Do you ever set a list of ambitious New Year’s Resolutions on January 1, only to see them totally fall apart by the end of the first week of a year?
Here’s a tip for this year: give yourself permission not to.
It’s such a great thing to set aside time to focus on goal setting and long-term planning, whether we want to get healthier, lose weight, or just make life a little simpler. But rather than setting the bar far too high–and setting us up for guilt and stress down the road–give yourself permission to be gentler with yourself this year.
First, let’s take a step back. What direction are you going in? What direction have you been going in this past year? Does your life right now make room for fun, joy, stillness, rest, exploration and adventure–things that will make life richer? And to what extent are they based on the things that you feel others expect of you, rather than the things that are most life giving to you? Are you finding time for stillness, for calm, and for creativity? Are you creating or consuming? Are you taking enough time to practice gratitude, intentionality, and simplicity in your every day life and your relationships?
Now comes a (little) goal making. What are some small goals you can set in your relationships, financially, professionally, or in regards to health and fitness, that you can actually measure (and better yet, reward yourself for), and that will help you to get there? For example, rather than starting with big ticket items like running a marathon, how about setting an intention to join a running group and building relationships with a great group of running buddies, or signing up for a fun, themed 5k race just to get back to the sheer enjoyment of running that made you start in the first place?
At the end of next year, keep in mind that who we are becoming and how we grow in love and service to others is far more important that what we accomplish.
Setting goals is great–but perhaps this year, simplicity is even better. Give yourself permission to live simply, focusing more on your character than your to-do list. 2017 will thank you. And, a bonus…you might just get some of those big ticket items crossed off your list with even greater success than you could have envisioned to begin with.
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