There is a simple secret to extraordinary, according to Gary Keller and his book The ONE Thing.
This book reads like someone watched me operate my entire life and then said, “You know what would help Ashleigh? Doing one thing at a time.”
Do you know how many times I have been told to slow down? To pick one thing? To focus?
The problem is not exactly me. It is the superwoman living inside of me who insists on completing eight million things in one day just to feel like I am keeping up.
I impose expectations on myself that are not always connected to a direct goal. Sometimes they are only connected to the pressure of life itself.
How many times do we look up and realize we are not, in fact, being chased by a bear?
The dishes do not need to be scrubbed like we are preparing for battle. The email does not need to be answered like the entire world will collapse if we pause. The task list is not always the emergency our nervous system thinks it is.
And yet, we live in a world that makes slowing down feel almost impossible.
We work every day to meet the needs of our families, employers, friends, communities, and society as a whole, all while the 24-hour news cycle plays like a fire alarm in the background.
So when someone says, “Be in the moment,” I understand the intention. But sometimes the moment feels loud.
That is why goals matter.
Not because goals magically fix everything. Not because we need another thing to achieve. But because goals help us return to ourselves. They give our energy somewhere to go. They help us move from simply being busy to becoming intentional.
Daydreaming is not the same as goal keeping.
Goal keeping is the practice of noticing where we are, naming where we want to go, and tracking the small steps that move us closer to the woman we are becoming.
So how do we write a goal?
How do we figure out where we want to go?
Why do goals matter?
When do we begin?
The answers are deeply personal. There is no one-size-fits-all formula. But through writing, reflection, and shared experience, we can begin to map where we have been, understand where we are, and choose where we are going next.
If you are interested in making a plan, finding your groove, sharing experience, and writing to heal, I invite you to join The Tahoe Phoenix Collective for our second event:
Writer’s Block Flow: A Workshop
During this workshop, we will begin with mindful movement designed to settle the central nervous system and support a creative flow state.
You are invited to bring something you are working on, something you feel stuck on, or simply come ready to begin something new.
This workshop is inspired by the practice of self-authoring: writing as a way to better understand your past, clarify your present, and consciously shape your future.
We are here to rise, even if we are not currently in the ashes.
We rise together.
Ashleigh Goodwin
For access to this limited-time workshop, please email:
Goodwin@thetahoephoenixcollective.com