There are 17 days left in 2016. I’m sitting here really thinking, where did the days go?! It seems like I was just counting down, “Three, two, one. Happy New Year!” …OK. What I meant to say was that I woke up at 12:13 AM to missed phone calls and texts, followed by me rolling back over. Welcome to the 30+ club. But, that’s another topic in itself.
This time last year, I had set goals for myself. Like so many people I know, I created a vision board. There was only one problem. It seemed like my 2016 vision board was dang near the same as the 2015 board, and damn it the 2014 board. WTF???! I had repeat goals for the past couple of years. So what was holding me back?! I saw a few people around me who were doing their thang'(meaning they were completing their personal goals), yet I was stuck bringing in the old. Again. Don’t get me wrong, I did complete some of my smaller goals, but why wasn’t I checking off ALL of the goals on my board when I had the same 365 days to do it as everyone else?
According to a study done by University of Scranton, only 8% of people actually complete their new year resolutions. We tell ourselves that we are going to accomplish XYZ (i.e. lose weight, go back to school, organize more, get closer to God, buy a house, go on 5 trips a year, take better care of our hair, etc.), but sometimes the goals we set are out of reach at that particular time in our life. For instance, I put a house on my board, yet I hadn’t even been saving up for a house. So how in the hell did I think 
I was going to purchase a house this year?! The Lord says ask and you shall receive, but He also gave me wisdom. So if faith – works=dead, then the house was just a figment of my imagination.
I can attest, the people who complete their goals are DEDICATED and MAKE GREAT USE OF THEIR TIME. If we want to reach our goals, we have to figure out what changes need to occur for it to happen. We can’t keep doing the same thing we’ve done in the past and expect a different outcome. As I mentioned in my first post, procrastination has been a major issue, but I’m working on it. Even though I didn’t get my dream house, I was able to complete other goals and do great work. Hey, I even started this blog, and it hadn’t even crossed my mind earlier this year.
As my wisdom increases, I’m learning that even though it is important to write down my short term and long term goals so that I don’t lose sight of them, I’m not in a binding contract with them. Circumstances change throughout the year. I may develop a new interest and want to focus on that instead. I don’t have to beat myself up if I didn’t do what I set out to do.
Take each day in stride and realize that every year of your life is a separate marathon race. It’s not your typical 5K race where you just sign up, no preparation needed, and bam you’re at the finish line grabbing your medal. This marathon race called life calls for you to sign up (set goal), train (set mini goals, develop a plan, allow for time to practice), and run at a steady pace (Just Do It!). You will appreciate yourself more you realize the blood, sweat, and tears you put into it.
So, here we are. We have almost two weeks left in 2016. Here comes the, “New Year, new me.”, “Steppin’ into 2017 like…”, “Leaving ____ in 2016”. Don’t be that person. There’s no better day to start, than TODAY! Life is just a vapor. Trial and error. One minute we’re here. The next minute, we’re gone. Cut those people you need to cut off today. Start the workout plan today (Christmas is one day…again ONE DAY), start looking for a new job today. Start planning your business today. Communicate the truth to them today. Tell them you love them today. Stop playing yaself’ today. At the end of the day, give it our all. Be a winner, not a whiner.
SB
Naturally Imperfect 