The other day, I saw a goose with her goslings crossing a very busy street. Luckily, whizzing cars stopped, and there was no bloodshed. But instead of what usually comes to mind when I see this kind of scene—“Oh, how cute,”—I felt annoyed. “How dangerous!” I thought, and the question that arose for me (which I would have asked that goose if I spoke goose language) was, “Do you really need to get to the other side?”
And then, because I’m a coach and everything is a life lesson, I turned that question toward myself. I wondered if there were any goals that I had on my plate that weren’t so smart. How was I being like that goose? Like, did I really need to get to the other side? Or if I did want to get to the other side, was I approaching it in a smart way—meaning, in a healthy way? What were the belief systems—limiting and unrealistic or expansive and clear—that I was using to get there?
Sometimes, we make goals for ourselves and then forget ourselves in the process. We forget our health, our bodies, our souls, and even other people, as we make our way towards those goals.
Have you ever done this—been like the goose crossing a busy street, not realizing that you could get to your goal an easier way or not even at all?
There are many ways to cross a street, and it’s a good idea to make sure that you really want to.
How do you decide?
By simply staying in awareness of your body.
Ask yourself these questions: Are you feeling tense or contracted? Are you feeling excited and expansive?
Whether it’s career-related, health-related, or relationship-related, the body and soul hold the keys to knowing the best way to get where we want to go.
So moving forward: instead of being like that goose crossing a very busy street with its babies, try to continually monitor whether you like the goal you set for yourself or not. Keep checking in to see if it’s fitting for you. Decide where you’re going and readjust accordingly, and make movements, big or small, to get there in a healthy way—with kindness to yourself, kindness to others, and kindness to the world.
