Timelines

Timelines are arbitrary. There is no right time to do anything - to settle down and start a family, to go to school, to start a new business. I try to wrap my head around the many timelines I set in my life. I am at a loss. I cannot for the life of me tell you why I said I wanted to do something by a certain date. Why did I want to be a partner in my own firm by 30? Why did I want to have 20 clients by the end of the year? Some may say I am an ambitious goal setter. Some may say that by having goals, I was motivated to work harder. 

That's bullshit. I have never worked harder because I had a goal I was trying to meet. I was not more motivated. In fact, the only result of timelines was disappointment. I was sad that I said I was going to do something by a certain timeframe and then did not. I felt guilt and shame. I let myself down. 

Again, that's bullshit. Timelines are unnecessary when you are not guaranteed the next day. So you didn't meet your goal? So what? Life goes on. You have to continue to move forward. Instead of setting goals with timelines, let's establish more open and fluid goals. You decide that today, you are going to live your life without a schedule. I don't mean a blank calendar with no appointments or meetings. I mean days with an open agenda. Days where you meet yourself wherever you are at. Days when you surprise yourself by how far you got working on a particular idea or days when you genuinely appreciate your rest. 

When we remove the timelines, we have more opportunity for celebration. We live in our current state and impress ourselves by thriving there. We forget about tomorrow, the next month, or even the next year. We accomplish small things daily that contribute to our happiness and mental health. We live with the purpose to enjoy every minute, as much as we can. 

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