A Year with NO Goals?

Last year was an amazing year for me. I did a lot of growing and letting go too.

I started 2011 with 52 goals.

I achieved most of them, I usually do achieve my goals. But I was very frantic about it. It wasn’t done with intention and love, rather with urgency and hyper-focus, with kept me from connecting with those I love.

It was through some therapy/life coaching/massaging that helped me see this franticness and over the past few months I have been shifting. It has been challenging, but lovely too.  (post coming soon about this)

What I learned with My Mostly Media Free Month.

I took a whole month off of posting on my blog and I loved the break. I loved having the extra time to be with my family and friends. It sort of makes me want to stop blogging all together. I had gotten to this weird point that if I did something in real life, I had to tell cyberworld about it to make it real. (Either via my blog or Facebook, etc)

Real life happens and is actually sweeter if I am not worried about recording it all.

I have written goals for YEARS (at least 25 years) and I have achieved them. But this year I don’t want any goals. I heard about this revolutionary idea on zenhabits blog.  At first I thought it was CRAZY, but now I am at a point where it sounds wonderful.

Intentions instead of goals

I am going to have some intentions I want to focus on

  • Hearth and Home:  My home is a place where people feel welcomed, comfortable, loved and honored (especially my family).
  • Health:  I am healthy and have plenty of energy to do the things I love, and even things I don’t love, but will help connect me with my family. (think hiking/biking)
  • Relationships:  I take time and energy to connect with those important people in my life.  This year I will especially focus on Rob (my husband).  After 15 years of marriage we have slipped into taking each other for granted.  I want more and I am sure he does to, so this will be a priority.
  • Personal Growth:  I will take time to develop and share my talents and gifts with those around me connecting in a way that blesses their lives and mine.
  • Spiritual:  I will take time to connect with Heavenly Father  on a daily basis and be open to following the direction He wants me to take.
Can I tell you how hard it is to not turn these into goals, or to even just have little add ons – like yoga 3 times a week in health section or book club in personal growth.  I need to stay open to whatever those focuses may bring.  Maybe I will find something better than yoga and want to be open to doing those things.

Really, my hyper-focus in my life has helped me achieve much, but it came at a price, exhaustion and disconnection.

Do you notice something Big is missing????

Birth

I just feel like I need a break from birth.

I don’t think I will stop doing things with birth.  I just need a bit of moderation.  🙂

I am planning on teaching Hypnobabies next year, but not taking any doula clients (except close friends).  I don’t want birth to be a focus, instead have it be something that happens from love of supporting expecting parents instead of something I am driven to do.

My passion has been birth for 5 years

I helped write an amazing book, The Gift of Giving Life,  which is being published in 2012.  I felt I was called by God to be apart of that, now that it is written that passion is fading.

The great thing is there are plenty of other women out there passionate about birth and I will still be teaching Hypnobabies and probably blogging too, but it won’t feel frantic like it did before.  Really blogging became exhausting instead of fun.  Having a month off helped me remember that it can be fun.  The internet won’t fail if I don’t post, so I don’t have to worry about posting each week if I don’t want to.  I was thinking maybe I will just stop, but I still have things I want to share.  So I won’t disappear.  🙂

I feel like my boys, husband and home are my passion now.

They probably always should have been, but I am now ready to focus on them!

What are your plans for 2012?  Will you have Goals or Intentions, or Both?

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5 thoughts on “A Year with NO Goals?”

  1. Good for you, Sheridan! I like your intentions. But I have to admit that I’m glad you’ll still be teaching Hypnobabies. 🙂

  2. You have been an inspiration to me since beginning my journey in the birthing world. Congratulations on your new intentions for your life. I hope you don’t mind but I plan to make some of them my own!

  3. I can’t imagine not teaching Hypnobabies. It is a way to connect in real life with expecting parents and I feel like it is making a difference in their births. :0) I am so glad I have wonderful doulas like you to refer people to! 🙂

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