Seeing Progress in the Small Steps
January is on the mend to being almost half way over & I can honestly say 2020 is going by way too fast. It has been 11 days & I have had way more bad days than good days. My list of goals & habits to do every day are not filling up with checked boxes like I had planned. Feeling like a failure can come pretty quick & easy when you are a new years resolution chick like me. However, this year feels so different maybe because I am maturing & growing or maybe because I actually started my 2020 goals back in October. Maybe I am seeing more that not every day has to be perfectly beautiful, but rather every day needs to have at least on small baby step in the right direction to mean success.
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Our Blue Abode has become my own little brand. It has turned into a hub where I am able to share my passions, my creativity & most importantly my thoughts. Starting this in 2018 was purely a creative outlet. Then in 2019 I realized that my confidence & passion for writing stemmed much deeper in my heart. That this is something I just might be able to do something with. All which brings me to 2020 where I hope to do just that. Make something of this. So why is it that we are already 11 days into January & I am not making $$$ on the daily on here or that I don’t have a post scheduled every day or even that my presence on Instagram is lacking? I feel like every day I am working so hard to balance my new job life, home life & hobby life. Every day I feel like I am working so hard to grow & build this brand that I have created. But then why do I have nothing to show for it? It is because the progress I am making may not be tangible or visual, but it is indeed progress.
Seeing the Progress that may not be Visual
The motivation that comes around once January hits is contagious. I would also have to say that disappointment & discouragement can hit even harder. It is so important that we learn to have the right expectations when it comes to reaching our goals or else the overwhelming load of not making them right off the bat can spiral into being worse off then when you started. Learning practices that can create a tangible take away from those small baby steps you are making, is a task that should go hand in hand while working to achieve these goals.
As I was trying to plan some feed content for my Instagram, I realized that I have zero photos of how we reorganized our home, I have not taken any photos of myself recently & frankly I really just have nothing to work with. On the scheduler I use laid two lone Christmas decor rv pictures. Glimpses of our space that I wanted to share with you all, but just didn’t feel right as December 25 has passed. I decided to screw that post them anyways because I like them & think they are pretty, but then a wave of negativity rushed over me. Why am I not accomplishing anything yet? I told myself I would work so hard in 2020 to better myself & my business. That I would be more present in my passions & that growth was going to happen. Wow, I felt so disappointed in my lack of efforts here. This thought process did not sit right with me because I have been working hard.
Behind the Scenes or Baby Step Progress
The tasks & works that have been present since January 1, or even before that, are just as important as the visual ones. What I mean by this is, having a full content planner with ideas I can share & write about, having emails to sift through discussing branding opportunities, clearing out our home in preparation of projects we can do together & then share with you all. - these all take a lot of time & energy. Things that must be done in order to have anything to share. I was only seeing my success once a feed or story would show on Instagram or a blog post would go live. But that is so messed up. I need to see my success in the tasks I am doing to get to those points equally.
Maybe for you it is a health journey. This is also something that I really want to run with. I started focusing on what my body needs vs wants in October. The habits I formed & things I learned about myself since then have been amazing, but not perfect. I did really well towards the end of 2019, but I must say I have not gotten a good start in 2020. I grew tired of tracking, always thinking about my least favorite thing about myself. I just wanted a break. Which is 100% okay. You know why? Because one good day is not going to make me drop 20 pounds. Sadly. I know. So maybe this is something for you too. You started January so motivated. Maybe you lost a few pounds already or maybe you notice a little less bloat in your face. But then you aren’t noticing your clothes getting baggier or you had a cheat day & feel so discouraged. You want to stop because what is the point. Instead of letting this disappointment ruin the chance of accomplishing your goals, look at those 5 days you did really well & look at the habits they started to grow. You became more used to drinking water over pop. Or tracking your calories got even easier. Those things matter just the same as going down a pant size.
Keeping Going & Getting those Goals
I know none of this is news or show stopping advice. However, it is something I needed to remind myself & frankly I am sure there are a few of you out there in the same boat. The work & time you are putting in whether they are baby steps, forming good habits or behind the scenes duties that just need to happen to get the job done - yeah those are important to. Those are accomplishments too. January is the start of so many good & beautiful goals that you can run with & look back once December hits to see how far you’ve come. But even then the work doesn’t end. Remember whatever goal you set for yourself now must be oh so special, something so important to you. It is worth working towards & it is even more worth enjoying those improvements every single day. Not just when the big things happen.
