I’ve gotten to that point in the year where the new year motivation has worn off. The projects have piled up, and distractions are around every corner. So what happens? All those goals I was so motivated to start my year with have started to collect dust. Can you relate? 

Life gets busy, and new opportunities are always picking up, so you forget the goals you went into the year with in the first place. It happens to me almost every year. I start off so strong, and then this point hits, and I look back at my goals and realize I’ve left most of them behind because the motivation has dwindled. But that is no excuse. 

I mean, I could say I have a pretty good excuse if I wanted it. Having a baby, living away from any help, so taking care of him full-time, that is about as good of an excuse as I can get. But I never want my kids to grow up and ask why I didn’t reach my goals, and make the excuse that they stopped me. I want them to know I saw them right alongside me through the entire process. 

Insanity is repeating the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result. So, if year after year, I’m starting strong and relying on that motivation, and ending the year disappointed when I don’t reach my goals, then I’m quite literally going to go insane eventually. No, thank you. 

So, I am actively working on relying on discipline, not motivation, to continue pressing on toward those goals I set for myself at the beginning of the year. The books are never going to write themselves. No one can go to the weight room for me to get back in the gym. No one is waking me up to get my work done before my son is up. All of that is up to me. 

I’ve started to open my days up with a more positive attitude through all of these “excuses” that I think we can often turn into complaints that stop us from working toward our goals. “I have so many pages to write this week,” is “I get to spend my days bringing the stories I love to life.” “I’m too tired to work out, or too much is on my plate to think about movement,” is “I have a healthy body, and I am so thankful I get to move.” “I just want another hour of sleep,” is “I get to spend a quiet, peaceful morning to start my day.” 

I can get so discouraged when I hear mothers complaining about their days with their kids, or that they don’t have the chance to do anything, and I never want to fall victim to that. I feel so blessed to get to raise my son, and on top of that, I’m sitting here during his naps getting to write, and still pursue the dream I love. What more could I ask for? 

What other motivation am I looking for? That should always be enough, and before that, the discipline should always come first. This is the year I work toward my goals, and there is still so much opportunity left ahead. So, ask yourself if you are letting excuses take over your days, and how are you going to rewrite those complaints to see all the great opportunities you have ahead?