In this mini post I share:
How not having direction or goals in life can lead to anxiety and/or depression.
How we can reclaim some sight of ourselves, even as busy moms or business owners.
5 reasons it's important that we continue to set goals throughout our lives.
It's funny how some of the easiest self-care strategies are often overlooked in school. We are taught how to study, regurgitate, write tests and "fit in", but we are never taught how to use simple, yet effective strategies to set our lives up for success.
As a recovered addict, I've played around with a lot of different systems.
Some of them much more successful than others. In the end goal setting and daily Journalling have by far been one of the the most effective and transformational tools.
The pair have made such a large impact on my life throughout my journey with addiction recovery, finally tapping into my true self as a healer, and now getting to experience motherhood to my beautiful powerhouse of a daughter.
I am excited to share with you why I've personally found Goal Setting to be an effective tool to use when looking to improve any aspect of your mental, physical and environmental health.
1. Without setting Goals our mind has no path to keep it guided towards what we want our future to look like. Literally, even if it is as simple as having a cleaning check-list, meal-plan or 5 minute exercise regimen. Simply checking off these items on a to-do list gives the brain a chance to celebrate a win, release some happy chemicals and help to improve your daily routine.
2. Dreaming and doing are two different things - it's easy to dream of the future we want to have, but without putting milestones down on paper we will never reach that
It's so easy to dream about a dream vacation, hitting a big win, or living a life of financial freedom, but actually achieving it takes conscious work. We cannot expect to just end up successful, take a look at any of your mentors - do you think they fell asleep and woke up 8 hours later with their life perfectly packaged, it likely took them half a decade to even know what they were truly happy doing.
3. Without Goals we don't know when to reward ourselves and we can get resentful. It's so easy to fall into the trap of "Well, that must be nice...". Well, yes, of course it's nice, they've worked towards a goal and now they've achieved it and they deserve to celebrate it. You can also make the decision to start consciously working towards goals and choose actions that actually bring you towards the vision of yourself you desire to be in 10 years.
4. Without Goals our lives become stagnant and depression and/or anxiety can easily set in. Without movement, we get stuck in the same old patterns. Moving forward doesn't have to mean big or drastic changes. It can simply be making a simple shift to listen to a podcast focused on something you want to learn Monday mornings and then consciously implementing it throughout the week. It could be signing up for a fitness challenge AND showing up to get your body moving more. It doesn't have to be a massive goal, the goals that I have implemented in my life that have made the largest shifts were the smallest goals at the time. When I was in recovery, the goal was to get through the next hour sober, then the next day, next week and now it's been years. I got to where I am simply because during my darkest moments, I made shifts by setting the small goals, but at the time the smallest wins truly felt like the biggest ones.
5. When we are setting goals our family and children see it and can be influenced by your growth. When we are taking time to set goals for ourselves, our family and children see it, they'll admire watching you grow as you naturally become a happier person, and they will be positively influenced by the way you've chosen to take control of your outcomes.
It's easy to fall into a depression when you never feel like you are accomplishing anything. Even if it as simple as getting the kitchen cleaned, or shaving your legs. Setting goals allows us to set our brains up to reward us, the more we reward ourselves, naturally the happier we are as mothers and entrepreneurs.
For deeper reading I highly recommend checking out:
What goals are you going to set for yourself this year?
Don't make them big, but take the time to write down 3 of them on a piece of paper near you or in your journal to check back on in the future.
Writing them down is the first step.
Cheers, Samantha, xxo.