Upcoming Life Maps Courses:

Myers-Briggs Personality Type Course:
     5:00pm to 8:30pm
     $90 per person (small group setting)
     Offered Wednesday, September 10th and Wednesday, October 8th.

Women’s Personality Goal Setting Course:
     9:00am to 2:00pm
     $425 per person (small group setting)
     15 hour course beings Saturday, September 6th

To reserve your seat in a specific course, please mail a check payable to:
Life Maps
Beth Abel
1008 Mopac Circle #200
Austin, TX 78746

Life Maps office re-opens August 26th. Remember, a well lit path has life direction. Mark your calendar for August 26th to set your free consultation appointment and begin your journey of a goal directed life.

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AT Thoughts on Life Skills: When Goal Failure Happens

We live in a culture that defines success very narrowly. Part of that narrow definition includes the concept that failure occurs when the goal isn't met just as it was originally designed. Successful personal goal setting is all about a fluid and adaptive process that expects failure yet ultimately gives life direction. Failures along the way brings clarification of what is wanted and more direction on how to get it.

Here's a clear example. July 6th I set about a plan to summit Maine's Mt. Katahdin, the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail (AT). This day had been a significant part of my long term Lifestyle Goal (hike the 2,124 miles of the AT) for ten years and also a big part of the 2008 subgoal of hiking the 250 AT miles in Maine. I failed!

Before my Life Maps clients freak out thinking their life coach is a quitter, please let me say more. My hiking partner, Smasher, and I camped at the base of the mountain the previous night. Though we were blessed with a clear weather day, the temperature eventually soar to 90 degrees. Our day's task was a five mile ascent of 5,000 feet (Adrianne - I'll check this stat and call you to confirm it) on the very first day of the trip. As experienced long-distance backpackers, we knew this was a very difficult feat for two 58 year old women. Sure enough, we were definitely the oldest women on the mountain that day. At 6am we started our climb with daypacks of all the proper food, water and gear. The trail was actually a bouldering activity interspersed with mountain climbing. At noon we stood two miles from the summit and took a reality check. We assessed the situation and decided to devote one more hour of energy to the ascent. At 1pm, after seven hours of climbing, we could see the summit just 1.5 miles away. We began to descend which took six hours and gifts of additional drinking water from other hikers.

I did not complete the goal. I failed. But to me, there was no failure because of the quality process of the journey. I wasted no energy on self doubt because I used life skills to assess the failure. I know what could have been done to improve my effort, but there was very little on that list. I know that the mental focus of that day was superb. And, I'm pleased with the frequent in-the-moment reflections of the scene. Therefore, I left that mountain ready to move on to the next part of my journey.

When failure occurs on the personal goal setting journey - here is the life skill to practice:

1. Evaluate your Goal process
   • How was your preparation and plan?
   • How was your execution?
   • How was your in-the-moment reflection of the process?
2. Ask yourself AGAIN - do you claim your ultimate Lifestyle Goal? Example: My ultimate Lifestyle Goal is "I've hiked the entire AT". If your answer to this question is Yes, you will see this failure as a part of the journey and you will learn from the failure. If not, you'll revise the goal to fit you better.
3. Keep practicing self-patience and self-discipline by seeing the failure through the la special lense. See the failure as the necessary exploration to find self-guided life direction.

I'll share additional life skill thoughts that have emerged from countless hours of walking in subsequent trail news this month.

Flora and Fauna Trail News:
Maine is unusually warm for this time of year. We've had several humid days of highs in the 80's, lows in the 50's. The sixty miles I've hiked so far are in the 100 mile Wilderness section of the AT. The trail is often swampy conditions with timbers thrown over the worst spots to help hikers. The numerous cool water lakes are absolutely beautiful and often filled with trout and more.

Yesterday alone we saw the following wildlife :
hawk, moose, fox, rabbit, beaver, maganser ducks, squirrel, owl and grouse.

Remember, a well lit path has life direction - Life Maps.

Peace be within you - Beth Abel, life coach