Are You a Seeker? Five Tips to Get to Your Goal

Are you a seeker? A seeker is someone who is driven, motivated, and passionate to solve a problem, achieve a goal, or find something more. I am a seeker and my single-minded goal is more peace of mind. Throughout my life, I have been driven to find more peace in the face of life challenges – depression, anxiety, obsession with romantic relationships, worries about the world, others’ addictions, becoming a parent later in life, a cancer diagnosis, and more.

In the process, I’ve developed skills, techniques, and tools that I use myself and for those I coach to support:

• More peace of mind around difficult situations
• More meaning around work and purpose in life
• More satisfaction in any aspect of life

Here are five keys to successful seeking.

1. Never Give Up

Persistence is essential to reaching any goal, especially when you face significant obstacles along the way. I got through a cancer diagnosis and intensive treatment by continually pursuing information and guidance to make the best choices for my survival and health. I was slowed but never stopped by chemo fatigue, depression, confusing imaging results, surgery, radiation exhaustion, and the discovery of an underlying heart condition, among many other challenges. I kept on asking questions, doing research, reading, and analyzing information to make the best choices for myself and my family. Now a year past the end of treatment, I am healthy and more committed to my long-term wellbeing than ever. No matter what you are seeking, commit to pushing forward no matter the obstacles.

2. Be Open to All New Ideas

Your best thinking got you here. And if you want to go farther, you need an open mind and a willingness to explore new ideas. They might seem silly, or far-fetched, but you’ll never know until you try something new if it might make a shift for you. Throw your net wide to explore potential answers to your questions. Look outside your comfort zone and welcome new information.

3. Be Willing to Fail

This is a big one. We’re often taught that mistakes are bad and we should avoid them. But in reality, mistakes are a huge part of the learning process. Learning what doesn’t work is as important as finding what does. Don’t just learn to accept mistakes, see if you can welcome them, embrace them. Try things out, see if they work, learn from the process. I heard a story about a dad who used to ask his kids at dinner what they had failed at that day, what mistakes they’d made and what they’d learned. And celebrated them! What a shift. Failing is learning. Can you be willing to fail?

4. Treat Every Step Like an Achievement

Fight perfectionism by seeing your goal as a series of steps along the way. Every time you take one small step, any action toward your goal, reward yourself. Celebrate like you have achieved the goal itself, and you will maintain your excitement and motivation. Believing you have to achieve the entire goal to feel good or accomplished can lead to demotivation or depression. Let go of perfectionism and embrace celebration!

5. Refuel Your Passion

Keep in touch with the source of your seeking. What drives you? Why? Remind yourself of the reasons for your pursuit. For me, finding more peace of mind involves continual personal development – learning more about myself every day. Sometimes that’s painful as I run into my inner blocks and obstacles. Sometimes it’s incredibly exciting, when I gain insight and release from things holding me back. Look at your passion and the reasons for seeking – and remind yourself to enjoy the process and the positives along the journey.