From a goals perspective, 2024 was not a great year for me. Last December, as I was thinking of goals for 2025, I got a little depressed because I felt like I was making a list of all the things I was going to fail at in the new year.
That's what overwhelm does. It makes everything feel impossible, or at the very least highly unlikely.
So I made an effort to embrace one of the strategies of Goalsetting 101: break down bigger goals into smaller steps. So fundamental, so basic, and yet as soon as I did it, I felt much better about things. Which is what happens when you give yourself permission to move forward with small steps instead of giant leaps.
Yeah, duh.
The title of Anne Lamott's classic writing book Bird by Bird is a perfect example. It comes from advice her father gave her brother when he had a big school project about birds to complete (at the last minute) and was feeling overwhelmed: "Just take it bird by bird."
January rolled over us hard and fast, and if you feel off-balance like I do, small steps can also help keep us moving forward even if we're not in pursuit of a particular goal. Sometimes, just making it to pajama time at the end of a day is enough.
Be well, and I'll see you soon!
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