This Is All A Lot
When the clock struck 12:01am on January 1 of this year, you likely had an idea about how you wanted the year to go. Whether you were awake and cheering in a New Year, or you were sleeping soundly in a quiet slumber, you had a plan for what you’d like to accomplish. Formally or informally, we often mark the turning of a year (or maybe you use another tracking point—daily, monthly, etc.) with our goals, dreams and wishes for how we’d like to use the time to achieve forward momentum for our life in some way. “I want to eat healthier,” or “I’m going to read more,” or “I want to be a VP by this time next year.” Having defined goals is our way of giving structure to the desires of being “better” in some way. What do you want? How are you going to get there? Start here, start today, start now, and make a plan.
Nothing about that process is a bad thing. In fact, creating a vision and a plan and working your plan is the best way to achieve your set goal, it gives us focus in a world that is extremely distracting, and one of the best parts of my job is helping you create those goals and plans and helping you achieve them, for yourself and your business.
But I’ve been thinking about how we make our plans in a best-case-scenario bubble, not knowing what things will come along to either support us or knock us off course. The old Yiddish proverb, “We make plans and God laughs,” rings true, more often than not. Did we know that the world would look like this today at the beginning of this year? Nope. Waking up today looks different than we expected, in so many ways.
THIS (::gestures wildly at the city, country, world, internet culture, business culture, economy, etc. we are currently inhabiting::) is all a LOT right now. We are currently at a fever pitch of chaos, of change, of disruption. Some of it will lead to progress forward and new ways of living and working together. Some of it will lead us down a darker path, of conflict, of distraction, of societal shifts, away from connection and humanity.
So—here we are. Trying to exist, move forward, find momentum and our niche in a chaotic world. You didn’t know what today would look like when you created your vision, your goals or your plans for this time, and much of this is out of your control. But don’t underestimate the power of you in this moment—you hold the power for change. You can and should still set goals, decide on a path of action, and move forward. You can choose the path forward for you, your business, your career, your family. Start today. Or tomorrow. But definitely start!
The stories are strong around us for a reason. We turn to myths and heroes and legends because time and circumstance are cyclical, we have been here before in time, and we will be here again, and every time, there have been those who have moved us forward out of chaos and into light, up the spiral staircase into progress, so it looks just a little different the next time we find ourselves in a similar place. We can make those choices, too, and become our own version of a legend or a hero, even if just for ourselves and our lives and our personal and professional communities.
If you want help, I’m here to help—to listen, to support, to encourage, and to strategize how to move forward from here toward your goals and visions. Putting one foot in front of the other can sometimes be easier with others than alone, but you can do it however you’d like, and I believe at my core that even though This Is All A Lot—YOU are powerful and capable and I can’t wait to see how you shine in this moment, and how we move the world forward in our own ways right now. I’ll see you on the spiral staircase!