I have a little story I want to share to remind you of the importance of your dreams and goals. It's especially important as you are working towards your New Year goals.
Let’s travel back. And then we will jump back to the present.
It’s December 31, 2019. A fresh new year is ahead of us, and we have so many things we want to accomplish.
Let's be honest, goal getting isn't always easy. It can feel especially hard when you are a woman, with a family, and what feels like very little time for yourself. Am I right? You are being pulled in so many different directions, whether it’s stuff for your kids or your significant other, family obligations, or your job. So even in a “normal” year, you know that some of these goals may be a stretch, but at this stage in the game, you remain optimistic and driven.
Last New Year’s Eve, I made ONE big promise to myself. I promised to not quit on my goals. I wanted to give myself the gift of one full year of fully believing in and working towards them. One goal was to book several acting jobs, and the other was to grow my online business. I feel like I've quit on myself in the past, so that's why it was so important for me to see this one through.
Things started out strong in January and February. Was it for you too? I was feeling so fired up about my progress and what lay ahead. And then the news continued to come out about this virus that was going to severely impact our lives. It was undoubtedly concerning, but I think so many of us just hoped it wouldn’t affect us. And then it did. The first cases arrived here, and before we knew it, we were locked down in our homes. It was surreal.
Then we entered the phases of quarantine. For me, it started with fear, as we quickly retreated from our regular lives. My kids got pulled out of school/daycare and their extracurricular activities. All of a sudden you felt this strong urge to stockpile food and supplies. Like many, I started eating and drinking more than I should. My goals were certainly not on the top of my priority list. I watched too much tv; spent too much time on social media. It was a coping mechanism. It made you feel like - hey, it’s just a little party at home, no big deal. Let’s enjoy ourselves! But the reality was we were scared. After a little too much of that, I knew I had to make a change.
The end of the lazy and indulgent phase triggered my motivational stage. I was going to make the best of this situation and look for the message in the mess. This was an opportunity to come out as improved versions of ourselves! I shifted my focus back to my goals. After all, I had promised myself that I wasn’t going to quit on myself!
I was motivated for awhile, but then I kept running up to more and more challenges. This was a hard season of life, and I felt discouraged. I kept reminding myself; you promised yourself a year! I would then respond and say, yeah, but I wasn’t planning for a freaking pandemic to happen!
And here is the truth of it. There were several times when I was 100% ready to throw in the towel. When I thought that it was a stupid promise I made to myself, and it didn’t matter. That is was too hard. That I wasn’t good enough. That my goals didn’t matter anymore because it felt like the world was falling apart around me. Everything just seemed so hard, and I was tired of the struggle.
But there was still something there. A little spark inside me was fighting to stay lit. So I kept hanging on to those goals, even if it was by a string.
Every time I was seriously close to quitting, little reminders would pop up from the universe. A random stranger messaged me to tell me she loved my shop and to keep going with the message I was putting out there. Or when I convinced myself that I had no business pursuing acting, but shortly after I received an email saying I booked the lead in a short film. These little pebbles of hope made me second guess my doubts. When it came down to it, I just couldn’t quit.
So I kept going. I wasn’t going full force, but baby steps were better than no steps.
And here we are, New Year’s 2021. I kept my promise. I still have my business, and I’m still pursuing acting and filmmaking. I'm really proud that I made it this far. Am I where I want to be with either pursuit? Nope, but I’m ok with that. This is a journey, not a sprint. I don’t know where I will be in a year, but I’m so glad I gave my dreams that 365 days to live. It reminded me how important it is to stay the course, even when it’s hard.
I’m sharing this because I know you are passionate about something. You want to pursue something, but you aren’t sure if you can do it.
I'm here to tell you that you CAN do it. I encourage you to give yourself one year. Because if you don’t give your dreams a chance to come alive, who will? Let that sink in.
So let’s hear it, what will you passionately chase this year? Put it out in the universe, so you can start pursuing it, instead of looking back one day and regretting it.