I sit here cooling down from a workout and am thinking about my priorities and goals. Goals are simply the tangible actions to work on your priorities. For example, I have a priority to be a good mom – loving, caring, strong, teaching. Within that, I have goals. I will spend focused time with my son in the morning with my phone out of reach.
Before you can start setting your goals in life, you have to know your priorities. I’m not talking about your stretch goals here – buying a house, going on vacation. I am talking about your daily goals and things that you need to do to make life function. It is okay to have to have goals in order to make life function.
Let’s take a step back. In case you don’t follow along on Instagram, I’m Leah and there are a few ways that I define myself. I hold a full time job in the consulting industry as a director for a company that implements an ERP software for businesses. It’s a high stress job but I love it. I am a mom and it’s the best! I am a daughter and moved back to my home town to have family help. I am the sole parent that lives in my house – I still wrestle with the term “single mom” because I am so supported, but I guess it applies.
Now, let’s zoom back in. My challenge to you is to write down your priorities for TODAY! Not long term. Look at just today. Sometimes the long term can be overwhelming when we are just trying to succeed today. I find that mine don’t really change from day to day. They are the things that I need to have energy and set a mindset of joy.
Here’s my priorities and then the goals to the right:
- Breathe – Express gratitude in that breathe and remember that I am thankful to get today. I will do this by moving my body with a work out and stopping when stressed to take a few breaths. I have a massage today too!!! (beyond excited about that)
- Figure out what I am doing to fuel my body – I am starting a new thing today that I am excited about and will share when I see what I think first. I will make good choices in the food that I consume to fuel my body and care for myself.
- Spend time with my kid – I was listening to the podcast YouAF this morning and Katerina noted that your build your internal story by the age of seven! SEVEN!!!!! I am shaping the way my child talks to himself daily and I needed that reminder that these are critical years (he is five). I will spend 20 minutes of uninterrupted time with him this morning.
- Creating mental space – I will clear my kitchen counters at the end of the day to create mental space. This is not guilting myself into a clean house but is a way that I can create mental space before bed.
- Have fun! – I will look for little ways that the world is beautiful. I will point that out to my son and ask him what he sees in the world that is beautiful today.
I have meetings for work every moment that I am at my computer today. I have piles of shit in my house that need to be cleaned up. I have laundry that is overflowing to the third bin. I have soccer practice to coach tonight and then still need to have some form of food for dinner. And there isn’t another parent to share that mental load with me in this house (my son’s dad is awesome. He just lives in another state).
Today is a blessing. And not because you have to think so. It is a blessing because the world is shaped by the people in it. Remember to be kind. Remember to love. Open up your mindset and heart to create joy! You don’t find joy. It’s made.
Hacking the Working Mom 