Dear Type-A

Dear Planner: it’s ok to feel unplanned.

Hello, my wonderfully driven, type-A, goal-setting, organization-loving self. You are a go-getter. A woman going places. You got GOALS, girl.

Or, you normally do.

It is January 2021 and something must be wrong. Your brain isn’t functioning like it normally does. You haven’t mapped out your PLAN for the year like you normally do. Your goals for each category of your life haven’t been written down. You don’t have your brain wrapped around loosing those 5-lbs, making progress in your career, or paying off your credit card debt. And you are feeling worried. Normally by this point, your goals have been written, you’ve signed up for that class, you are already on a January diet, and you are firing on all cilinders. January is your MONTH.

You’re wondering, “What’s wrong with me this year? Where are my plans? OMG, have I lost all motivation and discipline and let go of my goals completely?!”

My dear, have you stopped to consider the possibility that in the past year, you’ve learned what really matters? You’ve learned to slow down and really listen. You’ve learned to sit still long enough to listen to your heart and let your soul catch up with your body. You no longer move at the rushed pace you flew through life before.

And, my darling, this is GOOD.

This last year was introspective. You dug deep inside yourself, stripped yourself of distractions and unimportant things, and evolved into a better, more present version of yourself. Everything you need to move forward in 2021 is already inside of you. So now, GO. With ease.

Yes, set goals. Reassess and refine previous goals. Remind youself what your dreams are, what you love, and what matters to you in this gift called life. Take small steps each day in the directions of these things. But don‘t be defined by January. Take everything you learned this past year and slowly move forward, with joy and gratitude. Shake off the dust, change and shift as needed.

However, remind yourself every day what this year has taught you: you are now more concerned with inner peace, joy, presence to the moment, and kindness, and less concerned with checking things off a list.

Living the life of your dreams absolutely matters. Having goals towards these dreams is valuable and important. But please, let the way you approach these goals, the “plan” you think you need to have, be new and different this year. Afterall, you are new. You’re different. You approach life differently.

Let your goals be a reflection of this.

Start each day with a tremendous amount of gratitude. Don’t let yourself slip into the old pattern of hurriedness and anxiety to get to the next thing. Work towards your goals with joy. Think about what these goals might be with joy. There’s no going backwards, only forward.

In John Comer’s book The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, he writes about a conversation between two men in which one asks, “what do I need to do to become the me I want to be?” and the other responds, “you must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” He later states that hurry is a form of violence on the soul. So do not hurry to your goals. Do not hurry away from the moment. Stay connected to the beautiful depth of your soul and let the plans and goals come to you with ease. Slowly. Fully.

Darling one, remember that bringing joy to others with your full presence and love is the ultimate goal. And psychologists, mindfulness experts, and happiness researchers all agree that if there’s a secret to happiness, it’s simple: presence to the moment. The more connected yon to the now, the more joy you will expereince. And the more present you are, the more joy you will bring to others.

So, Dear Type-A, if you’re goals are not yet written or planned out, you’re ok! You are moving forward with joy and ease and building on all of the beautiful things that grew inside you last year.

With Joy

Your Present Self