What If You Don't Meet the Goal?

Every year it starts the same way.

"This is the year."

The year I lose the weight.

The year I get toned.

The year I fit into the clothes hanging in the back of my closet.

The year I finally feel comfortable in a bathing suit.

The year I become the version of myself I've been promising for years.

Then life happens.

Work gets busy.

Stress shows up.

Someone gets sick.

Money gets tight.

Motivation disappears.

Menopause decides to choose violence.

The months pass.

And suddenly it's summer again.

You pull out the shorts.

You try on the bathing suit.

You stand in front of the mirror.

And there it is.

The realization.

You didn't get there.

At least not the way you planned.

It's a strange feeling.

Part disappointment.

Part frustration.

Part guilt.

Part anger.

Because you know you could have done more.

You know there were days you gave up on yourself.

You know there were opportunities you missed.

But here's the question nobody talks about:

Now what?

Do you cancel summer?

Do you hide under cover-ups?

Do you skip the beach?

Avoid the photos?

Refuse the invitations?

Wait another year to start living?

Because if we're not careful, that's exactly what happens.

We postpone our lives while waiting for a future version of ourselves to arrive.

The version that weighs less.

Looks better.

Feels more confident.

Has everything figured out.

The problem is that future version keeps moving.

And while we're waiting for her, life keeps happening without us.

The beach days happen.

The family gatherings happen.

The vacations happen.

The sunsets happen.

The memories happen.

And we're standing on the sidelines because we don't feel ready.

The truth is, most of us are not where we thought we'd be.

Not physically.

Not financially.

Not emotionally.

Not professionally.

Not in our relationships.

Life rarely follows the timeline we create for it.

And maybe that's where the real lesson lives.

Not in whether we reached the goal.

But in what we do when we don't.

Can we be disappointed without destroying ourselves?

Can we acknowledge that we fell short without declaring ourselves failures?

Can we decide to keep trying while still enjoying the life we're living right now?

Because those things can exist together.

You can want to lose weight and still wear the bathing suit.

You can want better health and still enjoy the barbecue.

You can work on yourself without hating yourself.

You can have goals without putting your happiness on hold until they're achieved.

That's the part nobody teaches us.

We're taught how to chase goals.

We're not taught how to live while chasing them.

Maybe this summer you don't have the body you wanted.

Maybe you're carrying extra weight.

Maybe you didn't accomplish everything you planned.

Maybe you're frustrated.

Maybe you're tired of starting over.

That's okay.

The goal can still exist.

You can still work toward it.

But don't let the goal steal the season.

Don't let another year pass while you're waiting to become someone else before allowing

yourself to enjoy your life.

Wear the shorts.

Take the picture.

Go to the beach.

Laugh with your friends.

Make the memories.

Then come home and keep working on the goal.

The two are not mutually exclusive.

You don't have to choose between self-improvement and self-acceptance.

You deserve both.

Because life isn't waiting for the perfect version of you.

It's happening right now.

And you deserve to be part of it.

Stay sexy.

"Don't put your life on hold while you're working on yourself."