Ancient Child Question #2

2)  What small steps can you see toward your goal?  What action can you take today?

The second of the Twenty Questions is deceptively simple.   Basically, once you have determined your four basic goals (body, career, relationships, finances) you have a foundation to build anything you desire in life.   And there are two things you need to to to create optimal benefits in each:
a) Take some action toward your intended goals every day.
b) Never leave the site of a new decision without taking an action.

What you want is to create dynamism, momentum.  Enough momentum to keep you going when you are tired and discouraged, or apparently walled in.  These questions are used during your meditation time: you can simply imagine speaking  to your "child" self or "ancient" self.  You can write the question with your dominant hand, and write the answer with your non-dominant hand.   You can simply listen to the "child" and "elder" selves conversing.  The possibilities are limited only by your imagination. 

Yesterday, for instance, the following steps made a difference in my four major arenas:
1) Planned the next major chunk of the fantasy novel I'm working on with Larry Niven.
2) Forty minutes of yoga.
3) Forty minutes of reading with Jason (he loves the "Diary of a wimpy kid" series!).  Have  my little Oscar party with Tananarive, snuggling on the couch and cheering our favorites.
4) Organize the bank deposit I need to make today.

Now, most of yesterday was laziness, but even in the midst of my day off, I like to know I've taken some small step toward any goal that is important to me.   Forty minutes of yoga could have been five minutes of joint recovery.    The writing might have been just writing down a single idea for tomorrow's writing.

I asked my "child" self what the single most important thing I could do...and not surprisingly, it was "spend time with Jason."  So we ended up putting on the gloves and whacking each other around in the gym until he was exhausted with hilarity.  He just eats it up, and is developing a hell of a reverse punch, let me tell you.  My elder told me to take time to congratulate my friend on his Oscar nomination, just let him know win lose or draw how proud I am, and how happy for him.

It was a good day--because I listened, and took action.  What can YOU do today to deepen your understanding of your quiet voices, and move toward your goals?

Get to know yourself, and you'll never be alone.

Steve