We’re already one-third of the way into the year — crazy how fast those first 4 months flew by!
If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably thought about the various goals you set for yourself at the beginning of the year… and then mentally evaluated your progress towards those goals.
Or maybe I’m the only one??
I’ve always been an advocate for setting goals and consistently working towards reaching them. I find this practice helps me to not only think about, but also focus in on what is really important to me.
What goals did YOU set for yourself this year?
Do you want to make more time for a hobby?
Do you want to declutter your home?
Do you want to make time for a family vacation?
Do you want to lose 10 pounds?
Do you want to practice more hospitality?
Do you want to make a hot breakfast every morning (or several times a week)?
Do you want to read more?
Do you want to finish (or start) a home or yard renovation?
Do you want to exercise regularly each week?
Do you want to pay off a debt or save up for something specific?
Do you want to have meals at the table with your family at least 3 times a week?
Do you want to memorize a certain number of Bible verses?
Do you want to master the art of baking bread?
Do you want to get dressed and ready every day, even if you aren’t going out in public?
Do you want to finally find a meal planning routine that works for you?
Do you want to wake up earlier (or go to bed earlier)?
Do you want to make more quality time for your spouse, your children, or yourself?
Do you want to ________________________________?
There are hundreds and hundreds of things I could list here… just fill in the blank with whatever YOUR goals are for YOUR life right now?
How are you doing with those goals?
If you feel like you haven’t made any progress over the last 4 months, I can almost guarantee it’s because of one thing…
You haven’t made the goal a priority.
Now just take a deep breath and hear me out a minute.
I do not think you are lazy.
I do not think you are a bad person.
I am not trying to criticize you.
I do not think you are necessarily doing anything wrong.
However, the fact of the matter is, without placing a high priority on our goals, there’s very little chance we will ever achieve those goals.
.
Of course, you might have VERY good reasons for why your goals no longer have priority in your life…
You just found out you’re pregnant and can no longer diet and exercise like you planned.
You got a new job which means putting your hobby, your reading goals, and your house projects on hold for a bit.
You were recently diagnosed with some type of illness or changed to a new medication that’s making it difficult for you to focus on your goals.
You simply changed your mind and are no longer interested in baking bread or saving money for a specific reason.
The list goes on…
Like I mentioned above, it’s not necessarily wrong or bad if you aren’t making progress towards your goals.
It doesn’t mean you CAN’T prioritize your goals, but rather, your priorities might have changed.
Life changes, priorities change, goals change.
If this is where you are at, give yourself a little grace, acknowledge that you haven’t prioritized your goals, determine WHY you haven’t prioritized them, and then move forward with new goals OR a plan to prioritize your current goals.
.
There’s no right or wrong solution here — it just depends on how much time and energy you want to devote to prioritizing your various goals.
However, if you decide a goal is no longer a priority, give yourself permission to release any and all guilt you’re carrying because you haven’t made progress on that specific goal.
You can always try again later, but for now, just move on!
What goals are you prioritizing right now?
Stacey says
At a doctor’s appointment on Monday it hit me that I haven’t been making myself/my health a priority. Since then I’ve seen “set goals, make them priorities” or a similar message THREE TIMES… so I’m pretty sure I need to make some changes. 🙂 Thank you for what you do – I appreciate your posts!
Andrea says
third time’s the charm 🙂 right!!
Chris says
I have started and kept up with a morning and evening routine this week. I am getting unexpected company tomorrow and it’s so nice to not have to do too much.
Andrea says
this is awesome!! Good for you!