Just [Insert Goal Action Here] It!

What do you do with a dormant blog? You pick it up, dust it off, and start writing again. Even when you’ve been stuck in what seems like the longest writer’s block in your life. Or, if you’re like me, stuck in a situation where your best ideas come to you in the middle of the night, when you’re much too tired to even roll over and write down a thought. I’m using writing as my example, but I’m sure there are things in your life where you’re having the same issues. You feel stuck somehow, unable to move forward, almost paralyzed by either indecision, lack of inspiration, or lack of motivation. I can’t remember where I read this recently, but it was about success and how it’s attained. Whomever it was, they stated that success comes not with talent, but with the drive to continue working even when you don’t feel like it, even when you want nothing more than to crawl back into bed and throw the covers over your head.

Many of us will hold off on creating or working towards our goals because we’re waiting for that perfect moment of inspiration, that perfect environment in which we believe we can just work and create masterpieces. But then, when that perfection doesn’t arrive, we sit and lament about how unsuccessful we are, how we just can’t create the optimal situation to ensure that we’re striving for our dreams. I’ll admit, this morning, I woke up before my alarm, upset that my body didn’t let me sleep in a little longer. Lately, I’ve been thinking about writing, but somehow not having it in me to actually do so. As I lay in that bed for a few minutes, listening to my fiancé breathing, I realized that even though it wasn’t my ideal moment to write, it was actually my best time to do so. I so rarely have those moments of quiet, in which no one else but myself is awake, when it’s still early, and the rest of the world hasn’t yet come alive. I typically wake up second in the house, and although I know he is always more than willing to give me the space I need to create, there’s a huge benefit in taking advantage of that moment of stillness.

When’s the last time you woke up early to work on your dreams? Or, have you been like me, exhausted from your day job and just wanting that downtime you have after work and on the weekends to be just that – downtime? If that’s the case, how can we even have the audacity to complain about how long it’s taking us to bring about the life we want, to cry over how far we are away from our goals? Everyone’s situation is different, and I know many of you have limited time. I also know that “self-care” time is important, but how much vegging out time do we really need? Even if you could carve out ten, fifteen minutes to work on something that’s important to you, it’s still ten, fifteen more minutes than you did yesterday.

My goal, my dream, is to be a writer, but that is the wrong mindset. I’ve realized that I have to get up and KNOW that I AM a writer already. The only thing that’s missing from that equation is me actually writing. Beginning today, I am committing to doing what I’m also charging you with. If you are like me, who has had difficulty with finding time to work on your goals, then every day, for the next 21 days, I challenge you to find fifteen minutes – just fifteen minutes! – in your day to set aside for them. Even if it just consists of you doing fifteen minutes of research on whatever it is you’re working towards, do THAT. And of course, I picked 21 days, because many studies have shown that it takes that long to build a habit (I’ll be real though – I’m not sure how true that is, but it doesn’t hurt to try!). The same way we have a coffee habit, a workout habit, a nap habit, how about we create a goal habit? It will be difficult, because there are going to be days that you feel like you don’t have that fifteen minutes. It is in that moment that your personal grit and perseverance will have to carry you through. I hope that some of you can hold me accountable, but I’d also like to hold YOU accountable. Send me a message if you need a daily boost or check-in. It doesn’t take much work to be good, but it will take some work to be great. Wouldn’t you rather the latter?