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2019, Week 1: Nailed It!

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As we begin this first full week of the new year, I’m happy to report that so far I’ve met my weekly goals!  Okay, so we’re only one week in, but I’m still calling it a win!  Let me explain why that matters . . .

We all know that many times people make resolutions that don’t stick, in part because they’re unrealistic to start with.  But what about those goals we make that really should be attainable, and we really want to meet them, but somehow we get a month or two into the year and find that we’ve lost motivation or we feel we’re too far off the mark already to be successful?

Here’s why I’m excited to have met my weekly goals; they are designed to move me toward successfully meeting my goals for the year!  If I break down my yearly goals into smaller parts, I can be consistently moving in the right direction, staying on target and seeing that target get closer and closer – which is inspiring and motivating!

Visualize your goal.  Really set it in your mind.  Then work backward.  In order to meet your goal, where will you need to be in September? June? March?  Then break those quarters down into months.  What action can you be taking by the end of each month to move you closer to your goal?  Then break the months into weekly, consistent habits that help you stay motivated.  These weekly goals should set me up for success, so that I feel motivated and excited, because I’m seeing progress.

An example: If I want to read 12 books by the end of the year, I will plan to read a book every month. Since I don’t want to get to the end of the month and be only 10 pages into my 200-page book, I’ll set a weekly goal of reading one fourth of the book, and then a daily goal of a certain number of pages. I may find it helpful to spend 30 minutes or less per day on social media (which happens to check off another goal on my list for 2019) so I have more time available for reading. Important note: I am actually doing this, and while it may sound rigid, it’s the only realistic way for me to meet this particular goal (especially as a grad student who already reads volumes!). That said, I give myself Saturdays as a “catch up day” because, you know, life sometimes gets in the way. Remember, the goal is to set ourselves up for success!

Evaluate the goal.  Check in at the end of each week to see how you did that week.  The same with each month, and then the quarters.  Pay attention to those weekly goals, though!  They set the direction and enable you to make minor tweaks before you’re too far off course.  What’s working? What isn’t? What do you need to do more of/less of to get those weekly goals back in focus?

Have some accountability.  This is a good idea, even if you don’t need prodding.  Accountability partners are those folks we have to confess to when we’re not doing what we want to be doing to reach our goals.  But guess what?  They’re also those people who we get to celebrate with when we do well!  Okay, we’re not supposed to be boastful, but hey – we all like to tell someone about our victories, and that’s the happier side of having an accountability partner!

Be kind to yourself. So, you slipped. It happens! Recognize it, then remind yourself why the goal was important enough to make in the first place. Refocus, dust yourself off, square your shoulders, and . . . begin again! Don’t waste precious time beating yourself up. It just gets you further behind, and puts you in a negative mindset to begin again or, worse, give up on something that matters to you. We all have days and weeks that are less than what we’d hoped they’d be. Accept it and move on! (As you’ll see below, I actually budget my time to allow for those “off” days.)

Reward yourself for meeting your goals.  Use a gold star, smiley face or checklist – something you can see, something you can look back at and note your success when things get a little tricky along the way.  This helps thwart discouragement before it really takes hold.

Your turn! Have you set a goal/goals for 2019? What are you planning to do through the year to move yourself toward the goal(s) you’ve set?  I’d love to hear about it!

Help is available. If you find goal-setting (or, more specifically, goal-achieving) to be daunting and want a little coaching to get you on the right track, contact me at AngelaGlickLifeCoach@gmail.com and let me help you set yourself up for success!

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What the Heck is a Menial Job??

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Dictionary.com defines menial as: “lowly and sometimes degrading.”  In my mind, this instantly makes the term “menial work” an oxymoron.  Do read on…

I have a number of friends who work in positions outside of corporate America’s nine-to-five office jobs.  In fact, I have several friends who clean those offices, and the bathrooms in those offices.  I have friends who are store clerks, cooks, baristas, stock clerks, and a whole variety of other positions.  (Me?  I’m a college student, and I make greeting cards; let’s just say Hallmark is in no danger from my little business, and I’m not racing up any corporate ladders.)

I’ve had a bee in my bonnet for some time now, and I’m going to share it with you in hopes that it bothers you as much as it does me, or even more – and that your annoyance leads to something positive.

It breaks my heart – and some days annoys the spit out of me – when I see or hear someone bemoaning their “menial” job or feeling/acting/talking as though they are somehow “less than” because they don’t have a corner office with a view making a 6-figure income.  And it bothers me exponentially more when I hear someone else talking about others as though the other person’s job makes that person “less than.”

Let’s set the record straight, shall we?  Here’s the deal: you matter.  Your life matters.  And, yes.  Your work matters.  Imagine a world with no cashiers, no cooks, no housekeeping services, no support staff (please feel free to insert whatever it is you do in this list).  Seriously?!  It doesn’t work.  That means it doesn’t work … WITHOUT YOU.  Not everyone can be the boss.  In fact, I know Someone Who would agree.  God tells us we’re all part of one body; not all parts can be an ear or a hand or an eye; we need all kinds of parts for things to work (1 Cor. 12:14-21).  And check this out:

“…the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it” (1 Cor. 12:22-26).

You’re working.  You’re doing something with your life.  You’re making an effort.  So very many people don’t bother.  You’re doing the stuff.  You’re taking care of business, tending to your needs and (if appropriate) the needs of your family.  You’re not sitting around moaning and groaning and feeling sorry for yourself while you wait for Publisher’s Clearinghouse to come knock on your door and hand you a free pass for the rest of your life.

Understand this:  Everyone appreciates what you do.  Even those who occasionally, accidentally or not, influence you to feel like you are less than you are, or that what you do is less than what they do.  They’re just either having a bad day or, worst of all, ignorant and closed-minded.  They DO need you.  We all do.

So, thank you for showing up, day after day or night after night, working hard for less than you deserve, and contributing to our society.  Hold your head high and feel good about every single cent you’re earning the hard way.