goals schmoals.



can i tell you something?

i'm overwhelmed. like i feel like i'm drowning and gasping for air overwhelmed.

sorry for the heavy intro on a monday morning. last week i didn't post at all, simply because i had no energy to. i didn't want to sit in front of a computer and type away even though i love blogging.
but it had become another to do on my list. and that sucks the fun out of anything, doesn't it?

see this year i wanted to be reeeeallll intentional with everything. motherhood, being a wife, with my faith, my projects. all of it. this is the year that i wanted to check off everything i intended to do and feel a real sense of accomplishment. i didn't want to end the year feeling like i didn't do anything. like i just mossied my way through it.
 i thought that maybe writing out goals each month would help me stay on top of it, and accomplish things..

but honestly, it's barely two months in and i feel tired and overwhelmed.
as february passed by and nothing on my list was getting checked off, i became anxious and grumpy
because there were not enough hours in the day, because chores were still left undone, because i didn't spend as much time with my kids, because i left my quiet time with God till the end of the week.
something wasn't working. and what i realized was that i always try to make what works for others work for me.

yes, comparison.

i see other mommas having craft time with the kiddos, put that on my list.
i see other women filling up orders for their business, put that on my list.
other moms having their home right out of a pinterest board, yes, put that one on my list too.

and so my list kept building up. my expectations kept increasing, yet since an extra eight hours in the day did not magically appear, unless i wrote off sleep for good, my emotions, my attitude just kept on debunking day by day.

recently i read an article or could have been a post about a suitcase. i'll try to sum it up.
basically we all get a suitcase and at the end of this road when we look into that suitcase, we want to make sure we packed up the things that really, truly mattered. and it breaks my heart as i type this, because i'm a stubborn woman, and even though i know this, the things that really matter lots of times take the backseat.

i don't want to do that anymore. i want the people and things that matter to be always in my suitcase.

so i'm tossing out my itemized monthly goals. don't get me wrong. goal making is a good thing, if it works for you. for me monthly goals are overwhelming me at the moment.

the family photos, business cards, getting the house decorated, etc, etc. will come when they come. at the end of the day it's not all that important. however my God, my family, my kids. that matters.
and that is what i want to focus on. in light of it, i feel like placing time with God and with my family shouldn't even be on a goal list.

we don't put eating or breathing on a goal list, because it's something vital to our life. so is spending time with God and with our family.

 giving myself more of Jesus, showing my kids and husband Jesus, showing my community Jesus.

those three things i want my life song to be about. there, lifesong. that sounds better, don't you think?

letting go of the goal list starting today, grabbing hold of my life song.

what are your thoughts on goal making?






7 comments:

Anonymous said...

i have so been there. (actually i'm kinda there most of the time, disappointed with myself for not being and doing more in pretty much every aspect of my life). and i agree with you. i think goals can be great but i think they can distract us from the beautiful moments happening right now, the ones we can make and cherish that might be slipping by because we have our eyes set on the future and something "bigger" and more. love your attitude about grabbing hold of your life song!

Shannon Q. said...

Sounds like your February was my January. Those goal lists can be great or they can just turn ugly on us. I'm so glad that this time brought out a revelation of the things that truly matter to your heart...we're gonna get there friend. We're meant to do great things and God's GOING to help us accomplish them. It's good that we know what we want but I think it's good if we chill out a bit and let him guide us into accomplishing those things too. Love you

Katie Cook said...

Praying for your sweet and beautiful heart, that God would allow you to be enough, because you are:) YOU inspire so many!! xoxo katie

gillian claire said...

Love what you're saying here and it dizzies me thinking of how relatable it is. It can be so frustrating living in this "era" and I feel like it is so easy to get caught up in achieving success in the wrong things!

The Olive Tree Blog said...

I feel ya. Lately I feel like I am giving so much that mostly I am not giving fully to anyone and they are all getting my leftovers.

So I tried a few things. 1.) I pick at least one day a week where I do not leave the house…at all…except to take my oldest to and from school…this has really helped me get organized…get caught up on laundry and the really lame house chores like cleaning out the shoe bench. For me in the house in in order I can move on.

Daily I make it a point to spend time with God. Next I need to give quality time to each oh my kiddos….sometimes that is a full craft, sometimes that is reading books, sometime that is snuggling or chatting…it can be simple or big.
Last I make sure I hang out with my husband…I mean put down the phone and allow to kids to watch tv and play video games for eve has little as 30 mins.

Then IF I have time I blog…or read, or craft, or cook dinner…lol…just kidding…:)

Loved this post and you honesty is so refreshing!!!

The best part about goals and blogging is that they are YOURS and you can do them when you want.

helen said...

AGH i love this. comparison is so deadly, and moat of the time, what we see others accomplishing is only a snippet. you are so encouraging. i love your 3 overarching goals....bc those are the ones that ultimately matter for the Kingdom!! press on, sister :)

henning love said...

you are much more experienced as a mom than i am but i would say let it go, let it all go and be the mom that your kids need, even if it isn't having craft time or doing what the other moms are doing, your children won't benefit until they have the mom that carried them for 9 months, raised them, woke up to feed them, etc. be their mom and not someone's elses mom