- Get inspired – set more audacious goals and decide what my next big project will be.
I knew that the ambassador summit would include discussions around goal-setting, and given the emphasis on goals in lululemon culture, I believed that I might be in for some of the biggest ideas and inspirations of my life. After all, this is the community that came up with the concept of the BHAG – Big Hairy Audacious Goal. Before leaving for Vancouver, I tried to prepare myself. I revisited my existing set of goals. I asked myself whether I might be holding back anywhere, could I be more daring, should I think bigger? I also trimmed away anything that didn’t seem exciting anymore. I arrived at the summit with a shiny four page spreadsheet of goals in hand. (Seriously, four pages.)
The next morning I awoke, and proceeded to a community yoga session. As 100+ people sat in meditation breathing in the rubbery smell of their new lululemon yoga mats in the hotel ballroom, our teacher asked us to set an intention for the day. One word came to mind. “Possibility.” I chose to focus on being open to new possibilities as my intention for the rest of what was to come. Sure enough, the presenters in the goal workshop later that morning spoke of possibility almost immediately. They spoke about how beliefs and experiences from the past can prevent us from thinking as big as we might about the future. They encouraged us to clear away the past and “stand in nothing” when setting goals so that we would not allow the outdated beliefs to limit us in any way.
When we were invited to take a fresh look at our goals, I thought this new insight might help me take mine to the next level. And then, when I put pen to paper…. nothing happened. In fact, I got stuck. I even began to second-guess my existing set of goals. Were they coming from “above the line” – positivity, passion, inspiration, joy? Or were they coming from somewhere “below the line?” I walked out of the session feeling a little dazed and disappointed in myself for not having the breakthrough I had imagined.
It turns out that in this department, I came home from the summit with the opposite of what I thought I’d get. I didn’t get any new big ideas. I found out I didn’t need to outsmart myself in this area – my goals were already big and audacious! Instead, I focused on another point that was touched on in the goal session, which was the concept of having too many goals. I realized that yep, I had too many! Spreading myself too thin in this way was not only diluting my efforts, but taking some of the joy out of the goals as well. Since returning from the summit, I have been working on revising my goals so that I can fit them onto one page, instead of four! It’s a work in progress, but it’s going well. Getting clear on your intentions for your life is a good idea for many reasons: it allows you to steer your course in the direction you really want to go instead of drifting. It reminds you to focus your energy on things that are truly meaningful to you. It helps you uncover your greatness. But most importantly, and this is what I had to remind myself, setting goals is about creating a life you LOVE.
A few great resources for goal setting from the lululemon blog:
http://www.lululemon.com/community/blog/create-a-vision-and-set-your-goals/
http://www.lululemon.com/community/blog/our-favourite-digital-goal-setting-tools/
Enjoy, and remember to HAVE FUN! 
xoxo Andrea
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