A new season of setting goals.
I’ve been diligent about setting goals my entire life. Some arbitrary like: ‘live someplace warmer than Ohio’; some more definitive: ‘work for an NFL team after graduation’.. with about a million others that have all mostly surrounded my career. I’ve always prided myself in my ability to set my mind to something and then accomplish it. Attending graduate school, leading a student-athlete development department at a power 5 university, running a marathon, managing an internship program for college students, becoming a Manager within my Beautycounter business… the list of goals I’ve dreamed up goes on and on.
But what exactly does setting goals look like now that I have become a stay-at-home-mom…something I never dreamed I’d want to do? When the type-A, goal-setting mentality doesn’t exactly pivot seamlessly into the new world I’ve created for myself and my family? I know I’m currently doing the most important work I’ll ever do in my life, within the walls of our home, but it’s also really hard. For awhile I thought I had to let go of this part of me that desired goals and motivation, but what I’ve come to learn is how this new role of mine actually makes way for so much opportunity.
When I stopped being so fully focused on my “career”, I was given the mind space to rediscover things I truly loved - things like writing, horseback riding, running, and reading. Losing myself in a novel was a favorite pastime of mine as a child, and I am happy to say I’ve reclaimed that passion over this past year. There are few things I enjoy more than starting a new adventure and escaping inside the pages of a good book. So, one thing I decided I would do for myself this year, in the year I set an intention to live as free as possible, was to read - as much as I could.
Since setting goals has always helped me in the past, I decided it would give me something tangible to work towards this year that was just for me. So, in January, I set the goal of reading 20 books before the year was up. I couldn’t believe it when I reached that number by June (I’m actually on pace to almost double my initial goal). Now, whether I read five books or 100 this year, I know in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t truly matter. But what does matter is that within those hours spent reading at home or listening to an audible while I run, I am carving out time and space that’s just for me. I have rediscovered something I used to love, and promised myself I would stick with it, no matter what happened throughout the year. And let me tell you, it has been a pretty tough, unpredictable, beautiful, and busy, year. But ultimately, it was one where I finally - for the first time in my adult life - took a huge step back from the hustle (it’s harder than it may seem, trust me) and slowed way, way down. Where I lived in the silly, small moments and let the wonder in my children’s eyes and the pages of the books I read take me to places I’ve never been before. Making the commitment to taking care of myself, when everyone in my family consistently needs me to take care of them, is one of the best things I’ve done this entire year (maybe my entire life). I am so thankful for the journey within the tens of thousands of pages I’ve read so far; because I may give my all in motherhood, but that doesn’t mean it is all that I am.
So whether you are a stay at home mom or work outside the home, are a young professional or are currently in college, it is so important to find something you love and commit to it - each day, each week, each year. Set a goal; create habits that eventually become a routine you are proud of, one where you honor yourself first. Maybe it’s running, or baking, yoga, or photography. Or, maybe you’re like me, and simply want to carve out time to curl up with a good book. Make time for what brings you joy, for what helps you escape a little, or what allows you to re-center. You are worth it. You will always be worth it.
If you’re curious, some of the best books I’ve read this year include (in no particular order):
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey (do yourself a favor and download the audible version - Matthew reads it himself)
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
(find me on Goodreads for a complete list! I love to see what my friends are reading!)
What’s one thing you commit to each day that’s just for you?
What’s a goal you want to set for yourself in the upcoming year?