It's March 3rd. On March 1st, I intended to start this month strong; I had a list of things that I needed to get myself on the right track. My sister and I had shared our goals on the last day of February, but when March 1st came, the morning slipped away and the afternoon became busier than expected. The window I'd set to start my work passed while I was running errands. When I returned home, I could barely open my eyes. And you know what happened after that.
This is how some days are. You set out sure that you'll check off everything on the list, but you don't account for the fatigue that forces your body to rest. You don't anticipate that your brain might shut down, and only has output for menial tasks that require little thinking.
Previously, I would have been disappointed---truthfully, I was. But it's March 3rd. I've decided to stop what ChatGPT calls the "all or nothing" trip, where accomplished goals are successes, and outstanding ones are failures.
I blame our culture for this need for immediate feedback and instant success. More and more, I find myself wanting to disconnect in order to catch my breath, and gain control that I feel slipping away. In just two days, various things have taken my focus and my time. Granted, some things were worth the sacrifice, but it's the feedback loop that I'm experiencing now that's causing me to pause. Are the things that I'm doing necessary, or am I just focused on what will produce the greatest sense of accomplishment? Why is completing my laundry not a great accomplishment , and postponing my goal setting feels like a failure to the start of the month? In a networking crowd, laundry is not an aspirational thing to share, but we all marvel at ambitions and systems.
In any case, Ian all-or-nothing mindset is clearly a trap. What you have yet to accomplish is not a failure if you haven't done so according to your timeframe. I like setting timeframes; I like the sense of control they provide. But for every timeframe that burst into flames, I won't minimize other accomplishments. God didn't create the world in one day; thus, we don't have to get everything done in one go. Life happens. It's not static, and not always linear.
So, if it's still early in the month, and you haven't set your goals because of interruptions, take a breath. It's not a reflection of your ability; it's just life taking it's course. You're not a passive participant in this life. There are still pockets in the day to command your day. Set the goals and be determined to accomplish them; no matter what interruptions or unexpected occurrences stumble into your path, your goals will still propel you forward.
