Just Do You

   It's the beginning of yet another year, and I've been thinking a lot about what I want to accomplish, not just in 2020 but in life in general. Frankly, I'd be lying if I said my list wasn't long. In fact, I have so many goals for myself it's overwhelming to think about sometimes. Being overly ambitious is just as much a burden as it is a strength. Thankfully, all of my goals, both big and small, have one common denominator making them feel much more attainable. Every one of them is an encouragement to become better in one form or another. Not the best, just better. Everything I set for myself is pushing me to be the best me that I can become. Each goal, whether or not I complete, is going to make me stronger, just as long as I try. It doesn't really matter if my list is a million goals long and I only make it through a fraction of it and fail at half of those, because just by attempting I'll be further along than where I was when I started.

I think a lot of us get specific with our goals for the wrong reasons. Either we're competing with someone else, we're following in someone's footsteps, or we're doing it because it's how we want to be perceived. I'll be honest, I'm entirely guilty of setting goals for each of these reasons, myself. But the older I get, the wiser I become, and the wiser I become means the more knowledge I can slap my younger self in the face with. 

Since then, I have realized by setting goals for the wrong reasons I wasn't becoming the best me by any means. By not being true to myself I chose to become superficial. Now, if I can share one piece of advice with my 2020 self it would be, "Keep your goals true, and in line with what makes you genuinely happy." 

In other words, don't feel like your goals have to prove something to anyone, or even feel like you have to compete to keep up with someone else. We're all different, and we're all at different points in our lives. It's important to understand that someone else's goals might not be the right fit for you. Instead, you should find what you're good at, what you love to do, and persist. Try not to focus the rest. 

For 2020, my goal is to just do me. Keep doing what makes me truly happy while continuing to learn and grow. By doing just that I'm already living up to my potential.

My hope for the end of the year is to be able to look back on the skills I've learned, the challenges I've overcome, and the adventures I've made with admiration and gratitude, knowing that everything I've gone through has made me greater.

Three cheers for 2020!