Why Goals Matter + 2021 Goals

If you had asked me around 5 years ago if I goal planned I would have told you it just doesn't work for me. If you were to ask me today I would tell you goal planning has changed my life. How can I go from one extreme to the other? That answer is found in the WHY behind any goal.

 Lara Casey, my "goal" debunker, puts it simply like this:

 "Where do you want to be when you're 80--or 90 or 100? What will be important to you then and what won't?" 

After lots of failed attempts at goal setting I quickly learned goals are not wishful thinking nor an adrenaline rush of productivity in January that falls wayside by February. Goal planning is taking small, tangible steps that leads to a life that matters to you in the big picture.

Deep down we all know life is short and it's eye-opening when we reflect and notice our lives were lost in distraction (mindless scrolling, the chase for perfection, finding significance or approval, or anything that hold us from really living). Just call me the approval police. I searched for it from anyone and everything. I traded dreaming and thinking for myself in exchange for living out anyone else's expectations of me. 

 

Here's the truth about goals that the world likes to tell you otherwise:

It's okay to grow slow. Plant the seed, tend to it and with time you will reap a harvest. 

It's okay to make imperfect progress. Small steps are still steps. Missed steps are an opportunity to grab ahold of grace and give it another go. Perseverance is a beautiful thing. 

It's okay to re-route. This doesn't discredit the dream or plan you once had. You're human and you will go through circumstances that will reshape the way you see the world. Realigning your heart to God's will is the best thing any of us can do.

Proverbs 16:1-3 (TPT) says, "Go ahead and make all the plans you want, but it's the Lord who will ultimately direct your steps. We are all in love with our own opinions, convinced they're correct. But the Lord is in the midst of us, testing and probing our every motive. Before you do anything put your trust totally in God and not in yourself. Then every plan you make will succeed.

If we approach this year with a surrendered heart and hope in God to direct our steps then what do we have to lose? Better yet what do we have to gain?

Typically I have goals thought through by December and laid out in January. This year I just wasn't there yet. Maybe, like me, you need to give yourself permission to process, pray and think about how to approach 2021. I needed to remind myself of what will bring me closer to the big picture. 

Alas, here are my goals for the year ahead!

2021 Goals 

Abide in Him/Be discipled

Ever since becoming a mom I have given myself grace to figure out how to seek God in my every moments versus a time-allotted to being still and alone with Him. It's almost laughable since being a mom of young kids allows hardly allows any alone time nor stillness. And that's where I realized if I continue to think I need this perfect space of stillness and quality time I will simply miss Him. This year I want to take imperfect steps of being obedient to showing up daily in studying the bible (even if it's interrupted or loud). To get after what matters and bless those around me, because I am being filled first with Him.   

Love BIG and create fun!

If you have ever read one of Bob Goff's books you know he lives and breathes loving big and having fun while doing it. Maybe it's the lack of happiness from the world in 2020 that flipped this switch in me but all I know is I want to give away joy like it's my job. To cultivate healthy habits in my marriage that will leave a legacy for my kids + bless our marriage. To dream and save so we can bless others with our giving. To create memorable times with our kids weekly. To open up our home and host. My creative engines are revved and ready to make the ordinary into extraordinary. 

Make space for family's well-being

The word "space" kept popping into my head as I thought about what the people within my home need. Our hearts, minds, bodies are spaces that are growing and need care/attention to. My hope is to up our kid's meal game in terms of nutrients and variety. I plan to refresh rooms + systems that need adapting as the kids grow bigger. To keep time open for slow weeknights as a family to enjoy. Give consistent time for Mark to go do something that refreshes him. He wears the dad hat well, but we need space to do things we love outside of our daily roles. To rework my daily time management and set boundaries on technology. This opens up space to do things that give life! To keep our bodies moving and strong (i.e. playing outside, post-dinner dance parties, TIU app).  

To wrap up my yearly goals in picture form, here is my vision board to keep my why right in front of me. 

Rooting you on from whichever place you find yourself today! How perfectly you get there will never matter as much as your why. Step on, friend.