{"id":88,"date":"2026-04-14T21:04:50","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T21:04:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ashfalls.com\/?p=88"},"modified":"2026-04-14T21:04:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T21:04:50","slug":"the-goal-list-that-makes-no-sense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ashfalls.com\/?p=88","title":{"rendered":"The Goal List That Makes No Sense"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

(But I’m Trying Anyway) \ud83e\udd2f<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll just come out and say it: Goal setting and I? We have a hostile relationship. I\u2019ve always felt uncomfortable with it, mostly because every time I try, I end up wandering through this impossible mountain range of goals waving a white flag of surrender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, I’m trying something different. I have these ambitious goals\u2014the kind that are amazing and terrifying at the same time. But I realized my biggest problem wasn’t the goals themselves; it was the balance (or lack of balance). My past lists were all intellectual hustle with zero emotional backup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, I created this new, slightly unhinged rule: I have to hit four kinds of goals this year. It’s supposed to make things feel more “feasible.” I\u2019m breaking them into categories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Intellectual<\/em>: The stuff that makes my brain hurt (in a good way?).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Passionate<\/em>: The stuff that makes me forget to check my phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emotional<\/em>: The stuff that forces me to deal with my own drama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spiritual<\/em>: The stuff that gives everything a point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My Very Confusing, Double-Up List<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then I wrote out my actual list of things to do, and honestly, it\u2019s already a mess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m to write the first draft of my book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m going to build my brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m going to help other people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m going to take care of myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m going to take care of myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did I accidentally copy-paste “I’m going to take care of myself” on there twice? Nope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why the Double Vision on Self-Care?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because that\u2019s the loophole I use to fail. I don’t listen to my body, which usually yells for a nap but I tell it to drink more coffee. I ignore the need for a walk to clear my head until I’m full-on having an existential crisis. I don’t “pace out my energy”; I just slam the accelerator until the engine catches fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By listing it twice, I’m basically trying to force myself to realize it\u2019s actually two separate jobs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Job 1 (Preventative): The boring, daily maintenance stuff. Like actually setting a bedtime or eating vegetables when I don’t feel like it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Job 2 (Responsive): The emergency panic button. What I must do when I feel the familiar smoke of burnout starting to rise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I don\u2019t treat “Take Care of Myself” as the Emotional Goal that fuels everything else, the other three\u2014the book, the brand, the helping people\u2014will just collapse into dust. I know this because they always have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Realistic (And Slightly Terrifying) Outlook<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Am I suddenly going to transform into a goal-hitting machine now that I’ve figured out this “balance” thing?Probably not. I mean, it would be amazing if I steamrolled right over these goals, but let’s be real. I’m still me. Am I still going to burn myself out trying to hit my own unrealistic standards? Probably. I’ve got decades of training in that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But here\u2019s the tiny, fragile shift: I can acknowledge this reality before I start. I’m imperfect. I\u2019m going to get sick. I\u2019m going to miss a few markers. And for the first time, I\u2019m trying to treat that messiness with love and grace instead of internal fury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, the plan is set. The list is repetitive, and I\u2019m not bracing for burnout. Maybe\u2014just maybe\u2014this confused, balanced approach is exactly what I need to finally hit my goals. I\u2019m teaching myself to build differently.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(But I’m Trying Anyway) \ud83e\udd2f I\u2019ll just come out and say it: Goal setting and I? We have a hostile relationship. I\u2019ve always felt uncomfortable with it, mostly because every time I try, I end up wandering through this impossible mountain range of goals waving a white flag of surrender. This year, I’m trying something … Continue reading The Goal List That Makes No Sense<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-88","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ashfalls.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ashfalls.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ashfalls.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ashfalls.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ashfalls.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=88"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/ashfalls.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":92,"href":"https:\/\/ashfalls.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88\/revisions\/92"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ashfalls.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=88"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ashfalls.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=88"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ashfalls.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=88"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}