Well-Being and Goals Part 2

For our second January episode, we will be focusing on goal-making for our own well-being. What does it look like? How can we make things happen when there are so many other important responsibilities? In both the business and academic worlds where we come from, SMART goals are a thing. We do not dig into this during the episode, but we have provided some information about SMART goals here: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-write-smart-goals We talked about ways we learned how to fit exercise in with the other demands on our time. Megan discussed running and focusing on the fact that she ran rather than the time she spent. Erna talked about learning to adapt her Pilates practice to yoga and using resources like Yoga with Adriene: https://www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene We love her yoga videos! She has something for everyone. As family caregivers, we have found that flexibility and grace need to come along with goal-making. Goals are a way to help us assess and move forward. Not achieving a goal is not failure, but a time to re-evaluate. What barriers were there? Was this the right goal in the first place? We can ask ourselves what is most needful for us right now. Megan summarized this quote she saw on X (formerly Twitter): "Diamonds are formed under pressure. And bread dough rises when you let it rest. We are all our own things. What may be motivating to you may be crippling to others." Victor Linao Erna mentioned this book that talks about wintering: https://www.npr.org/2020/12/03/941789158/wintering-is-painful-but-embracing-the-cold-makes-it-hurt-less Sometimes we need to hunker down, warm up, reflect, and rest. And that is okay.  Sometimes we need to get out of bed and push ourselves a little. That is okay, too.  There is no right or wrong in goal-making. There is no failure. Our quote of the day from Father Richard Rohr sums this up well: "In reality our growth is hidden. It is accomplished by the release of our current defense postures, by the letting go of fear and our attachment to self-image. Thus, we grow by subtraction much more than by addition. It’s not a matter of more and better information. The wisdom traditions say that information itself is not the key. Once our defenses are out of the way and we are humble and poor, truth is allowed to show itself. It is not acquired. It shows itself when we are free from ideology, fear, and anger. 'I know' won’t get us anywhere. The truth is, I don’t know anything...Only nonknowing is spacious enough to hold and not distort the knowing that is possible.” Finally, we will wrap up with our caregiver news: https://www.warnock.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/u-s-senate-passes-resolution-led-by-senators-reverend-warnock-and-ossoff-honoring-the-life-of-first-lady-rosalynn-carter First Lady Rosalynn Carter was honored by the U.S. Senate for her work to foster health across the globe, in her state of Georgia, and in the United States. She was a champion for family caregivers, among others. We are grateful for her legacy. Reverend Raphael Warnock stated: "Her commitment to destigmatizing mental health care, strengthening human rights, and improving global health was an extension of her faith and a testament to her caring spirit. Her work was not about politics—it was about uplifting the vulnerable, showing mercy, and embodying the belief that we are all connected.”