Be embraced by the journey

Most of us start the new year with bold ambitions for a new self. It's as if we think with January also comes a secret formula to achieve perfection.   

I'm not diminishing goals. In fact, I'm a very goal-oriented person, who is motivated by accomplishment. Anyone who's been to my apartment has seen the To-Do lists scattered around on sticky notes or my latest race training calendar highlighted with the days I've finished.

However, on the way to an ultimate goal, it is very easy to lose sight of the milestones along the way. 

Today I challenge you to be embraced by the journey. So often, we focus on how satisfied we'll be once we lose those last 5 pounds, after we get that promotion, or when we're able to balance our commitments and manage our calendar. 

The truth is, in the pursuit to accomplish goals or new year's resolutions, we miss out on a lot of joy in the present. I'm not saying to stop setting goals. We still need to know where we're headed. But if your goal or resolution is an unattainable level of perfection or if it's preventing you from seeing beauty and joy in the moment, I ask you to pause and consider why. 

Why are all the days dimmer until you achieve your goal? What is the real emotion or intent behind your goals? 

Honestly answering these questions will reveal what you believe is lacking in your life. Beauty? Money? Time? Acceptance? Approval? 

I challenge you to see how you're already being embraced by others who see your beautiful heart or approve and accept all of you - including the mess. I urge you to recognize that your desire for more money, more time, more status may truly be a perspective problem. Have you considered what your journey is and where you're headed? Perhaps you don't need that money, that clear calendar, that job promotion to be who you're meant to be right now. 

I thought this blog post was appropriate to write during clean eating week here at BeEmbraced. I'm not encouraging others to eat clean so they can attain their personal definition of beauty or attraction. Instead, clean eating is revitalizing, providing you with the energy and health to go out and seek out the beauty in others... To serve others, whether in the office, your neighborhood, or your family.