2024 has graced us with its presence, and as such we are confronted with a year gone by as well as a year incoming. It’s a time we are all too familiar with. It’s a time to reflect and a time to set goals, in other words, a time to set our new year’s resolutions. This is when we all express something about ourselves or our lives that we sense is lacking, or that we feel unhappy about. You know. That something that makes us feel like we are missing a piece of ourselves. And then we set “the goal”. Maybe a specific weight we want to return to, or maybe completing a set of books we have been meaning to read.
Or perhaps, what is missing could be an impressive feat, such as completing a marathon, or better yet (in my opinion), a rewarding hike that we have been dreaming of hiking since childhood.
If you are me, that would be Machu Picchu, of course.
Whatever it may be, we tend to start the year in an almost negative headspace. Yes, it can be seen as aspirational to have a new goal to work towards, but I cannot help but feel that this is a less than ideal way to approach a new year of new opportunities. It has us focusing on what we have not yet achieved, and furthermore has us focusing on an end goal that, for whatever reason, we might not reach (sometimes due to circumstances that are not even within our own control), possibly setting us up for another year of disappointment and self loathing.
What if instead of looking at what goals we could achieve at the end of a journey, we alternatively direct our attention to the process itself as the goal? With a process oriented mindset, rather than a goal oriented mindset, we can look at ourselves in the present moment, taking in all that we have in store for us with a goal that can be achieved within one day, right now.
No, not within a month, nor within a few months, nor within a year. But just one single present day.
This new type of goal could be merely putting one foot in front of the other. The goal of embarking on (or continuing) a journey and process that begins now (or has already begun) and is ever evolving. The goal isn’t the marathon finish line, nor is it the thirty pounds lost, nor is it the completion of the entire Dune series, nor is it the peak of Machu Picchu. But rather the process of learning, growing, and changing as this very process is the goal in itself.
So in light of this new revelation, I have decided to make this year’s resolution a theme, the theme of being present and focused. I know that sounds general and unspecific, but that is sort of the point. Let me explain what I mean.
In today’s world, our brains input so much data on a regular basis. Social media feeds, music in our headphones everywhere we go, podcasts on every topic imaginable, news streams, and messages and emails galore. Our ability to focus on one long term task and on one subject in depth has drastically gone down over time. I used to read several books a month, write poetry and short stories, engage deeply in hobbies, but now I find myself struggling to focus for long periods of time and I find myself longing for that ability to seek out depth with purpose and with joy.
So imagining my brain as an ever evolving and improving organ (if I can help it that is), I see myself wanting to engage with the process of reestablishing my ability to focus and to be present. To think slowly and with intention. To produce content and not just consume it. To allow my brain the space and freedom it needs to think for itself and to openly create. To renew it into an older yet more improved state.
And that goal is already being met today, as I sit here listening to the rain outside tapping my window rather than listening to the sound of the TV playing in the background. After having recently come back from a slow and mindful walk outside, I can feel my brain already improving. I can feel my soul relishing in the process. I am here. I am present. And I am determined to continue this trend until the day I no longer breathe, not just for 2024. Because a process of growth and improvement never ends.
There is no finished book to close with satisfaction. There is no marathon trophy to adorn myself with. Nor is there a satisfying number on a scale to log. There certainly isn’t a picture on top of Machu Picchu to post on social media.
Rather, what is there instead is a person engaging in a process of growth and reconnection to herself and to the world.
This is not to say that one couldn’t benefit from a goal oriented process. Perhaps you are the type of person who is motivated by end points that you can measure and stack yourself up to. Perhaps you thrive off of a mountain to dream about. Perhaps Machu Picchu is the photo you have taped to your mirror that gets you out of the house and moving. Perhaps for you the top of the trail is in fact the highest form of living, in both a metaphorical and literal sense. Perhaps that goal serves as your north star, making the journey towards that goal a bit more bearable.
But just in case you do find yourself, as I find myself, struggling to thrive in that manner, and you find that your resolutions have never come to fruition, it might not hurt to make 2024 a year that starts differently from the rest. It could be a year of change in even your very outlook on what change could actually mean for you.
So If any of this is resonating with you, come join me in this year of process. Let’s take our lives one step at a time, relishing in the very act of taking it, knowing each and every day, we are alive, already embodying the person that we already are, while taking the time to lose ourselves in the hike.
So put away the aspirations and calendars. There is no need to wait for the future to celebrate success. You are the hiker. Right here. Right now.
Just put on those boots and start walking.
Leave a Reply