Goal Setting: Getting My Feet Wet With START planner

Believe it or not I took home my first STARTplanner home last week, crazy right!?!?  I was waiting for the new mid-year lines to come in before deciding which one I wanted to use.  It was so much pressure... I wanted to make sure I chose the right one for my lifestyle.  I finally made a decision... drumroll please... meet my new Best Friend, FANCY PANTS!!!  With all the back and forth to work I new I needed a binder planner, otherwise I would probably destroy the spiral on the Hustle and not love on it as I should;)

Can I tell you a secret?  I've never used a planner before... shocking I know!  I have ALWAYS been a To-Do list gal, constantly writing things down on paper and getting a thrill from checking things off my list.  I'm the type of person that will add a completed task to my list just so I can feel like I have accomplished more... come on I know I'm not the only one;)  I LOVE writing things down on paper as opposed to using my phone, but for whatever reason I just never jumped on the planner bandwagon.

Well, I'm finally a planner gal now:)  Since I've already shared a couple secrets about myself with you, why stop now?  I opened up my planner last night, wrote my name all pretty inside, and began flipping through the different sections.  I came to "Goals" and said out loud to myself, "I don't do goals" and proceeded to the next section. I know, that's SO terrible!!! (I hope Kristy doesn't see this, haha). I'm still trying to discern what it is about Goals that intimidates me so much, but I think I may have it figured out. If I take the time to sit down and write out my goals I then feel like I HAVE to see them through. Once it's on paper it's for real now and I have to do something about it.  

I've been out of school for almost ten years now and I swear every year time speeds up.  Five years ago I would often say, I just can't wait for life to slow down.  I felt so overwhelmed with life and everything I needed to get done. Well... In the last year or two I have come to realize that life DOESN'T slow down.  So now I am learning how to keep up with time and not allow it to control me. Now, more than ever, I shy away from goals because I don't want to commit to doing anymore than I already am.  Can I possibly add anymore to my plate?  Call it fear, laziness, uncertainty, I don't know. But I realized last night that I can't keep putting Goals off.  I don't have to fill up every section with a goal, but I at least need to write down ONE. I don't need to overwhelm myself with the big picture.  There are some people who, when starting a new habit, dive right in.  My husband is one of those people.  I respect that about him and most definitely support him when he makes life changes, but I am not like that.  And that's okay.  I am someone who can get overwhelmed more easily and find that more times than not it's best if I just get my feet wet first.

So, today I am going to write down one goal, and I am even going to share it with you...

When I was 10 years old I took my first ballet and jazz class and I never looked back. I danced all the way through college and it was in college I discovered my love for ballroom and latin dancing.  I've taken a few classes here and there since I graduated, but that was almost 10 years ago, whoa!!!  I miss dancing like crazy but I just wan't able to make it work financially.  Well, this month some funds have become available, which will allow me to start dancing again.  I should be doing pirouettes in excitement right now, but... I'm pretty shy, more of a homebody, and it would just be "easier" to stay home and get other things done on my to-do list.  NO, I am not going to allow myself to take the easy road here!!  So, by July 31st I will have found a new dance studio and signed up for a month of classes!

Whew, that was tough!  But I did it!!  You know what though?  Goal setting doesn't stop right there.  The next step, and I believe it's crucial to fulfilling your goals, is accountability.  It would be so easy for me to keep any goals I write out to myself.  I mean they're closed up in my planner; no one will see them.  That way if I don't meet any goals or fall behind on the due dates no one will know but me.  Sharing your goals with someone will do two things: first, it holds you accountable to achieve your goals.  But, don't just SHARE your goal(s) with someone, ASK them if they would be willing to hold you accountable and communicate to them what "holding you accountable" looks like, because this can look different for each person. Second, sharing your goal(s) invites people in and sheds more light on who you are and who you want to become.  I believe being vulnerable with people is so valuable.  I could write another blog post on vulnerability, but we don't have time for that today:)

I know many of you are well on your way to achieving your goals and that is AWESOME!!! I truly applaud you.  If there is anyone out there who has struggled like me to write your goals out on paper then I hope this post has encouraged you to make a change and start getting your feet wet;)

Happy Planning (and Goal setting)!!!

-Kara