Let Go the Goals

This post is part of our Life at Home series. Each month, we explore different thinking, techniques or tools related to the concept of a home and what it means to live well in ours. Goals are glorious. There are crazy statistics out there affirming the fact that the setting of a goal increases the likelihood of its achievement. So, we wisely set and achieve them in many areas of our lives. Home ownership is realm in which goals show up too. Which room will be the next to re-do? What project will inch your home closer to a goal? Let’s repaint that. Let’s refinish that. Or, let’s move. Some days it feels like everyone else is busy working on some amazing D-I-Y project for their home, molding theirs into a more Pottery Barn-esque picture or moving into some impressive estate. While you… frankly, you’re just hoping your kids will put their toys away for once. And, that the laundry pile will stop growing. That’d be nice too. So, the goals for our homes — they are good to have. And, the D-I-Y projects are fun too. But, sometimes, all those things become a burden — another item on a to-do list that’s entirely too long. If you find yourself in that latter camp — the one who’s just trying to keep up — consider this a dose of encouragement to let go the need to set another goal or achieve something else. Of all the arenas of your life, at least cut yourself some slack at home. There, if nowhere else, you should find a sense of rest, not a need to do or be more. Perhaps your home is just fine as it is. Totally messy. Imperfect. Even with the outdated furniture. And, the chipped paint. Maybe today it’s okay to choose to let go of the need to change something else or plan something new. Maybe it’s time to take those goals you feel pressured to set, and toss them out the window. And maybe, just maybe, that will change your day for the better… allowing you to move through your home and your life with a bit lighter load.]]>