Out with the Old, In with the New
The Red Folder
For the last 6 months, I have wanted to refresh and update my recipe organization system. Ten years ago, I set up a recipe system which consisted of 3 white binders, each containing recipes of a certain category (Entrees; Soups, Salads & Breads; Appetizers & Desserts). But over the years, my most valuable and most used recipes shifted to The Red Folder. When I got a new recipe from a friend, church member, family member or the internet, that recipe would also go into The Red Folder. The Red Folder eventually became the dumping ground for every recipe that passed through the house. As a result, The Red Folder became quite large, making it cumbersome to find my favorite recipes. During the recent Christmas holiday, my daughter decided to purge The Red Folder. Out went the duplicate recipes, the unused recipes, the recipes that are available online and the recipes that were kept with the hope that I would make them “someday.” My daughter quickly and efficiently discarded pages and pages of recipes. At one point I heard echoes of my clients coming out of my own mouth, such as “I might use that someday” and “I can’t get rid of that because it means so much to me.” In the end, my daughter created a new binder entitled “Favorite Recipes.” As we made our way through the holiday, that new binder was not only an amazing resource for our holiday feasts but taught me the value of purging as part my goal setting process.
Why is purging a necessary part of goal setting?
Let’s explore two types of goals and why purging is an integral part of each.
Behavior Replacement Goals
In the Behavior Replacement Goal, we replace one behavior with another behavior. For example, I will stop eating unhealthy food and start eating healthy food. Or, I will stop drinking soda and I will drink more water. Or perhaps, I will not spend the last 30 minutes of my day scrolling Facebook and I will write in my journal instead. In this type of goal, our success is conditional on both the elimination of one behavior and the addition of another behavior. We are ridding our lives of something we deem harmful, unproductive, or unhealthy and replacing it with something that we deem to be more worthy, healthy, or valuable. Our ability to PURGE our lives of the (harmful, unproductive, or unhealthy) behavior has a direct impact on our capacity to be successful in our stated goals. Yes, we can continue to scroll Facebook and write in our journals, but we are more successfully meeting our objectives when we can purge in addition to integrating the new positive behavior.
Behavior Integration Goals
In the Behavior Integration Goal, we integrate a new action into our daily routine that was not previously part of our lives. Goals in this category might look something like this: I will exercise 4 times a week. I will set up a file organization system for my paperwork. I will organize my master closet. These types of goals might seem self-contained with the sole purpose of adding something into our lives that will benefit us. But like the Behavior Replacement Goals, these goals also require that we PURGE or SHIFT something in our lives. Using the above examples, let’s explore what we purge or shift in order to accomplish our goals. When we commence an exercise program, we sacrifice the time which had previously been spent doing one activity (sleep, tv time, family time) in order to integrate our fitness program. To set up a file organization system, we sacrifice our time doing something else (entertainment, work) for the time it takes to goes through paperwork. When we organize our master closet, there is a natural purging process that takes place as we discard unwanted clothing, shoes, purses, jewelry, and other items. When we INTEGRATE a new action, we PURGE and shift our time and priorities to make room for the new goal.
As we set our 2021 goals, let’s remember that it is ok to PURGE in order to accomplish our goals!
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