By Cara Evans
Paragon President
As we approach the end of another year, what a great time to look back and reflect on accomplishments, setbacks, memories, adventures, and life in general.
Did your year go as planned? Probably not! Whose does, really?
We can plan and make goals, but life will always throw curveballs, most of which we can’t control. But what we can control is how we respond.
Another reason your year may not have gone as planned is fear. Fear of taking action, fear of making changes, fear of doing the thing you want most because of [insert reason you’ve been telling yourself here].
Think of yourself one year from now. It will be the end of 2027. You will be reflecting on yet another year, thinking about where you took action and where you didn’t. Maybe your goal is to stretch every day in the middle of your grooming day. I can promise you that if you start tomorrow, you will stretch for one minute and think “this isn’t doing anything. I’ll have to do it forever to see a difference!” But I can also promise you that if you had started that goal and stuck with it a year ago, you would likely be seeing that difference today!
The same can be said for so many things in our personal and professional lives. Maybe you’ve been wanting to improve your grooming skills, learn a new technique, become more efficient with your time, or finally take that next step in your career. Maybe your goal has nothing to do with grooming at all!
Whatever it is, progress doesn’t usually happen overnight. It happens through small, consistent actions that may not seem like much in the moment (frustratingly so!).
And sometimes, the biggest obstacle isn’t our schedule, our finances, or our circumstances. Sometimes, it’s simply convincing ourselves that we can do it.
So, yes, be present. Enjoy the moments happening around you. But also think about how you want to reflect at the end of next year.
Take control of the areas you can. Experience the moments you can’t control. Give yourself grace when things don’t go as planned, but don’t let that grace become an excuse to stop trying.
You don’t have to accomplish everything tomorrow. You don’t even have to have it all figured out. You just have to be willing to start. One year from now, you’ll be glad you did.
You can do it!