I used to hate that saying! I heard it for the first time when I moved to Plano, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. To me the saying meant that I am thinking about doing that – maybe. It is even worse than procrastinating. It is planning to plan. My husband used to say he was fixing to mow the grass. It took a few days. Absolutely not great for goal setting…or is it?
Every December I get ready to set my goals for the new year. I usually have them written in my journal by at least January 6th. This is my last day of celebration because it is Three Kings Day, my husband, Angel’s, Puerto Rican holiday. I used to give myself the deadline of January 1st but I found that to be too stressful. One thing that I have learned is that I try not to feel stressed during the holidays. I focus on my family, friends, and neighbors. Once the focus is not on me or my tasks, it all seems better. So, I suggest choosing a deadline for when your goals will be written down in a journal or somewhere they will be read daily.
Next, I try to relax when I write in my journal. I take deep breaths and I do some tapping or stretches. I let my mind wander. I focus on what I have done this year and what I want in the future. I also use a possibilities journal as seen in the movie, Last Holiday where the main character had pictures of what she wanted. My possibilities journal is a book where I write in past tense about the future. This is a very creative exercise and helps me narrow down what I really want to happen. If nothing comes to me at the time, I just write a story about a great event that has been on my bucket list. For example, last year as I sat just “fixing to…” I wrote about my book being published. I was in the process of writing a book but I have started about 5 other books before, never finishing, for one reason or another. I wrote how I was so relieved that the book was published, and it was complete. I added that I was going to help people around the world start or continue journaling with many different options that they could choose. That ended up being a goal for 2019. The book, The Journal Book; Your Journaling Journey was published in May 2019!
I also dream. When I am in the place between sleep and awake, I think about what I want my life to be in the future. Then I tell myself that time is NOW. I am in my future and have a little video of my perfect future play in my mind. And I daydream as well. I was told as a young girl that I shouldn’t daydream when I am in school. Now, I daydream whenever I can. This is another example of “fixing to”. The more I relax and dream, the easier it is to realize what I want in my future.
These are some of the things to do before I sit quietly to write my goals down. I think relaxing and dreaming is so important to goal creation. I usually take the entire month of December to dream and not be stressed when it comes to goal setting. So, “fixing to” may not be so bad after all. Procrastination with a purpose is very helpful before writing goals.
What do you do before you set your goals? Please leave a comment and let me know.
#goalsetting #fixingto” #Journaling #Thejournalbook #goals2020
