The ocean is waiting for you… This is the moment you want to step into the water, yet you hesitate. A child is running on the beach and goes playfully in and out of the ocean. A dog runs after the ball that disappears between the sparkling waves. A group of swimmers get ready for the training and one stands out with his ambitions to be the first one crossing the finish line. A man in his forties, wearing a labeled lycra, steps out of the ocean and carries a big bag full of ocean trash that he collected in the water. A young girl runs towards him and  with a smile hands him over a plastic bottle that she found on the beach. Deeper in the water, a spearfisher is dragging a buoy behind him while he is cruising along the coast. There are a couple more buoys not so far from shore. Both have a dive flag and one is attached to a diving boat. One buoy has a person holding the handles and fins that stick out of the water, assuming that the diver just went down without a tank, You have heard of freediving but never really saw it in action and wonder if that is what it is all about. On older couple joyfully steps hand in hand into the ocean to cool off. Teenagers in the water playing frisbee stop their activity to give the couple the space and room to enjoy the water. A helicopter flies circles over some whales, it seems like it is a whale watch tour from the sky. You spot some boats out on the ocean and observe them trolling fishing lines.
All of the sudden a commotion of people makes you jump. You see how the jet ski of the lifeguard gets pushed into the water. You step back, and while you gaze at the horizon where the ocean meets the sky, you ask yourself: Why did I come here? What is my passion? What is my motivation? And what are my goals?

Every day we experience situations that either inspire and motivate us or that we prefer to avoid. We always set goals according to our needs or wishes and sometimes we are not even aware of it. It can be as simple as eating or more complex as fulfilled partnerships, financial abundance or wining a gold medal. The stronger the desire, the more motivation we have. We try to achieve the goals but with constant setbacks, mistakes or changing circumstances. The goal seems to fade away or maybe is replaced by new goals. Why do we tend to procrastinate and turn motivation away from engagement and movement? 

Although we try our best, we seem to fail by not being resilient enough. We compromise or give up. The biggest problem lies in the first step of the goal setting strategy: The goal is set but steps not laid out and taken. It takes some awareness and consciousness but  the most important question is not what the goal is but rather how it can be reached. For example: You can set your goal to swim 200 yards with one breath hold. If you keep looking at the finish line and keep pushing by aiming the goal, you will most likely not succeed comfortably. If you wake up in the morning and see the neighbor coming home with a smile on his face because he just completed his morning water session, it might inspire you but the chances are big that your are not taking your steps to achieve your goal. The hot cup of coffee is waiting so you can’t just leave the house now. Then there is the newspaper waiting on the kitchen counter and while you sit on a bar chair to sip on the comforting beverage, your mind gets busy reading the news and your forehead-wrinkles start having a training by themselves. The phone rings and your friend wants to catch up but you also have an appointment today…. All sounds familiar? You tell yourself you will start tomorrow. Tomorrow your body is on strike and the ocean is rough or the water cold. Convinced yet? 😂 There are always reasons why we are procrastinating and not taking the needed steps to achieve our goal. 

If you were to ask children, they would put themselves in all possible situations in their imagination and their wishes, dreams and goals  have no limits. It doesn’t matter whether it is the most expensive car, to be a queen or walk on water. They see themselves from the beginning as winners. But the wish alone does not lead to the goal. However, what we can learn from children is to believe and to trust. For example children fill out their Christmas list for Santa without hesitation. They believe in Santa and trust that he will bring them their toys. And most of the time they succeed 😊. It is Santa’s job to focus on one thing at the time and take all the steps to make dreams come true. Why not being Santa for a while, see if his commitment, motivation, determination along with the trust of the children and parents will bring you closer to your goal. You have support along your way, just as Santa has this animals and helpers. We are here for you!