So I am not sure if anti-goals are really an accurate word to describe these, and it certainly does make this post sound more dramatic than it is meant, but I am talking about things that are the opposite of goals that I had last year. Things that I thought were important and life-giving, ended up having the opposite effect on me, and this year I want to do the opposite of these goals, they are anti-goals if you will.
Last year I really wanted to become a blogger, but soon realized it wasn't a gift of mine. At least not at the time. I already wrote a whole post about this back in October so I won't go over it all again, I just bring it up as one of the anti-goals for this year. I want to use my blog to my advantage in 2016, as a sounding board, as a platform for my thoughts, and I don't want to worry if even one person reads it, because quite frankly, no one probably will. And I want that to be okay.
Another thing that I cared a lot about last year was instagram followers. I am actually ashamed to admit this, because there is nothing to gain by having one or one thousand followers. I guess if you have a business (which I kind of do, but that will be discussed in a later post) it is really good to have exposure to build your business. However, there is all that stuff about target markets and things, and so you could have 4568854332 followers, but if they aren't your target market then you really don't have any advantage to have all those followers. I have heard it said that having followers on instagram is like monopoly money - what does it really do for you in the long run? Anyway, it still used to really bother me when I saw the numbers go down. I am also really ashamed to admit this. I remember I posted something ( cannot for the life of me remember what it was, but it wasn't anything controversial, and I like to think that I don't post any really crappy pictures) and I noticed like seven people un-followed me within the next few hours. I asked myself what I might have done wrong and I ruminated on it for the rest of the afternoon. However, I soon reminded myself of the above truth - that followers don't equal success or that you're cool, or worthy, or anything. That is not to say that I am not appreciative of my followers, because of course I am. I love interacting in the comments, and I love to see the likes that certain pictures of mine receive. I just mean to say that my worth is not defined by how many people follow me on social media. I am a child of God and THAT defines me. So another goal for me in 2016 - don't even look at the numbers. They don't matter. What matters is that I use social media as another platform to voice the words that God gives me and to share the pictures that I consider beautiful or meaningful or having purpose. My anti-goal for instagram in 2016 - ignore the numbers. Post what matters to me. End of story.
The last anti-goal that I have is something that I plan on writing a separate post about. However, since it is relevant to this post, I will share a little bit here. I don't want to worry about having a business this year. Last year I ate, slept, and breathed ideas for a business that circulated inside my head constantly. Ideas would come and go, and nothing seemed right until I settled on grace&canvas. I have learned a lot through this experience, and my biggest take-away is that it is not for me to worry about right now.
So as I similarly shared on a recent instagram post, I want 2016 to be a year of stepping back and evaluating what truly matters and not allowing comparison to be my yardstick, but instead focusing on the things that God places on my heart. I look forward to sharing more when the time is right and when the words are there, and then when the words don't come and life presses in, silence is perfectly okay.
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