I like big goals, and I cannot lie. But I have a problem making my dreams a reality. Anyone else struggle with this?
It has reached the point where I have serious trust issues with myself. I never keep my word to eat healthier, do 50 crunches everyday, or finish my assignments early. I can feel myself internally eye roll when I excitedly tell myself I will wake up early and run five miles before class. In reality, the only exercise I do the next morning is running late. This repeated failure to keep my promises has started to make me think I won’t reach my big goals either. When I dream of writing for Cosmopolitan or designing a campaign for Aerie, I tell myself these are just fantasies since I can’t even be trusted to do a single sit-up.
2019 is gonna be my year though, and it’s gonna be yours too.
We’ve got to be more practical! This doesn’t mean we need more practical dreams, just more practical ways to achieve them.
In Rachel Hollis’s Girl, Wash Your Face, she talks of how she finally broke the cycle of breaking promises to herself. She points out how fed up we would be if a friend constantly bailed on a commitment to us because her tv show was just “so good,” yet we are so quick to bail on ourselves for the lamest excuses.
Rachel decided to start with a small goal (giving up Diet Coke) and see it through for thirty days, no cheating. By pushing through and resisting the urge to quit, she surprised herself by making her actions match her words. Now she refuses to break promises to herself and finds that she has become much more careful with what she commits to, knowing that she will have to see it through.
So how does all this apply to you?
I am challenging you, and I am challenging myself to pick one small goal and stick with it for thirty days. Don’t be a flaky friend to yourself. Show up and show out every single day! I am choosing to journal every morning no matter how tired or uninspired I am. It can be a little or a lot, but I must put something on the page when I wake up. Your goal could be about anything (health, academics, relationships, etc.) as long as you start small.
After we keep this simple promise to ourselves, we can start choosing bigger goals to tackle. We can do it. Let’s go.
HCXO