I had a great session with a wonderful executive coach the other day.  He asked some thought-provoking questions that helped us put things in perspective.  One of the interesting exercises was to think about how we spend our time.

Are you setting goals and working to fulfill them, or are you too busy reacting to the challenges you face?

If you fall into the trap of being reactive, you spend all of your energy avoiding unpleasantness.  Over time you will notice that you are always busy, but rarely happy.

When you have a strong grasp of your life’s purpose you can set clear goals for yourself.  Once those goals are set, most of your energy can be focused on moving forward.  Ultimately, people are the most fulfilled when they are in pursuit of their personal passions.

The rub is that it can be hard to define your true calling.  Until you do, however, no matter how hard you swim you’re still just treading water.

How about you?  Do you know what you really want to achieve in life?