Mencius once said, “Before a man can do things, there must be things he will not do.” In other words, you and I must establish boundaries before we even get started on our journey toward our goals.
This may seem a bit strange, but hear me (and Mencius) out on this.
Say you want to achieve your goal of spending more time with your family. You’ve realized how much time work has taken away from you and your family and also how much time you spend doing your hobbies (sans family). You’ve finally decided you’re going to pay more attention to your family and spend some extra time with the kiddos.
The most important thing to do when you are establishing this goal is to determine where you are drawing the line; you must determine your boundaries. Where do you draw the line that says, “OK, I’ve spent enough time working.” Putting in place this boundary helps you identify a line that you’ve made known to yourself (and maybe others) that you will not cross that line.
This is of vital importance because if you do not establish what you will not do, when the time comes that you get to what should be a line, it becomes much easier for you to justify why you’re going to cross that line. Oh, it’s just another half hour of work. They won’t mind. I’m doing it for them after all. If that line is never established, then when exactly do you say no more?
I challenge you, reader, to establish some boundaries at the same time that you’re establishing your goals. It is indispensable. There must be things that you and I will not do in order for us to do the things we want to.