February is Over

Okay, y'all, let's keep it 100. I don't know about you, but February just flew by for me. And now that it's over, I'm taking stock of my goals for the month, my New Year's resolutions are looking less like triumphant achievements and more like...well, let's just say "in progress."  Pause… I did say keep it 100 so let me tell you, they're looking worse than a bad perm; worse than one of my meal prepped meals that sat in my lunch bag all week, matter of fact… worse than my ex’s girlfriend!! It’s bad y’all.

I set out to do all these amazing things in the first few months of the year:

Get in shape: Yeah, right. I made it to one Pilates class, and I hit the gym once.

Start a blog: I'm still trying to figure out what to write about. Wait... since y’all reading this let me count this as a win.

Read a book: I opened four books... and put them all down before finishing.

Organize my apartment: The amount of laundry that is sitting at my door is illegal.

Save money so I can buy a house: Save money?!! The fact that I don’t get the EIC pisses me TF off… I’m still dreaming of a $10,000 tax return so I can pay off debt and buy a house.

I feel like I'm constantly setting myself up for failure. I'm always so ambitious at the beginning of the month, but then life gets in the way, and I end up falling short and gaining 5 more pounds just for a little more razzle dazzle.

I know I'm not the only one who feels this way. I see it all the time on social media. Everyone's posting about their amazing accomplishments, and I'm just sitting here feeling like a failure.  Ha!! I lied just a little bit because, albeit tired AF, I still feel like a dope ass black woman, who is currently boycotting Target, by the way.

Here’s the thing I’m learning (and re-learning, because life has a funny way of teaching you the same lessons over and over until you get it right): It’s okay. It’s okay that it’s March 5th and I haven’t conquered all my goals. It’s okay if life throws you curveball (and let’s be real as a black woman in my mid-40s juggling three busy kids, a career, and the general chaos of life, and don’t forget the dating profile that I didn’t make yet (another one of my goals), some days “progress” feels like simply making it to bedtime.) Hell… look there… it’s even okay if you’ve completely forgotten about some of your goals.

What’s NOT okay is beating myself up about it. Society often tells us to be superwoman, to do it all, to have our Ish together. But that’s just not realistic. We’re allowed to have days off, off weeks, even off months.

So, what am I going to do about it? First, I’m going to take a deep breath. Then, I’m going to reassess. (I’m probably going to eat butter pecan cookies with Trefoils while I do it too) I'm not giving up, but I may have been a bit too ambitious, so I’m going to sit down again with Akira’s goal sheets and start over. YEP… Happy New Year!! That’s called GRACE. It’s about

understanding that life is a marathon, not a sprint. And sometimes, in a marathon, you need to walk for a bit, maybe even take a little detour.  So, excuse me while I flip the bird to February and adjust my crown.

Akira adds:

Here are a few tips for setting and achieving goals:

Start small: Don't try to do everything at once. Pick one or two things to focus on.

Set realistic goals: Don't set yourself up for failure by setting goals that are too ambitious.

Break down your goals into smaller steps: This will make them seem less daunting.

Find a support system: Talk to your friends, family, or a therapist about your goals.

Don't give up: It's okay to fall short sometimes. Just pick yourself up and keep going.

I'm still working on all these things myself. But I'm determined to make progress this year.

I hope you are too.

What are your goals for this month?

Let me know in the comments below.

P.S. I said that right?!

P.P.S. I'm still working on that dating profile. Maybe, I’ll meet someone on my store run for cookies and ice cream and avoid it all together.

P.P.P.S. I'm also going to do some of the workout from reels that I’ve been saving.

~AShanee