The Year of Enough: Setting Realistic Goals for Real-Life Growth

The Mess: New Year’s Resolutions

Here’s why mine always fail. They are overly ambitious. Burn out and failure lie ahead, but I want to make this the year of enough.

I’m guilty of this in my professional life. My mantra was always I will work harder.  But working harder doesn’t always yield fruition. Sometimes it breaks you. Boxer got sent to the  glue factory after all. Even though he worked harder than anyone and dedicated himself diligently to the greater cause. It was never enough.

The start of a new year always puts me in reflection mode, which is probably why I set such unattainable resolutions. I’ve always struggled with Imposter Syndrome. I felt like I had to work harder to prove myself worthy. Getting in front of a room full of teenagers can leave anyone feeling wanting, so as a teacher I would just work harder to overcome. Working harder gave me confidence. Recently starting a new career, in a new field that I knew nothing about sent my imposter syndrome raging.  I felt like I uprooted my life. I think that’s why I’ve hustled so hard. 

Wrestling with Imposter Syndrome

At the start of my new career working in the world of government contracts, I I told myself that it was just a job. A means to earn money. A step away from pouring my heart into my profession, so I could instead pour into my family. Despite my best efforts I couldn’t turn off the need to hustle. I’ve hustled myself into a role of respect that came with bonuses and raises. That was not my intention at all. In fact, I didn’t set out in this job to earn accolades or prove myself to be the best (that was for my first career…lol), but I’m here all the same. 

In my attempts to shake off feeling like an imposter, I have developed an incredibly annoying habit of literally not being able to try my hardest. Even though I find myself being rewarded for this hard work, it still feels like it is not enough. 

Cue the Song: Never Enough

Cue the song from The Greatest Showman and me and my girls love to sing at the top of our lungs.

Never enough…

Never.

Never. 

Never enough…

Never. 

For me. For me. 

I know it’s a love song, but the feeling of never being enough is something I’ve heard a lot of my mama friends with littles talk about, so it feels fitting. 

For me, being the operative phrase there. I doubt myself. It seems that no matter how hard I work, my brain tells me that it is never enough, which is especially tricky when it comes to this time of year and new year’s resolutions.

So, instead of making ambitious resolutions, I’m going to set a focus this year instead. 

The Year of Enough

This is going to be the year of enough. I want this year to be the year that I set realistic expectations for myself. 

Yesterday I spent the morning journaling about what I would like my days to look like in 2025. Just a single ideal day, but with reality being the root of the foundation. 

I made a list of what I would like more of…movement, healthy eating, peace, joy. Then I layered in my real life hour by hour, working backwards based on my reality.

Juggling work and motherhood has always been a struggle. It is a big reason why I left my career as a teacher. I didn’t want to do rushed mornings anymore and being too burned out to give my girls my best. It is easier for me now to give my best to my girls and I have more time now to participate fully in their lives without jumping through hoops at work to make it happen. Still though, I find myself feeling rushed and frazzled in the mornings. 

I made the intentional choice to uproot my entire career for more peace, so I should be setting my mornings up for success in a way that is grounded in our new current reality. 

Building a Realistic Morning Routine: Capturing the Year of Enough

In reality right now, I hate starting my work day in the 30 minutes before my girls get on the bus. It’s too chaotic. The only mornings in the past year where it has worked out really well for me have been the days when my husband was home from his shift and those are the days I clung to. When he is home, he gets them ready and I get to start my work day regularly. 

But in reality, he is only home in the morning two days a week and some of those days are the weekends. This means that I am actually responsible for more mornings than I realize and I think the lack of a good routine that balances work and motherhood is what leaves me feeling so frazzled. 

So my new realistic morning routine for 2025 will be starting work at 7:30, breaking at 8:00 to get the girls ready for the bus and then starting work again at 8:30 after the girls get on the bus. This is a morning goal that fits with the reality that I live in and will bring me more peace knowing I can give my best to my job and my girls. 

The Power of Realistic Goals

I love working to pursue a goal, but more often than not I put too much pressure on myself to achieve it (shocker).  So much pressure that I feel ashamed when I don’t accomplish my goal in my preferred time period.

After reviewing my year though, I found that my preferred time period and goals don’t actually align with the reality of my life. Like waking up at 5am to perfectly maintain the 5 am club checklist or working out 3 times a day since my new job requires me to sit for almost 8 hours a day. So to avoid the mess of the new year, I’m going to set a resolution to live a realistic life instead. 

Starting with my realistic morning routine. It’s not very glamorous. It’s not going to help me lose 10 pounds, but it is going to give me more peace in the mornings. Once I make my new routine a habit, I plan to add in more pieces of my ideal day.  Next up is adding in more daily movement, but only when I can build it up from reality. 

How can you build a goal around realistic expectations this new year? 

Make Your Own Mini “Enough” Plan:

• Start by journaling your ideal day.
• Compare it with your reality to find one thing to tweak.
• Identify a small habit to build (e.g., starting work earlier).

Start with where you are at. One of my favorite things to journal at the start of the new year is about all of the accomplishments and memories from the previous year. I usually accomplish this by scrolling through all of the pictures in my phone and reviewing our family shared calendar. Our family calendar usually has all of the major events in it and the pictures help fill in the gaps. The end of the journaling process always leaves me feeling content and happy. 

Reflecting on Growth and Overwhelm: Closing in on The Year of Enough

This year my therapist challenged me to journal a different list. At the end of this year, I wrote out all the situations where I tried to accomplish too much and felt overwhelmed. It wasn’t something I was thrilled to do either. I try to push past the difficulties in my life because I don’t want to dwell in negativity. 

Surprisingly the list was longer than what I anticipated. It was also cathartic and not at all depressing like I thought it would be. Writing out each of all my overwhelming situations helped me realize that I didn’t fail for lack of trying. I felt overwhelmed because my goals were unrealistic. I just continued to push harder and didn’t account for all of the other responsibilities I carry in a day. 

Flourishing in God’s Time: The Year of Enough

I want this to be the year of enough. Where I feel at peace knowing that I am working to improve and however I do it will be the right path for me. 1% more everyday. 

Scripture for the Year: Peace Over Pressure

Your Turn: What’s Your Plan for 2025?

“What’s your goal for 2025? Share your thoughts in the comments or your favorite scripture for the year—I’d love to hear how you’re planning your year of enough.”