Goals: A Reframe
Truth #1: I’ve been goal-oriented my whole life.
When I worked in the ad agency world (and before I had children), I would straight up savor the week between Christmas and New Year’s. I used it as a time to slowly reflect over the past year and then dream and plan for the year ahead. My days would stretch ahead of me, my coffee consumption was insane, and I would just think and write and calendar. No interruptions, no plans. Ahhh, so good.
Truth #2: Sometime over the past few years, even the mere word “goals” has had me twisted up with overwhelm.
The boxed-in way I had thought about goals for so long wasn’t working for me anymore, but I couldn’t/wouldn’t/didn’t want to let go of being goal-oriented as a part of my identity either. What’s a girl to do when what she has been doing isn’t working anymore, but she is lost in a sea of endless options of which path to choose next? I found myself asking deeper questions that center around who I am (being) vs. what I do (doing), why I was setting certain goals, where contentment fit in with growth, and what the balance is between grace and accountability.
What I am now realizing is that I was in the uncomfortable process of moving into a way to set goals. This way is more in alignment with who I am and who I am becoming. This way is softer. And man, do I love to fight my softening.
Truth #3: I’ve had to realize that I really have to stay in my own lane and choose the practices that feel right to me each year.
This year, it was a beautiful reflection process that included reviewing my digital calendar and journal. I broke that up into the cracks of time between holiday festivities over a few days. This helped me finalize my word of the year (for 2025, it’s “Stewardship”).
Then, it was taking a walk and meditating on what I wanted life to look like on December 31, 2025. Visualization is currently one of the most powerful tools for me because I can not only see who I want to be, but I can feel it. And for the record, in the movie of my life that plays in my head, Nancy Meyers is most certainly directing it.
Next, it was creating a digital vision board via Pinterest (Did you know they have a new collage tool? It’s so cool and even easier than Canva IMO.) while my kids watched a movie. I’m keeping it as my phone background.
Then, it was brain-dumping all the goals I have for myself into a Google doc, including WHY each goal matters to me and how it fits into the vision I have for my life, before cleaning them up and transferring them to my beloved paper planner.
Finally, I get to HOW I’m going to do it, measure it, and score it (kept mostly in a Google doc, too) - which is a whole separate note. Message me if you’re interested!
I still savor the week between Christmas and New Year’s, but I’ve taken the pressure off of being perfectly ready and charged up to go by January 1. I’m also not avoiding goals completely, like I’ve done in some years. I’ve found a healthy-for-me balance that feels right to me right now. And allowing myself the agency to decide this has been the best of all.
Sending you so much love as we kick off 2025, friends.
– Audra