The last quarter of 2017 is here and this is the perfect time to look back at your goals for the year and to start looking ahead to your goals for 2018.
Dreams & Goals
What to do when you don’t accomplish your goals
I have a confession: I am a bit obsessed with goal setting. I get so excited about the first of the month not simply because it’s pay day, but because a new month means a new set of goals.
My goals keep me motivated. It’s because of my goals that I’m able to get up at 4 a.m. every weekday to work on my writing, my blog, and my business before I head out to teach. It’s because of my goals that I’m able to exercise every evening, even after a long day of lecturing.
Despite my drive and determination, however, I don’t always accomplish all of my goals every month. August was such a month. I didn’t accomplish ANY of my August goals. NOT. A. SINGLE. ONE.
So what do I do when I don’t accomplish my goals for the month?
What Losing 20 Pounds Taught Me About Writing
I had no idea I’d lost 20 pounds.
My pants were easier to button, my dresses easier to zip. But since I usually only step on a scale when a medical professional forces me to do so, I had no idea I’d lost 20 pounds.
Then I went to a wellness screening mandated by my health insurance provider, stepped on the scale, looked down and saw a number 20 pounds less than the number I saw the last time I’d weighed myself.
“Your scale is broken,” I declared to the nice nurse practitioner filling out my paperwork. She just laughed and assured me it was not. I didn’t believe her. When I got home I weighed myself again and those 20 pounds were still nowhere to be found. “Maybe my scale is broken, too,” I thought.
Last week my fellow teachers and I returned to work after a two and a half month summer break and that’s when I realized those scales must have been right.
“Oh my gosh! Javacia, you look great!” one co-worker exclaimed. “Wow! You got so skinny!” said another. “Girl, what did you do?” a colleague asked.
Good question. What did I do? And how can I use the same principles I used to lose weight to help me with my writing and blogging goals?
I’ve realized that there are four things that helped me lose weight: mindset, movement, motivation, and momentum.
My New (School) Year Resolutions
As a teacher I get to make New Year Resolutions not once, but twice a year. Every August marks the start of a new school year and another chance to set goals and intentions for my teaching career and all other parts of my life.
Here are my resolutions for the 2017-2018 school year:
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5 Things Women Writers Should Do This Month
August 1 always feels like the beginning of a new year to me. No, I don’t spend July 31 drinking champagne and counting down the seconds until midnight, but there’s something about August that feels like a clean slate. Most likely, I feel this way because I’m a teacher and August means the beginning of a new school year, but I use this month to start anew in all areas of life, not just my teaching career.
“All In August” is usually my motto for this month. August is the month that I decide to go “all in” with my goals. Think about what could happen in your life if you did the same.
Here are five things you should go “all in” with this month.