Look Ahead and Get Inspired—With HUGs!

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My friends know I love hugs. But, here we’re talking about a different kind of HUG: Huge Unbelievable Goals. And they’re super-inspiring for us.

HUGs are also easier to achieve than most people realise. Why? Because unlike regular goals which we dutifully work towards, a true HUG is so inspiring that we willingly go to great lengths to achieve them.

So never mind your boring ‘run of the mill’ goals, be daring and grab yourself a good HUG!

A HUG actually breaks many goal-setting ‘rules’

As you probably know, goals are supposed to be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Action-Oriented, Realistic and Timebound).

But a HUG is often vague and without a specific deadline—real ‘no-nos’ in the goal-setting world!

Some examples of HUGs could be taking a year off and travelling the world, moving to a new country, starting a charitable organization, switching careers or having your own art exhibition!

My own current HUGs are to: 1) Get a book published, 2) Turn Fierce Kindness into a Movement (in process but a long way to go!), 3) be a jewellery maker (silversmith!) and 4) Take up to a year to travel around Europe. I think those are achievable in my lifetime—just not right away!

Some important things to know about HUGs:

You should light up when you talk about your HUG. In fact you should feel a thrill (or chill) when you just think about your HUG.
It’s going to take a while. Achievement of your HUG is likely to take 3-10 years, or as long as 15+ years.
It should align strongly with your values. If not, why are you doing it?
Your HUG may seem impossible at first, but it becomes more real and possible over time.
Lastly, a HUG is often achieved earlier than we expect—or in unplanned ways…

Of course if you’re really serious about your HUG it makes sense to get more specific—to define and treat your HUG like a goal. But first you need to have one!

Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning. Gloria Steinem

How to Create Your Own HUG

To create your own HUG/s, grab your journal and give yourself 30 minutes somewhere quiet and peaceful. Then:

Ask yourself these questions:
- What, more than anything, do you really, REALLY want in life?
- What do you YEARN to do?
- What’s your dream for this life? What do you daydream of doing or being?
- What inspires and excites you, just thinking about it?
- What would you happily work your butt off to achieve, if you had the time—and knew you could accomplish it?
Make a list of 10-30 items.
Circle 1-3 of them that you’d like to ‘hold’ onto in your life.
Now write these 1-3 items on a piece of card and put it in your wallet.
- You can also write them on post-its and put them somewhere you will see them regularly like your fridge, computer monitor, bathroom mirror etc.
- Alternatively create a Vision Board. Cut out pictures and write words and quotes that represent your HUG. Then put your Vision Board somewhere you will see it regularly.

Now what?

If you have a dream, don’t just sit there. Gather courage to believe that you can succeed and leave no stone unturned to make it a reality. Dr. Roopleen

Once you have your HUG, begin! Start taking small actions like:

Tell someone.
Do some research on the internet.
Ask yourself questions to get clear and focused as to what exactly you want to do.
Read books/memoirs or watch documentaries about people who’ve done what you want to do.
Take some training.
Hang out with people who’ve done what you want to do.

And if you’re ready to think big—and take serious action, turn your HUG into a SMART goal. Then break it down into small, achievable steps and make an action plan!

Wrap-up

If we did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves. Thomas Edison

HUGs are important because they encourage us to think bigger. They excite and inspire us. They remind us we can do—and be—more. And when we’re feeling humdrum—just thinking about our HUG can lift us into a different space.

Consider that, if you applied yourself, you could use that time you spend daydreaming about your HUG to take action towards achieving it instead. If you accept the longer timescale, get focused and take small and steady actions, you might just succeed!

A HUG may seem impossible. It can certainly be scary. But it’ll be the most thrilling work you ever do.

Why not get started on your HUGs today?

The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it. Michelangelo

Comment below with your HUGs as your first step in making your HUG a reality!

For more inspirational ideas on connecting to your dreams try:

Image of Woman looking far away into the future for HUGs against green background by Kraken Images