Posted on January 4, 2012 - by jennifer

Just living…

Goals are important but in many ways they can define our existence. We walk through each day contemplating what to do next, checking off a to-do list, toiling over what happens if the goal isn’t accomplished or what’s next once it’s completed. Originally I had planned on writing a blog entitled “the why or the what” but I read something this morning that made me refocus how I wanted to approach this first blog of the year. That thing that I read which stood out amongst all the other words in the article was: Life isn’t always about achieving goals. It’s about living.

This statement was interesting to me because I pride myself on thinking through at least 3 goals I’ll work towards at the start of any given year and during the year I do exactly as I stated above, work towards a goal, sometimes becoming frustrated and aggravated when things aren’t going my way…Although I understand the value of having goals and reaching towards being better and achieving more, I also understand the value of just living…

Just living can be hard to do when you feel overwhelmed and pressured. When nothing’s going right and everything you hope to accomplish is failing. But as we hit the mid-way mark of this first week of 2012, and quickly move into another month and then another, I contend that while it’s important to make resolutions and set goals [how would we grow if we didn't strive for anything or seek to be better than we were yesterday], it is also important to live a little. Go on a trip, take a mental health day from work (sick day when you aren’t sick), relax, enjoy the seasons, visit a friend, talk on the phone for hours, go out on a date with yourself, be relaxed enough to lay around all day on a Saturday or Sunday without guilt, cry, laugh as hard as possible, dance in front of the mirror until you sweat, put yourself out there, take a chance, smile at strangers (nothing creepy ), feel and perhaps even act without question…LIVE. Live (for at least this week and possibly next week ) without the weight of goals collapsing on your shoulders. Don’t put them off forever but first take a moment to just breathe.

And what a phenomenal way to begin 2012…by just living…

Peace friends! Happy 2012!

JNS