How that softened the way I live
For a long time, I measured my worth by how many goals I ticked off.
I had lists. Trello boards. Sticky notes on the wall.
“Finish book by March.”
“Workout 5 times this week.”
“Post 3 blogs.”
But somewhere along the way, it all started to feel… heavy.
I wasn’t failing. But I wasn’t feeling good either.
Even when I hit a goal, I’d already be thinking of the next one.
Like I was always chasing something, but never quite catching it.
The day it shifted
One evening, I sat down with my planner full of “shoulds.”
And I felt nothing. No spark. No energy.
Just this quiet voice that asked — Why does it all feel like pressure?
That night, I didn’t plan the next day.
I wrote one sentence instead:
“What do I want my life to feel like?”
And that’s when values entered the picture.
Goals tell you what to do.Values remind you why it matters.
Now, instead of “Write 2 blog posts this week,”
I come back to: Creativity.
What does creativity look like today?
Maybe it’s writing.
Maybe it’s sitting in silence with tea and a notebook.
Maybe it’s going for a walk without headphones.
Instead of “Workout 5 times,”
I return to: Vitality.
That might mean a long walk. Or stretching. Or just going to bed on time.
Values don’t expire
They don’t care if it’s Monday or if you missed a week.
They don’t yell at you for not trying hard enough.
They gently ask:
“Are you living the way you want to live right now?”
And if not, they invite you to return — without guilt.
A quiet win
Since switching to values, I feel lighter.
Less urgency. Less judgment.
And strangely enough — I still get things done.
But now, I’m more focused on how I show up than how much I achieve.
If your goals feel more like burdens lately,
maybe it's time to shift the question from
"What should I do?"
to
"Who do I want to be while doing it?"
