I had an interesting conversation with a friend recently about my goal setting and how I stay motivated without burning out. There seem to be so many tips and tricks out there for setting and starting goals, but it becomes much harder when you hit roadblocks or realize you’ve jumped in so far so fast that you feel like you have nothing left to give.
The conversation also touched on my recovering perfectionism, (I have a whole other post about that hopefully coming soon but I’m still feeling a little vulnerable about it) but it also touched on perspective.

When I was in school with a syllabus for the semester or a specific assignment, many of my teachers would mention how the first day of school we were all starting at 100%- we all started with As and had to work to keep them. I kept that mindset well past my school days and it shaped my brain to believe that everything I approached started with the possibility of perfection and it was up to me to keep it there, that falling short was a disappointment, a failure, something I should work harder at next time so I could earn one more A, stay at the top of the class, know I’d done my best.

It wasn’t until I started listening to Lara Casey talk about her Powersheets and the methods and thought process behind them that I realized there was a much healthier way to approach life, particularly when it came to goals and relationships and growth. I heard her talk over and over about how progress is the goal, not perfection, and that mindfully committing a little bit of work over a longer period of time will add up and make an impact. (And then, to really help the message sink in, I read her book about it too…).

Slowly, my point of view has started to shift over the past couple of years. Instead of imagining starting at 100% and having nowhere to go but down on any particular goal or project, I imagine starting at zero. (I think making more hands on crafts and projects has helped with this- often you literally start with nothing and slowly you add pieces and details until piece by piece adds up.)  So now, I am fired up by being 10% of the way to a goal instead of lamenting in my head that this is a “failing” grade. Instead, this is 10% that wasn’t there before. It is a foundation. It is a good beginning.

This has changed everything. It has given me the freedom to jump in and try various methods to solve a problem or reach a goal instead of endlessly debating and researching where to start, which often led to me never even starting at all. It has given me the freedom to improvise and change course instead of lamenting over not picking the “right way” in the first place. It has made me celebrate the steps it takes to achieve goals or complete projects instead of burning out as I scoffed over trite sayings about how it’s more about the journey than the destination. (Spoiler: It’s not about either if you are too nervous to make a move.)

So in case any of my readers needed a little nudge, a place to start, or just an alternative perspective, I hope this post helps. And if you have any questions about Powersheets, let me know! They just launched a Summer Collection of brand new products and I’m thrilled to announce they just restocked the  6 month Powersheets and you can get them HERE if you don’t want to wait until 2019 to dive in! (I nerded out yesterday when I got to go live on instagram with Lara Casey and personally thank her for how much her book has had an impact on my life, so if this last paragraph seems overly filled with exclamation points… that’s definitely part of it! (OK, one more !) It’s just a whole lot of love for this continuing positive change in perspective)

THIS POST CONTAINS AN AFFILIATE LINK, SO IF YOU BUY A PRODUCT THROUGH THAT LINK, I GET A SMALL PERCENTAGE. HOWEVER, THIS DOES NOT CHANGE THE PRICE FOR YOU, SO WINS ALL THE WAY AROUND! I HAVE NOT BEEN PAID OR RECEIVED ANY COMPENSATION TO WRITE THIS POST AND THE VIEWS IN IT ARE 100% MINE. TO PUT IT SIMPLY: I JUST LOVE THIS COMPANY AND WANT TO SHARE IT WITH THE WORLD.