Last fall I was chatting with my single girlfriends and said, “Oh my gosh, it’s almost Christmas!” They both laughed and whole heartedly disagreed, but every working mom knows that once the school year starts, the momentum of school partnered with Halloween and Thanksgiving means it is practically 2020! And here it is… officially 2020.

One of my goals in 2019 was to create a business plan—I am a natural entrepreneur and have always wanted to know how to do this, but guess what? I didn’t do it. Ugh! In the whirlwind that is my career + all things parenthood, this item just didn’t make it to the top of the priority list.

Lucky for me, it is the beginning of a new year and I can start fresh.

I was meeting with a colleague recently about establishing clearer career paths—I am a self proclaimed Jill-of-all-trades, master of none. She explained the simple process of picking three paths (in my case career goals), writing them down, and drawing a long straight arrow on a piece of paper next to each goal. Every week make an X on the line as you move forward with that goal. After a month look at your lines and evaluate the X mark activity. The lines with fewer checks might just not be your path (for now!), and the ones with multiple Xs can be where your focus is naturally being drawn.

This activity can easily work with any set of goals. Instead of becoming bogged down by not making traction in one or two particular goal areas, you can simply trust that the goal you are making progress on is where you have natural momentum.

Approaching this activity with curiosity instead of judgement, allows the freedom to explore without being attached to the outcome. As mothers, we are naturally hard on ourselves, and goal setting should not be an activity of self-disappointment but can be treated as a practice of self discovery!

So how about that business plan? It will definitely be one of my paths this winter but if it doesn’t make the cut, maybe my entrepreneurial spirit is in a dormant phase, and I am ok with that.

For more tips on goal setting, check out the below articles.

Is Your Career Goal Realistic or Ridiculous?

9 Steps to Reach Your Big Goals Before Year End

A Guide for Sticking to Your Goals

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