It's that time of year...

Hello friends! Wow this is crazy...my first blog post. Here we go.

It's that time of year. The winter seems to last forever, seasonal depression seems to control your entire mood (I feel your pain, this weather makes me grumpy), and we start a new year with pressure from ourselves and others to accomplish specific goals in order to feel good about ourselves or in order to feel "accomplished". What the hell does that even mean? Don't get me wrong, goals are great. I encourage everyone to set goals. Professional goals. Academic goals, if that applies to you. Small daily goals. Long-term goals. Financial goals. Goals help you focus on the big picture, or the stuff that really matters, and what you are working towards. But they can also be a weight. I feel like if we don't accomplish goals, we beat ourselves up and we feel like we are less. Totally not the case.

We need to normalize not meeting goals. It is OKAY to not meet your goals! That's what they're for: working towards something. I like to compare it to studying for an exam. You have the course material, notes, and study guides. You can study all night and still not understand something. Your goal is to get an 85%, but you get a 76%. That is okay. Shit happens. So what? Are you alive? Are you hurt? (maybe on the inside haha). OH WELL. Try again on the next exam. Goals are meant to push you to become a better version of yourself. Keep pushing, keep trying, and most importantly, keep believing in yourself. The most successful people did not get to where they are at with no belief in themselves. And guess what? They failed too. They didn't meet goals too. You are far from being alone.

You are doing your best. And if you're not, make a plan. Take a breath. Eat some chocolate. Maybe even have a 30 second pity party. Then get right back to working towards your goals. Happy winter friends. We have 68 more days until it is spring. Work hard and push yourself through this gross weather. You will start seeing changes by spring if you start now. All it takes is you.

Short and sweet this week :)

- Liv