This blog post is about setting and achieving goals! For most of us, January is usually a month of
reflection, resolutions, and motivation. But then February comes around, and we've completely fallen off the wagon. This tends to be a pattern that echoes
throughout our lives – how many times have we attempted to commit to something
(i.e. eating healthier, working out, maintaining a blog *ahem*) and we didn’t
follow through? Below I’ve outlined a few pointers that I have found helpful in
setting goals and staying motivated!
Perfection Isn’t Expected –in fact it’s boring and
predictable. I can honestly say this is
the one that got in my way with my blog. I was so worried about what other
people might think, how you all might judge my writing, my intelligence, my
abilities as a therapist, etc. that I literally would stare at a blank Word
Document for hours at a time. It was incredibly overwhelming, and I found
myself drowning in self-inflicted judgments. After a few months of doing my own
work around this, I’m beginning to
enter into a place where perfection doesn’t rule me. What I have to say is
valuable. And, frankly, while this blog is a resource I like to share, I’m
really doing it for me. I love to write and connect with others. I’m honoring
and nurturing my inner little girl by doing this blog.
Break It Down into Smaller, More Manageable Parts. One
of my personal goals for 2013 is to run a half marathon. Ironically enough, I’ve already started to
notice that simply setting this goal has resulted in a decrease in my recently
very high motivation to hit the pavement (and I don’t plan to run this thing
until December 2013!).
We all know the old sayin’ “How DO you eat an elephant?”
With chopsticks (New
Girl reference, anyone?).
Just kidding.
One bite at a time, of course! I broke it down into
digestible goals. I signed up for two super fun 5Ks in January, a 10K in March,
and have found an easy-to-follow half marathon training schedule, broken down
into weeks. I might even throw in an 8K and a 15K if I can find one in my area.
I know that between the hours I keep being a mental health therapist, studying
for my licensure exam, and maintaining my relationships, I may not be able to
stick to a structured running schedule every week. Again, perfection isn’t the
key here – you’re doing it for yourself!
Make your intentions known. Gather up your support
troops! Tell friends and family what your intentions are. Reach out for
encouragement. Know that you are worthy and deserving of this love and support!
Celebrate Your Victories (no matter how small you may think
they are). Shout ‘em out from the roof top, baby. Because you are worthy of
celebrating!
Look at your patterns. This one is deep and requires
a lot of self reflection and exploration, especially if not committing to
yourself has been one of your patterns for some time. This is where we start
getting honest with ourselves. In what
ways are you self destructing? What are the unconscious messages that you are
telling yourself regarding your worth and how deserving you are of success?
Sometimes we are too subjective, too “in it” to be able to identify these
patterns. No worries – that’s what therapists help us do!
While this is certainly not an exhaustive list of ideas, I do
hope you all find these five strategies helpful. They have certainly helped me
in the past few months. Honestly, what it really all comes down to is showing
up for yourself.
2013 is your year for the taking, so get your chopsticks
out!
