Rhythms versus Goals
BY : ANNA BOOTH
Our culture loves goals and with the turning of the new year, it feels like there’s an extra pressure to set new ones. And as much as I enjoy goals, and still like (& need) to set them at times, I’ve found myself drawn more towards the idea of rhythms instead.
Here’s an instagram caption I wrote in January 2020 about this idea:
“I’ve been thinking a lot about the difference between rhythms and goals lately.
This will be my first full year not in school in 20 years, and honestly I feel a little intimidated by that. I really loved school and knew how to be good at it. Deadlines were my friend because they gave me something to work towards. I always had a goal. Finish this semester, take this test, complete this project, etc. I could do that.
So looking ahead at 2020 I have been very tempted to set some big goals. Don’t get me wrong, goals can be very very good. Sometimes we need them. But for me, I wanted to set goals to feel safe. And I’m not sure that’s the right reason.
So enter rhythms. I started thinking about where I want to be in 5 years — not just in life, but mentally, emotionally, and physically. And I wrote down some small rhythms to practice this year to move towards that.
Drink water before coffee in the morning.
Don’t do any work or studying in bed.
Buy pjs like my husband has been telling me to do for 3 years now for better sleep hygiene.
Start my day in Scripture.
Make the bed.
Practice going to sleep earlier.
Learn to enjoy running again.
Take a Sabbath day each week.
No goals here, just habits I want to practice. Because humans are formed, not made (thank you, @jeffersonbethke). We are all in process and maybe sometimes when we set goals we’re so focused on rushing towards them that we miss the in between? I don’t want to miss the in between. I want to get comfortable with day to day life.
Maybe next year I’ll run a marathon or go back to school, but this year I’m settling in. As soon as I pass that giant test that means I’m an actual RN. One more goal.”
I’ve been coming back to this thought process a lot in the last few weeks because as a mama of now three kids, rhythms feel even more vital for my sanity. Our days are wild and hectic and wonderful and no two days hardly ever look the same. In the midst of this, I’ve come to really value rhythms because they signal to my mind and body that it’s time to transition.
For example, even if the time I go to bed changes every night, I know I’m starting my wind down time when I make a cup of tea. This signals to my brain the day is done, the to-do list can be put away until tomorrow. It’s time to rest.
Practicing rhythms has been so beneficial for me in many ways, but one of the biggest being my ability to rest. It allows me to create space to work hard and space to rest well. With rhythms as a type of boundary around these mental spaces, I am able to be more present to the current moments.
I’ve also noticed that when I set rhythms, they serve as a marker for how I’m doing mentally and emotionally. If I begin to notice that I’m not being consistent with them, it’s probably a sign that I need to check in with myself and figure out why and what needs to change.
Goals are good and often necessary. Rhythms are what make up the quality of the day to day life you’ll live in between all of those goals.
So friend, as you head into this new year, I encourage you to sit with yourself and really figure out where you want to be a year from now. Not what do you want to achieve, but who do you want to be? And then set at least five attainable rhythms that will begin to form you into that person. I think you will like them and will enjoy the way you begin to feel along the way.
