Be All In With A Goal — Without Attachment By Leo Babauta

Most of us hold back in almost everything we do — if we tackle an important goal, we’ll do it with a little reservation, doubt, and second-guessing.

That’s not a recipe for getting everything we can out of life.

What if, instead, we could be all in? What if we could show up with full devotion to what we’re committed to?

The problem is that when we go all in with something … we get fixated on the outcome. It becomes an obsession, a drive, even a neediness. This can lead to unhealthiness — so many of us try to stay away from being all in.

Imagine this instead …

You’re all in, fully committed. You don’t second-guess, but treat it as if you have full permission, marching orders from up above.

You show up every day with your full self, wholeheartedly. You give it all of you, all of your devotion.

You care deeply about your process.

You don’t hold back out of fear of failure.

But …

You hold the outcome with open hands — aiming for it, wanting it, but not desperately needing it.

You don’t identify your self-worth with whether or not the goal succeeds.

You can change, or even let go, if needed — without it breaking you.

This can be a powerful way to work. It can be more joyful, less afraid of risks, more resilient when things don’t work as hoped.

About Leo: I am a regular guy, a father of six kids, a husband, a writer from Guam (moved to San Francisco in 2010, now living in Davis, California). But I have accomplished a lot over the last couple of years (and failed a lot) and along the way, I have learned a lot. 

Leo's website: http://www.zenhabits.net and https://seachange.zenhabits.net