Do you remember at the beginning of the year, that excitement when we carefully curated our goals and New Year’s resolutions? Do you remember looking at our beautifully illustrated vision boards and list of ambitions, ready to take on the year ahead with mad energy and optimism?
We’ve come a long way since then. If you are anything like me, chances are you have already glanced at your list of goals a couple of times. Simply because you are here! Yes, you’ve made it through another year, dear. So whether you have two or twenty-two unchecked goals, remember, you’ve reached the end of the year with your head held high, despite everything this year has thrown at you. And that deserves applause!
When it comes to unmet goals, let’s agree that we’ve all been there. Life happens. There might be setbacks, circumstances change, or maybe you just couldn’t wake up for that 5 AM run because your bed felt so good!
And that’s totally fine. Why?
Life implies one thing: where there’s life, there’s hope. We need to know that an entire world of possibility waits for us with each sunrise, as long as we choose to seize the day. It’s completely okay if our vision for this point in our lives does not match the current reality. Because, every single moment we’ve lived and breathed has played a part in our story. Yes, even the ‘I didn’t do enough’ part.
And for the love of all things precious, let’s vow not to play the comparison game. We all are probably familiar with that slippery slope that is social media during the year-end. As posts showcasing yearly highlights from others start popping up, resist the urge to see them as reminders of what we didn’t achieve. You’ve probably accomplished more than you give yourself credit for! We don’t mean to yell, we’re just passionate about this subject.
Remember, everyone has their own pace, their own journey, and trust me when I say this, no achievement is less important or smaller than the other. Let’s just all have a toast to our individual journeys, resilience, and growth! Because we made it this far, and that’s a victory!
This brings us to my next word, – Gratitude! Before we dive head-first into the goal setting process for next year, let’s all pause for a moment, breathe in and breathe out, and say thank you – to God, to our bodies, to our minds, to the people around us and, most importantly, to ourselves. It’s been a year, and yet we stand here – wiser, stronger, ready for the journey ahead.
We also want to use this time to look back, reflect on the experiences of this year and tweak those goals accordingly. If it means breaking down a giant task into bite-sized, baby steps – then so be it. After all, it’s progress, not perfection, that we should aim for. We can learn from this year, and use that for our future plans.
As we stand at the brink of another exciting year, take a moment to recognize and appreciate your growth, resilience, and survival this year.
We’re so proud of you and you should be too!
