Plans Are the Worst

Everything starts with an idea. Sometimes my ideas turn out to be wonderful, and sometimes they turn out to be complete failures. And sometimes, just making plans is the hard part.

It all started with a book. You see, for the past few months (I read slowly) I've been working my way through Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project. What a cool book. If you haven't read it, I encourage you to pick it up—and also check out other stuff by Gretchen!

Basically, the book outlines Gretchen's journey to find happiness over 12 months. Every month has a theme, and every theme has a few goals that Gretchen tries to accomplish over four weeks. Usually, she succeeds. Naturally, I was extremely inspired by Gretchen's project, and I wanted to start my own.

Here was my outline for 2018:

Just kidding. I would show you my outline, but it's in my other notebook. And for right now, my 2018 plans have been put on hold. Even before the new year, I started to doubt myself. Now, this isn't good practice, but the thinking helped me to realize something. I'd been having a hard time lately, and I needed to reevaluate how much I could handle.

My problem is that I get disappointed easily. It doesn't take much, and because I get my hopes up so high, I'm crushed in a second. So what could I do to avoid overwhelming disappointment? Are my goals realistic for my situation?

Turning Big Goals Into Smaller Goals

A big goal has steps that need to be completed, and is a process from beginning to end. Wanting to own a car is a big goal. The steps for me are: working, saving money, buying a car, paying insurance, and paying for gas. I do better with smaller goals, so I'll tackle this one step at a time. First I'll focus on working more and trying to save money.

It may seem like you're giving up or putting it off. But what's the rush? I'm taking my time to get where I want to be. As much as I want it sooner, it's important to not take shortcuts (take out loans that aren't necessary) and I need to be ready for the change in my life, no matter how small it is.

In the meantime, what can I do to prepare myself mentally? Owning a car is a big responsibility, and all changes are things that we need to be ready for.

Start With Manifestation

I love the idea that I can make things happen in my life. To manifest something means to imagine it happening until it becomes a reality and actually does happen. Sounds like some sort of magic, but it's all about positive visualization and imagining yourself in your best life possible.

Positive Self-Talk

It is so important to talk to yourself. No, you're not crazy. Try using encouraging words to help yourself reach your goals. Just like with manifestation, the more I see something, the more I believe. Talk nice to yourself and use kind words when you hit setbacks.

Research

Do your research on it! Big goals like getting a car, purchasing insurance, or moving to a new place require research before execution. Take the time to learn about the responsibilities and expectations are for your goal so that you can be ready to meet them when the time comes.

Expect the Unexpected

The most important thing that I can say is to be careful with your expectations, especially ones that you set for yourself! If you're anything like me, you hate to be disappointed. It sucks even more to let yourself down. Push yourself to be your best, but don't force anything that isn't going to happen.

Be proud of yourself for any progress you do make. The most important thing you do is try. Remember to set smaller goals for yourself and listen to yourself so you don't push yourself into more than you can handle.

And be selfish with your goals! Go for what you want, no matter what anyone else might say. When you do meet a goal, treat yourself for a job well done! :)