I love the energy of a new year. With so many people thinking about goals, intentions, and plans for 2024, there is a power in the air.
Are you a resolution maker? I'm not per say. I do make resolutions throughout the year. Sometimes with a new month or week and sometimes just with a new idea. I find it is easier when I resolve to do something a bit smaller. I'm not really a New Year's resolution kind of gal.
As a creator, goals, resolutions, intentions, etc can be powerful. At the same time, many creators avoid them like the plague. I think that's because they are setting big goals, that are quite unachievable. Often the goals are way too structured for their creative minds.
There are also a lot of beliefs that get in the way. "I'm not that kind of person" type beliefs that aren't necessarily true. I thought I was lazy for years, but then I realized there were two main factors. One was depression and the other was my outlook on life was different than my mom's. She was a lot like Martha in the bible and I tended to be more of a Mary. I wanted to enjoy life and sometimes that meant not doing the things my mom thought I should. Our priorities were different and so I was labeled lazy. Learning these things about myself, allowed me to step out of the belief that "I am lazy" and "I'm not the kind of person to get things done."
I like small goals. I used to do 3 month goals but in all reality that's too long for me. I might set a goal for a month, I might just focus on the week and sometimes I just focus on the day. I have a lot of projects I'm working on. Sometimes it's a matter of setting a daily plan and creating habits.
I do have a year long project for my channel. I'm really excited about it. And if I think about the whole project I get overwhelmed. That big project needs to become a lot of smaller goals. This week, I'm only focused on what I can do for it this week. That is key one to successful goal and habit achievement. Only focus on what you can do now.
Key two is about how we treat ourselves. Sometimes we don't achieve that thing when we want to or we're working on a new habit and we miss a day. If we get upset with ourselves, we won't achieve our goals ever and it'll take even longer to establish our habits. It is so important to be gentle with ourselves. "Oh, I missed today. That's ok. I'll do this tomorrow."
It's also good to look at why you missed a day. If you were super busy, can you congratulate yourself for doing what you did? Maybe you were sick. Be kind to yourself and thank you for taking care of you. Maybe you were experiencing depression. I really wish we as a society would be kind to ourselves instead of getting mad at ourselves for having those deep feelings, often hidden feelings that create depression.
Maybe your why isn't big enough. For instance. I have one crochet project that a part of me would love to make for my grandkids. I have plenty of other things to make for them so it's not a big enough thing when that project gets boring or tedious. I don't love single crochet and the yarn is squeaky acrylic. It's hard to motivate myself to push through that without a big enough why.
Instead of believing you are not the kind of person to make goals, look at what you do. If you are reading this, you are probably a creator. You are actually setting goals every time you start a new project. Do you ever finish them? If you finished even one of your projects, you are the kind of person that can set and achieve goals. It just doesn't look like what someone told you a goal is.
To finish up, what are your goals for this week, month, or even year? I'm planning to make a couple of caridgans for my grandkids, I'm finishing up some things I started in 2023, and I have a billion ideas for my crochet and knit journey as well as the previously mentioned YouTube channel. I would love to have you join me for my Creative Expression videos that come out most Monday. Check out the playlist below.
I hope this post finds you well. Remember to let your light shine through your creations!
Hugs,
Michele
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