1231: Have you moved the goal post?
So often we beat ourselves up about where we are, and fail to even realise how far we've come, or how much we've moved the goal posts! If you can relate, this episode is for you!
Episode transcript:
Good morning, Daily Peppers and a very happy Tuesday to you. So yesterday here on the daily pep, I shared with you 2 reminders that I think we all need this December. And today I'm popping in with a question that I think is really helpful as we start to wind down the year. For many of us, there are some funky things that start happening in December. We start being really, really extra hard on ourselves. We start thinking that we can achieve everything by midnight on the 31st December, and we start creating this picture of ourselves, which isn't entirely accurate. It's like we completely forget what we did for the rest of the year, and we get into this cruel game of comparison between earlier this year, January us, and December us right now.
So today, I wanna interrupt some of the bullshit with a question, and it is this. Have you moved the goalposts? For so many areas of our lives when it comes to setting goals and our definition of success, we start out with one idea, but then we continually move and move and move and extend what we expect of ourselves. We start off by telling ourselves we want to create a simple weekly creative writing practice and end up really pissed off with ourselves that we haven't miraculously written this New York Times bestseller. And so often, it is actually really subtle. It's a bit like we dangle this carrot in front of ourselves. And just as we're about to get there, we inch it further and further away from ourselves. And if you're anything like me, then you get really pissed off because why aren't you feeling fulfilled and why aren't you feeling proud of yourself? So as you're starting to do your December reflections, I really invite you to compassionately think about where the goalpost started and where it's ended up and in what ways you're moving that carrot. Now to be clear, this is not an exercise in self blame.
We do that enough already. So instead, it is simply about getting curious and looking at where we originally wanted to go and making sure we're making a fair comparison. Many goal posts do change because that is the nature of the projects. And like we're talking about yesterday, we don't know what we don't know when we begin. But that doesn't mean that we should be a 100 miles further than we thought we'd be. And, actually, sometimes pivoting and going in a different direction can be as good, if not better. So have a think about your own goalpost today. Be compassionate with yourself and try not to use this as another thing to beat yourself up about.
Maybe see how you can give yourself the carrot and acknowledge how far you've already come rather than just focusing on how far you have to go. Keep going. Keep being you. And I'll see you tomorrow.
Episode transcript automatically produced by Castmagic.io
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The Daily Pep! is the rebel-rousing, daily podcast for couragemakers, creative, multi-passionate and unconventional women. If you’re surrounded by people who don’t get who you are or what you do, if you want reminders you’re on the right path (no matter how scary it feels), or you’re sick of being your very own worst enemy, this is the podcast for you.
Every weekday, your host - writer, coach and professional rebel-rouser - Meg Kissack helps you build a creative and wholehearted life, one day at a time. Through short and snappy insights, reminders and stories, The Daily Pep! is here to remind you you’re not alone, and that everything changes when you believe you matter. Each episode is short and snappy, designed to fit in with (or help you start) your habits and routines.
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