Each year I support my coaching clients in revisiting the goals they’ve set the previous year so they can celebrate what they’ve achieved and revise what is no longer a fit. As I was doing this review with one of my clients,
she discovered that this time around, she didn’t want to focus so heavily on goals. This made total sense because all of her goals were centered around designing a life that she loved and she had achieved that, so she just wanted to savor the joy and delight of her current manifestation masterpiece. This made me think about how several students have begun to take a gap after high school or college. Similar to a sabbatical, they spend this time traveling or focusing on other educational or professional pursuits. What if we engaged in a similar practice where we decide on a designated time frame where Goals Aren’t Prioritized (G.A.P). This could be a month, a week, or a day where we allow ourselves to just be without the pressures associated with accomplishing the next thing. I love to use the analogy of marathons. We make the finish line of one goal the starting line of the next without taking time to celebrate our victory. Even more importantly, we don’t take time to rest. My client who runs marathons said, “The recovery and the rest are just as important as the running. You have to be gentle with yourself.” According to Valorie Burton, goal fatigue occurs when we have too many goals at once or when we don’t replenish our energy between goals. So having a G.A.P year, month, week, or day is a powerful way to return the energy we expend on the incessant expectations that we set for ourselves. Here are a few strategies to consider as you plan your G.A.P timeframe. To Feel List. This week, one of the coaches in my group coaching community shared this poignant practice in place of our ever growing and stress inducing to-do lists. If you think about it, every goal we set is really about how we want to feel once we accomplish it. What if we started with the feelings first? Create your ‘To Feel List’ for the day, the week, the month, or the year and focus on the activities and connections that help to get you there. Repurpose Your Rollovers. Last month I joined WW to support me in being more present to and mindful of what I am putting in my body. In addition to their traditional daily point system for tracking food, they have the added benefits of weekly points and roll over points. These systems create a buffer so that if you go over, you have that space and grace to do so while still staying on track with your goals. I take advantage of this throughout the week so that I can have my favorite tacos and margaritas on the weekend, or so that I can relax and eat what I want during date nights or outings with friends. What might it look like to design a similar system with your goals? For example, instead of working on your business seven days per week, you work in a really disciplined way Monday through Thursday, but then you take Fridays off and enjoy a long weekend. Spice it Up. My formal expertise is in Youth Development, Coaching, and Facilitation, but every now and then I shake things up by trying out a completely different field of study. Last year I enrolled in training and hired a coach to learn about stock market investing. It was the perfect way to simultaneously give my brain a break and use it in a new and different way. What’s something totally unrelated to your current work that you’ve always wanted to try? Just like a student taking a gap year to explore what’s possible, follow that desire to add a little spice to your life. This week I challenge you to commit to your G.A.P year, month, week or day. Deprioritize goals for just a moment in time so that you can reprioritize what matters most. This delightful detour will replenish your energy when you are ready to return to what you want to accomplish. Manifestation Affirmations I am making time for recovery, rest, and replenishing my energy. I am focused on how I want to feel. I am open to exploring new possibilities.
Master Your Mindset to Manifest a Life You Love. Most Sincerely, Monica Marie Jones Your Soul Journey Guide