I can't believe it's August 1st! 2017 has flown by and we only have five months left in the year. With that being said, getting closer to the end of the year had me thinking about my yearly goals. My fiancé and I both write down our goals at the beginning of each year to make sure we have something to strive for throughout the year. This has always helped me if I'm ever feeling like I'm not where I want to be in life. I've been hearing from a lot of people that they feel like they are stuck in a rut in life and I've even felt that way. I feel like it becomes more common in the middle of the year when New Years excitement has subsided, the holidays still won't be here for a few months, summer is ending, etc. It's more common than you think and it happens with work, personal life, fitness, etc. With so many changes happening for us in 2017 (getting engaged, baby, the list goes on) I've decided I need to re-evaluate my goals (since my fitness goals didn't include a belly lol) to make sure I don't end up feeling like I'm "stuck in life".
- Writing down your goals is always a good start. You still have five months left in 2017 (and plenty of lifetime left) and it's never to late to go after something you've always wanted. For me, revisiting this years goals means giving myself some motivation for the rest of the year and keeping myself out of a rut. Some of my new goals are getting my body wedding ready post baby (or at least starting this process), spending more time on my blog, figuring out motherhood, and reading more. I've already hit a few goals this year like graduating with my MBA and that keeps me going on to the next set of goals. You can be general with your goals or specific, whatever keeps you going.
- Re-evaluating your goals is another way to make sure you don't feel down on life. Sometimes things happen and instead of punishing yourself for not hitting your goals, just re-evaluate them. I don't mean make excuses for all the goals you missed but for example, I can't punish myself for not hitting my fitness goals since I'm now pregnant, I just have to adjust! It keeps me motivated instead of making me feel down on myself.
- Get out of your normal routine! I find that when I get really, really set in a routine I lose excitement in life and I start to fall into a rut. Change isn't everyones favorite thing but sometimes even little life changes will do the trick. Since I was 15 I've been working and since I was 21 I've been working full time. I'm super excited to have time off with baby Mia but I'm almost a little scared to not be working because that's what's normal to me. However, I think it may be a good change of pace especially during the holidays and it gets me out of my normal routine until I go back to work. Also, baby bonding time :) Thinking positive here!!
- Thinking about what you really want out of life can be overwhelming but also life changing. If you realize you really aren't happy with something in life then what is stopping you from changing it? I'll find myself complaining and then I'm like why am I complaining when I have the sole power to change my own life? Even if you just make steps towards these changes you are headed in the right direction. If you don't know what you want out of the big picture (and this can be really stressful to think about) then start with the little things. Why keep doing the workout you hate when you can find something you enjoy that gives you the same results? Change up those workouts and change up your goals accordingly. Little changes can have big effects.
- Finally, you may end up in a rut after you've accomplished a huge goal. I remember I ended up in a huge rut (for many reasons) after I graduated with my Bachelor's degree. I couldn't understand why I felt this way because I had just accomplished a major life goal. One of the main reasons was that the anticipation and excitement surrounding graduation had subsided and I had decided to take a year off before pursuing my Master's degree. Now what was I supposed to do? I had a good job, what major thing was I working for? I had to do a lot of digging and I used a few of these tips to get myself out of a really bad rut. I made work and fitness goals that kept me going and I found some new things to work towards. Now that I know that I can fall into this trap after major life events, I try to prepare myself for that and have something else to focus on post goal achievement. If you're like me, you need something to keep you going!
Even if sharing my own "stuck in life" experience and advice doesn't get you out of a rut, it will hopefully get you started searching for whatever you're looking for! Make some last 2017 goals, write them down, and reflect at the end of the year and that alone may send you straight into an awesome 2018.
xo
katie lynn
No comments
Post a Comment