decision that if I wanted to be successful the people who I surround myself with on a regular basis need to push me to fail fast and grow. Iron sharpens iron. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who don’t understand the kind of work being a serial goal digger requires. Sometimes it’s not even intentional but people who don’t value your vision can distract you from the bigger picture. So I always keep a close eye on the people around me.
2. There are times when I get hit with imposter syndrome.
It’s the feeling that you’re a fake and the things you’ve accomplished were a fluke. For example, I remember gaining acceptance into John’s Hopkins University. I told a “friend” and his response was that I got in because I was black. Never mind my above average SAT scores, stellar extracurricular activities (cheerleading, track, musical theatre etc.), and a high GPA earned at one of the best public high schools in the nation. It wasn’t until my junior year of college that I realized, “I work hard. I’ve earned all these accomplishments. I’m the SHIT.” So I learned to value all the hard work I’ve done to meet my goals.
3. Sometimes I am motivated by the fear of being average.
And I just go with it. I understand that fear is not the foundation of the work I do. Fear is not what rules my vision. I am motivated by the need to help myself grow in self love. My work is rooted in my desire to help myself and others live vibrant lives. Yet sometimes the fear of living a mediocre and miserable life pushes me to go the extra mile. Fear isn’t something I use to motivate myself long term. Occasionally, however, a little fear of being average works when I feel myself trying to board the train to lazy town.
Got any confessions of your own about reaching your goals? Leave a comment below and let us know.
