Category Archives: goal

Enjoying the Process

Posted on by
Yesterday I wrote about setting aside time to celebrate and reward yourself after completing a goal. It’s so important to pat yourself on the back before moving onto the next task. 
It’s also equally important to enjoy the process and learn to stay present 
while you are working on the task at hand. 

Melissa from the wonderful Bubby and Bean brought this up, and it inspired me to write today’s post about doing just that! 
How often do you find yourself working on a project and either just racing to get through it so you can check it off the list or find yourself spacing out and not really able to stay in the moment and enjoy the act of actually doing it? 
And this goes for any type of project – creating, cleaning, working, errands, cooking, etc. 
The next time you are working on a project, try to stay mindful and present while you are doing it. Instead of thinking about the outcome or the next project or what’s for dinner or how much laundry you have to do – just stay with it and really be aware of that moment. 

Enjoy yourself and find joy in creating or working or just doing.

Let’s all try this today!
Let’s choose a project and make sure that we enjoy ourselves and stay completely present while we are working on it.
Let’s not even think about finishing it or the outcome or the next step.
Let’s just stay in the moment and enjoy it for what it is.

Life happens in the present moment. 
And the more we can actually be present and enjoy this journey, the happier we will be.

Ahhhh….

🙂

Taking Time to Celebrate

Posted on by
We all set goals for ourselves and work really hard to complete them. 
We do all of the necessary steps – we plan, we take action, and we complete them. 
And it feels great! 
And what do we usually do next? 
We move onto the next goal or the next project. 
And do all of the necessary steps – we plan, we take action, and we complete it. 
And this continues throughout each day – throughout our lives. 
And then something eventually happens where we start to feel resentful of what seems like a neverending pile of goals, and tasks, and “to dos.”
However, if we simply took time after completing each task to congratulate ourselves, celebrate our accomplishments, and reward ourselves – we would be much more likely to start each new task with renewed excitement. 
And the best part is that you get to choose how to celebrate!  
You can simply acknowledge a job well done.
You can finally take that well-deserved break that you have been pushing back.
You can put your feet up and read a good book.
You can go out for a celebration dinner with your family and friends.
You can take the rest of the day off.
You can take that vacation that you definitely deserve.
As a motivator for completing your goal, you can even decide on the celebration ahead of time. This will definitely keep you on task and moving forward with your plans. 
Taking the time to congratulate ourselves for a job well done is so important.
Simply following through and completing a goal is enough of a reward. And acknowledging this accomplishment is oftentimes all we need. 
But there is also nothing wrong with celebrating in bigger ways.
So the next time you set a goal for yourself, try setting a reward or a way to celebrate after reaching your goal as well. 
And then make sure you follow through and actually complete your goal and your celebration. You are definitely worth it, and you definitely deserve it!
P.S. – We are the featured member this week on the Etsy Blog Team! You can read our interview here! Thank you so much! 🙂

Letting A Good Idea Incubate

Posted on by
Dan and I were playing Pictionary the other night and I picked the word, incubate. I drew test tubes, a beaker, and a thermometer to show the heat. While we weren’t able to guess it before the time ran out, it did get us thinking about the other meanings of the word. 
The meaning that stuck with me and is still here days later is, 
to develop, grow, take form.

I love thinking about this definition in terms of a plan, goal, or idea.

There is something very satisfying to me about sitting on it for awhile rather than immediately acting on it. 
Let it germinate – let the seeds start sprouting before taking any action. 
We have been given a wonderful opportunity to put this concept into action immediately. 
And before we probably would’ve acted right away – but this time we are sitting, pondering, weighing the options, and just letting the idea of it grow and blossom inside of us before we put it out into the world and act on it. 
Can you think of an idea, goal, or plan that you can let incubate? 
Is there anything in the back of your mind that you are ready to “give birth” to?
Have you ever tried to think of a word and the harder you tried to think of it the harder it was to remember?
And then did you notice when you gave up the struggle of trying to think of it, it just suddenly came to you? 
You can do the same thing with your idea or dream. Instead of struggling to bring it to life, let it simmer inside of you for awhile. Put it on the backburner and when it’s ready – it will emerge beautifully.
Here’s to all of us just sitting on our ideas for awhile – letting them incubate and grow and come to life when the time is right!

You’ve Already Gone So Far

Posted on by

Imagine that you are climbing a very tall mountain. You are struggling to take each step, and all you see is the peak far, far away. You keep going though – one step at a time. And after awhile, it might feel that the peak isn’t getting any closer, and you feel so tired and aren’t sure if you can take another step. When this happens, look down for a moment. Notice how far away the ground is. Realize just now far you have already gone – how much progress you have made.

So often we focus solely on the goal ahead, which at times can feel overwhelming and so far away. Taking a moment to look back and realize how far you’ve already gone in your journey immediately puts things in perspective and does wonders for your self esteem.

So the next time you are struggling and running out of steam – take some time to think about or write down just how far you have come since you started on this path. You’ll be amazed by how far you have already gone. 
In gratitude,
Jodi and Dan