As a new year usually makes me do, I have been pondering my 2017 and thinking about what I want for 2018. I am a sucker for reading a lot of self-improvement tomes and articles, and I very much enjoyed this one, which wraps up 2017 and sets a good scene for planning the next 12 months.

A lot of cool things happened for me personally in 2017. While the general social and political climate was stressful and hard to deal with on a daily basis, music and opportunities for my world were actually…incredible. Things I did not have on my radar at all happened, and opportunities I had only dared dream about came to fruition in “screaming color” as T-Swift would say. (I’m vague on purpose but if you want to know, bring me a coffee and I’ll tell you all about my year). Social Thinkery (that’s me) worked with some delightful people and 2018 looks to be no different.

Did I plan for that? Mostly…no, not step-by-step “these things will happen in this order” kind of plans. But 2017 proved to me that the more I show up and do my thing, the more doors open. Sometimes (ok a lot of times), I don’t even QUITE know what I am showing up for.  Taking work opportunities with folks led to more work. Vlogging led to really monumental experiences. Writing songs and playing them led me to a fantastic new musical project for 2018 (news on that…soon). None of that stuff was planned, but it was dreamed about and angled toward. Which got me to thinking…

We sometimes think of dreams and goals as either things that will take off like a rocket the minute we jump on…or giant, almost insurmountable boulders we must roll up a hill until we make it or pass out and give up.

I don’t find either scenario to be the most true (though those are definitely goal-reaching scenarios we have all experienced). I envision goal-setting as more like keeping a balloon afloat in the air. You have to kind of boop it along…follow it when it takes a weird turn, stay nimble and flexible while you guide it to where you want to go. Tiny little shifts in direction can send you off to a new direction entirely. Micro-focus to keep the balloon floating, macro-focus to make sure you don’t lose track of the vision

As we all embark on 2018 together…I am going to keep this picture in my head when I think about my goals. Keep them in the air, stay open to shifts in direction, and…have a lot of fun with all of it.

Happy new year!