We all say we want things and then don’t make it happen. All of us. And the beginning of every single year is a time where so many of us get caught up in the whirlwind of making big goals and, oftentimes, do not succeed in achieving them by the end of the year.
This has caused so many people to give up on making goals which is totally understandable - why set yourself up for failure?
But I wonder what would happen if we make goals AND investigate our self-saboteur at the same time. Because you got one. More than one. So do I.
It wasn’t that long ago when I was seriously considering giving up on my illustration business. It had been eeking along when Covid hit and work dried up completely. I just wanted to throw my hands up in the air and walk away completely.
Lucky for me, I talked to a good friend who incredulously asked me, “What the heck are you doing?!” And she repeated that several times as I tried to defend this decision until finally she broke through. I was self-sabotaging. Hard.
I took a moment to investigate just how I was sabotaging myself and dealt with it head on. Within days, illustration gigs started coming back in. I kid you not. Am I done self-sabotaging myself with my business? Absolutely not. It takes vigilance and a constant willingness to see how I get in my own way. And then my behaviors change, my motivation increases, and I get closer and closer to my goals.
So, I think we need to keep making goals, but not without seriously considering how we are going to try and sometimes succeed in sabotaging ourselves. We might not like what we see when this happens (I sure didn’t), but facing it is the path towards achieving our dreams.
And facing it isn’t about fighting it. It is about accepting it. Understanding it. Practicing self-compassion. And finding ways to nurture the parts of ourselves that will help make our dreams come true.
The Creative Community Circle is open for enrollment THIS MONDAY, January 18 - 29th! Let’s nurture our creative dreams together and find ways to get our creative work done in 2021!
If you need a bit more of a warm-up, join us for our January #CreativityChallenge2021!