by LK Weir
At least once a year we make a resolution to improve; to fulfill some deep-down desire to be better. Eat healthier, exercise more, learn a language, write that book—all with good intentions. We hit the new year running. We get a gym membership, plan out a week’s worth of healthy eating, sit in front of our laptops and write everyday…until, one day we forget.
Then days pass, weeks pass, months pass, and suddenly a little thought pops into our mind… did I forget something?
We all have a longing to be something bigger and better than we currently are. It is part of the human condition. The problem is, when that day comes and we remember what we forgot, it’s devastatingly discouraging. It can make us feel unaccomplished, stuck in a cycle and unable to fulfill our life’s desires.
It simply feels rotten.
This happened to me in 2020. Early in the year, I published my book and felt like the queen of my life. Once it was out there, I was certain I would promote it with raw intensity. I would write Part II within six months and launch my second novel. Then, at that point, I would finally arrive at my destination.
But life got in the way.
I started writing Part II. I set up marketing on Amazon. I posted about it for a couple of months. Until, one day, I forgot. A month went by, then six, and now I am sitting at the cusp of 2021 wondering, what happened? I feel the full weight of how much time I wasted. I think to myself, “How will I ever become the person I am meant to be if I can’t even do this one small thing?”
And with this thought, I am deflated. As if I’ve lost the point of it all. Why should I try again if I know I am just going to fail?
This cycle needs to stop. But not in the way you are thinking.
We all have goals and dreams. We plan how we will accomplish them, and we try our best to achieve them. But our dreams and our goals should not be limited to the one day a year when we tell ourselves it’s time to change.
“Our dreams and goals roll on, year after year, as we pluck away at the to-do list. We are not bound to a timeline.” – LK Weir
If we don’t finish right away it doesn’t mean we failed.
So instead, this year, I propose we take stock of all the things we have accomplished. List all the lessons we have learned, compare a snapshot of who we were and who we have become. Finally give ourselves credit for all we have gone through to emerge on the other side.
I want you to do this. Please follow along, I promise it is worth it.
- Write five things you have accomplished. (Nothing is too small…did you plant a garden in the spring? Did you spend time giving joy to your loved ones? Did you hike to a place you’ve never been before?)
- Write five things you love about yourself. (No self-deflating talk here, just good thoughts please! Are you an encourager? Do you love fine dining? Do you put family first?)
- Write five ways you have changed in the past year. (Did you learn a lesson? Learn a meditation? Watch a seminar? Even if you think you haven’t, you have.)