This #MondayMotivation quote may be deemed as a little cliche but I think it’s a powerful one to remember.
We may have naysayers and doubters in our lives, but often, we are the ones to put a lot of limits on ourselves and what we are capable of. We feel inadequate or unsure in what we’ve been called to do. I feel that way still at times and have to work through those feelings in my own way.
Nevertheless, though I may not know exactly where I’m headed, I know what my goals are and the specific tasks ahead. I even have other people who believe in what I’m doing and that I’ll be successful. So I don’t want my own limited thinking to keep me from doing and being my best. And I definitely don’t want you all to limit yourselves either.
If you work the typical 9-5, you are familiar with the annual employee review with a boss. The review is to speak on your wins and losses for the year and see where there is room for improvement. And, of course, the review also determines a lot of times whether you’ll see a salary increase. Then, you may have the chance to set goals and objectives you would like to achieve in the new year.
That’s how it’s laid out at my new job. Being new, I recently had a three-month review with my boss which went great. I was then told to set objectives for the upcoming year—what I would like to achieve or strive towards and how I planned to do it. I typed out my plan vigorously and sent it off to my boss for approval, ready to get to work.
As I thought about it later that day, I realized that the new year is not that far away. It’s literally right around the corner. Which means it’s almost the season for everyone to create their vision boards and setting new goals. Y’all know that I’m all for it. However, I also thought that I really need to do my own personal self-review of this year—what went well, what went bad, what I need to get better at. I need to set my own personal objectives and specific tasks to get me there.
All of this reminded me of a video from my favorite inspirational speaker, Eric Thomas. We need to not only know what we want, and work for what we want, but we also need to realize that, if we don’t get it, we have to be honest about the roles we played in that. Did you let yourself down? Did you slack off? Were you as disciplined as you could have been?
If you didn’t reach your yearly goals, you owe yourself an explanation as to why things didn’t happen and what needs to change and happen in the coming year. That’s where the personal self-review comes in. I already knew I’ve got things to work on, but when I sat down and worked through it, I had to be real. There were a few great things about this year, but there were also some goals I didn’t reach. And you know what? There was no one else that I could blame. I didn’t do the things I KNEW to do out of lack of self-discipline and fear. Not only did I need to come up with a list of goals for the new year, but I also had to come up with specific tasks AND sacrifices to get it done.
We do it for our jobs, but we owe it to ourselves to sit down and evaluate ourselves. Consider what you were able to accomplish this year, and what you didn’t. How can you do better for the coming year? What things do you need to cut out? Once you give yourself a review and set those new objectives, commit to stepping your game up and doing better!
“Even though you try to pull me under, I never drown now. So I’m gonna ride the wave…I’m not going down now…”
Even though I run this positive site, I struggle a lot with actually being positive (go figure, right?). Matter of fact, a good part of the reason why I started this site was because of that struggle. I needed to work on something that actually uplifted me no matter what was going on, and, in turn, uplifted others. That’s why it’s also so important for me to share these Inspirational Jams.
Today’s is singer Taio Cruz‘s song, “Positive!” I love this song, because Taio sings about people and circumstances that may try to knock him down, yet he remains optimistic and positive, knowing that he’s going to win. That’s the problem with many of us (myself included). After so many losses and bad moments, we lose faith in the fact that we are meant to win in this life. It’s a daily press for a lot of us. I hope and pray, though, that those bad times ultimately fuel us instead of consistently discourage us. I’m working on remaining positive about my life…are you?
Like most of us, Mondays are rarely easy or calm for me. There’s always a lot of work to do—paper to push at my 9-5 and writing to do for my freelance life. It was a pretty productive day, but on my way home from work, I was too through. And there was still more work that I needed to do.
Then I saw my baby Christmas tree I bought this weekend. I put on the star and the lights, but hadn’t gotten around to my favorite part: the ornaments! I sat there, listening to Christmas music and strategically placing each one. I mean, really having fun with it! And, afterwards, I decided to take some me time that night, and do nothing but watch cheesy Christmas romance movies on Lifetime.
I don’t know…it gave me some much needed positivity that night. It soothed my spirit, but also reminded me of so much that I have to be grateful for and to appreciate. One, I have my own little baby tree…in my own place…which I so desperately prayed and worked for this year. It’s a serious blessing, and I’m doing all right on my own so far! But that forced me to admit again that, two, my 9-5 pays a good majority of my bills. So, even though it’s not my cup of tea, I should be grateful that I even have it in this crazy country of ours. Three, Christmas is coming! I’ll spend more time with my family, eat some more good food, and get to see my little cousin’s face light up when she opens her gifts.
And that all came from seeing and decorating my little Christmas tree. It may be corny or whatever, but something that small really made me open my eyes to all that I have, and also hopeful for what is to come. By the grace of God, I’ve done a lot at 27 years old, which I constantly have to remind isn’t that old, and I still have more ahead of me.
So I write this little corny post to remind you all to take some time to appreciate the little things in your life. We get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life, that the small but good things often go unnoticed. Take some time to enjoy the little things, like decorating your Christmas tree and singing your heart out to some great holiday music! You’ll feel a lot better!
Good morning everybody…hope you had a great weekend. Here’s some #MondayMotivation to help get you through the week!
As many of us heavily working towards our goals know, there’s a lot of sacrifice that comes along with that. A LOT. And I used to feel like I had to explain certain moves that I made or didn’t make in my life concerning my writing career. And yet, people wouldn’t understand, which was frustrating to me. I didn’t understand why they didn’t get it!
When I read this quote for the first time a long time ago, I realized that you can’t truly expect everyone to understand the path that God has particularly put you on. Just like I don’t always understand the paths of a few people close to me, but I still try to support and uplift them. Regardless, you just have to keep doing your own thing, knowing the goals that you have for your own life. Some people will get it and support, and others won’t, and you have to be okay with that. Just keep grinding!
Imperfectly B 