It seems everywhere you turn this month people are talking about setting goals. And with the start of a new year it’s fitting really; parenting goals, exercise goals, dieting goals, financial goals – goals, goals, goals.
Some people it seem really thrive from setting goals, while others become overwhelmed by the list they lay before themselves. Truth be told, I’m not sure which one I am. I like having a clear mission in mind when working toward progress on a project at work or a household DIY, but I’ve never been one to get excited about setting goals for the New Year.
Perhaps it’s my anxious heart. I tend to become easily overwhelmed by things that feel bigger than me, which might be why I shy away from the formal process. Sure I have ideas about what I want to accomplish in 2017. But they aren’t concrete and I’ve decided for now, at this stage of my life, that I’m okay with that.
If you know my perfectionist tendencies it might surprise you that I don’t have an Excel spreadsheet with 10 goals itemized by category. And I think I might secretly wish I did, because it seems on paper at least that I might accomplish more, do more, have more, if I was constantly focused on working a list.
Maybe it’s midlife, maybe it’s the overwhelmed and harried parent coming out in me, or perhaps I’ve just come to a point when I’m less concerned with what I do, and more about who I’m becoming.
In 2017 my goal is to be more present. So that with each moment I can work toward the best version of myself, and hope that everything else falls into place. Naive? Maybe, but I’m giving it my best effort and so far I like the way it feels.
And so it is with each moment then that you are given a fresh start – not just in January each year.