I have been thinking about goals a lot lately. When we tend to talk about our dreams, our goals, we tend to look in the wrong direction. In our social media world, we look at those who have managed to make a living being “famous” and we think that is the goal to achieve fame. I see it in my kids, who each have particular “YouTubers” that they prefer. The images of a flashy lifestyle, seemingly without a care in the world help our kids to set fame as the goal.

If we can just get famous enough then life will be easier.

Fame is not my goal. Notoriety is not my goal.

My goal is to be a better version of myself, to be a better wife, a better mother, a better friend. In my longterm plan, I would like to relieve some of the financial stress that keeps me from being that person. I would like to be able to travel the world, and take my kids with me, even though they aren’t babies any longer.

I want to live life, every day, and not spend it working day in and day out for the paycheck.

I want to experience breathing room at the end of the budget.

These are my goals.

The problem with these goals is that they are not concrete. There is not a yellow brick road to breathing room. There is, in fact, a lot of hard work between today and the tomorrow that I desire. There is a lot of discouragement. There is doubt. There is course correction. There is self-evaluation.

Setting a goal, and working towards it is hard. As humans, we lean towards what is easy, what is comfortable, what is safe. We find solace there.

Unfortunately, that is also where we become stagnant.

Have you ever found a puddle or body of water that is stagnant? They tend to smell weird, they are full of bugs and are a breeding ground for disease. Stagnation is not a good place to be.

It is completely natural to desire a break, to take time to regroup.

Staying there is not an option though. Not if we actually want to reach our goals.

The steps to reach the goals are different for each person. It varies depending on where you start and what the end goal is.

My goals are more intangible.  There is not a concrete number in breathing room.  I know what it looks like the inside of my head, what it feels like.

I am struggling this week under the weight of real life causing goals to feel unattainable.

I think this is why we tell them to those closest to us so that during periods like this week for me, they can lift us up, help us wipe off the hurts and keep pressing on.