Full, disclosure, I don’t believe in making resolutions. I’m more into making goals for the year ahead. What’s the difference, you ask? Well, resolutions are usually things we want to change cold turkey when the new year starts – stop drinking coffee, start working out all the time, etc. Setting goals for the year however, allows you to be more realistic about big (or small) lifestyle changes in reasonable amounts of time.
And I have a confession, even with “just making goals”, I’m not even halfway through my list yet. A week or two ago, I was shaming myself for not being further along, but then I remembered something someone told me once, “It’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind.” 😉 Okay, I’m sort of kidding. But the point is, we shouldn’t be beating ourselves up for falling a little behind.
This year, my goals came with huge financial implications. I wanted to travel more, take some classes, and hit some exercise milestones. But life threw me some curve balls. I had just come home from my first vacation when I found out I needed to have emergency surgery. Not only was that rough on my emotional and physical state – but my bank account was looking pretttttttty sad.
I think when we’re making our resolutions for the year, we forget to account for all the things that inevitably come up while we’re just living our lives. In addition, we often don’t account for how much we, as people, can change in a year. And because we’re always changing, our goals and the direction of our lives can and will change, too.
Significant things can happen in a span of one whole year that can change the entire trajectory of our lives. I challenge you to sit and think about one thing that happened in the last six months that was totally unexpected? Did you get engaged? We’re you asked to be a bridesmaid in a dear friend’s wedding? Offered an important job? Whatever it was, it happened and it might not have been on your list.
So why is okay that you didn’t stick to your 2017 resolutions? Because you’re growing and learning. Those unexpected things that came up, whether good or bad, are propelling you closer to your destiny. Everything happens for a reason, and anytime you’re diverted from your plan, is a time for a divine lesson in preparation for your future. Besides, life isn’t as fun when everything goes exactly how we planned. Life likes to keep us on our toes. I encourage you, the next time you make resolutions, leave one blank for the unexpected and get excited because that is one resolution that you’re guaranteed to keep!
What were your 2017 resolutions? How ya doing on those? Tell us in the comments below!
(Feature image via Urban Outfitters)
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