Don’t Make the Mistake of Making Your Goals Only About Work
There’s more to life than your achievements
It’s that time of the year when all you see around is self-improvement.
Whether it’s on Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest or even real life.
- What are your goals this year?
- What do you want to achieve?
- Where do you want to be in December 2024?
But a few of us stop to question
- Who do you want to be?
- How do you want to spend your free time?
- What will you do to take care of yourself this year?
So, I want to take a few minutes of your time to shift the focus. Change the narrative. Focus on what’s important.
I’m all for self-improvement and doing better each year.
Like you, I have some big goals for this year too.
But as I started working on them this first week of January, it hit me. Do I want to spend another year tied to my work? Feeling burnt out at the end of the work day every single day, looking forward to Friday so I could live my life?
No, thank you.
And I’m guessing neither do you.
Why must peace of mind start on Friday at 5 pm and end every Sunday evening, only to be replaced by never-ending to-do lists and constant worry about everything you have to get done?
We must include some balance this year.
We must allow some space in our lives for love, friendships, family, happiness, and some carefree times in our lives.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Who do you want to be?
Do you want to be kind, funny, and take life at the moment or do you want to be stressed, irritable and tired all the time?
Who are you now? What do you need to change in your life to get from where you are to who you wish you were?
- What do you want to do after 5 pm?
Work finishes, you open up your laptop and there you go into the deep sea of Netflix shows. You don’t have the head space to make plans or think of anything else.
But, how do you wish you spend your free time? What do you miss from your carefree days?
Maybe it’s getting meals with friends, playing in the park, a particular sport you used to love, or even just spending time with family.
Put it in your schedule. More of what brings you happiness this year.
- How will you take care of yourself?
You make all these plans to push yourself, work harder, and do more. That’s great.
But after you push a horse to run a hard track, you also give them some rest and love.
So, how will you take care of yourself this year?
Maybe you’ll take a 5-day holiday every quarter or allow yourself your favorite treat at the end of hard days. Maybe you’ll indulge in more spa trips and treat yourself to some meditation every morning.
Just remember, the harder you are on yourself, the more you need to take care of yourself.
- What are your goals apart from ‘success’?
What do you want to work on personally?
For me, it’s self-acceptance, making more time for love and learning to manage stress better.
You need some goals apart from work as well.
Think of these, I promise they’ll bring you some peace.
Last thoughts
The point is, that life isn’t just about achievements. There’s more to us as human beings than just constantly doing more, becoming productivity machines and making money.
Take some time for what matters to you and your happiness.
Live life a little.
You’re not a robot :)
With love,
K
