So suddenly we are 2 weeks into 2019 and for the last month or so I have been feeling under immense pressure to reflect on the past year, plan out the next one, lay down objectives, create achievable goals, strategise and- all I feel right now is overwhelmed. Anyone else feeling it too?
What is it with our obsession with goal setting lately? Once upon a time it was perfectly acceptable to get sloshed off your face on New Year’s Eve and then use the first week of January to sober up, consider doing more exercise and eating better and then continue living exactly the way you did for the entire previous year. So why are we now fixated with this idea that the only way to achieve a happy life is by constantly evaluating, re-evaluating, making more goals, making new goals, rehashing old goals, avoiding own goals and- the list goes on. Can we please just stop with all the goals right now??
I know that having objectives is essentially a positive step towards moving forward on an idea, maintaining focus or realising a dream, but whatever happened to just being grateful for the now, living in the moment and concentrating on being the best version of yourself you can be? I love this quote by Eleanor Roosevelt, which steers me daily and it’s something I try to live by;
As usual, I am still here writing my blog in 2019 – a little more skilled in various fields over the years thanks to numerous courses- but still none the wiser as to my ultimate purpose in life, (the quest goes on), and this year all I can think is, perhaps I just need to stop setting wild goals and live for the moment a bit more. Maybe the rest will all fall into place if I just let it and stop fretting about trying to build a post-pregnancy career or future-proofing myself or creating an amazing online personal brand because that’s what they tell you to do. Who are they anyway?
Brain. Says. “Too much.”
So, slightly controversially, (although rather fittingly if you read on), I put it to you that 2019 should not be about setting multiple, unfeasible goals and this constant battle to achieve progress, but for enjoying the little things and those fleeting moments that would normally pass you by whilst you are procrastinating over your latest Linked In profile or online shopping for another, pretty year planner that promises the world then sits on your desk gathering dust.
JUST STOP.
I’m only going to make 1 goal this year and this is it:
BE. MORE. REBEL.
That’s it. That’s all there is to it. I know that any self-development Gurus reading this would literally laugh me off the page but I don’t care. I think it’s quite freeing to not feel compelled to conform and, as Kate Moss once said,
“It’s kind of rebellious to be yourself.”Click To TweetI haven’t decided how just yet and I don’t know all the ins and outs of this goal. But I’m willing to embrace the concept of pushing my boundaries and stepping out of my comfort zone if it means rewarding my curiosities and living beyond the rulebook. Why the hell not?
What are you aiming for in 2019?
Happy New Year!
Zoe x
P.S As I write this, ‘Supersonic’ by Oasis has just come on the TV… “I need to be myself, I got no-one else…” I’ll take that as a sign the Universe agrees with my decision.