Just kidding! I think trying to do all of those things perfectly would make me crazy!
At the start of a new year we can easily get into a trap. We pick ourselves and our lives apart and try to fix everything. We want to make big changes so we set strict rules without realizing that any real lifestyle change is usually best made in small steps. Strict rules make life not - so - fun and there's not a lot of room for mistakes. So then if we can't do it all perfectly, then why even try?! I think that leads to being disappointed and discouraged from achieving goals.
So let's talk about goal setting!
Why you should set goals instead of make resolutions
In the past few years rather than make resolutions, which seem BIG and difficult to make and keep, I've been leaning more toward goal setting.
First- I define the areas in my life I want to improve. (more about that at the bottom) Then I make goals for small changes I want to make to achieve those bigger goals. And that's it.
A goal is a plan for improvement, not a one time shot. If you have a bad moment or a bad day, don't throw all your goals out the window. Just try again the next moment or next day to be a little bit better.
Also- start right now. Don't wait for the beginning of the year, the beginning of the week, or even the beginning of the day. Just start right now in whatever moment you're in.
My goals for the year
This year my main goal is to let things go and only try to control what is in my power. I have spent so so SO much time stressing and being frustrated about things I have no control of. So my goal is to CHOOSE to let things go.
This has already been put to the test even though we are only 9 days into the new year. It was unseasonably cold in Nashville the entire holiday season. That lead to the water pipes in our kitchen freezing. We had no hot water from our faucet, no water to the dishwasher, and no water from the
water dispenser in our fridge. On top of that, our internet went out for 4 days. That sounds so silly, but it was a big deal. No one from our ISP could tell me what was wrong or when it would be back.
And the icing on the cake is that my kids were still out of school for Christmas Break and couldn't figure out what to do with themselves without Netflix, Youtube and online video games. Even though I took them to the indoor trampoline park, to the movie, to redbox, and to go indoor rock climbing, we were still a very hot mess!!
Having no water, not be able to send my little one outside to play with his friends because of extreme (for us) cold, having no internet to blog, watch Netflix, or catch up on everything from the holidays was a big challenge. Some moments I did ok. Other moments, like when I had to hear ALL OF THE COMPLAINTS, I did not do so well.
But today is a new day. I had a pity party to give myself space to be upset for a bit, and now I'm moving on. We have internet again. My kids are back in school. And I'm working to catch up on everything I've missed. I'm starting again in the moment I'm in to try to do better!
My over arching goal is to CHOOSE how I spend my time, my energy, my thoughts, etc, which are the only things I have control of. I have also broken that down into categories to set smaller obtainable goals in important areas in my life.
I made a printable to remind myself of and get excited about the possibilities of this year! You can get a copy here.
In this New Year, it is a new beginning and fresh start for you to set goals for yourself to be the best you, you can be!