My weekend reflection post, while simple, asked a very important question:
“When you reach the end of the road… what comes next?”
Oftentimes, we spend so much time working toward a goal, visualizing it, working to manifest it… that we don’t quite know who we are without it. Especially if it’s something we’ve been working on for a long time. In some ways, that may even make it more difficult to reach our goal because a part of us is too scared to get there. But if we persevere, and reach that finish line, once that goal is achieved, we can feel… empty. Unsure how to proceed. At the very least, there is a definite adjustment period.
So what does come next? Well we, by nature, are a species that wants. We always want something. And who we are, as well as our current state in life, often dictates what that may be. Some of us may want a warm bed or good food. Some of us may want riches beyond our wildest dreams. Some of us may desire bringing children into this world. Some of us want to change this world and make it a better place. Some of us want to be famous or be the best at what we do.
The thing is, once we reach that goal we’ve been working toward, the easiest answer to “What comes next?” becomes… whatever you want. You don’t stop wanting just because you’ve reached a goal. That goal expands, becomes bigger, or evolves into something different.
To use a fairly obvious example from my own life, I offer Dove and Blackbird. My goal for the last year has been to launch this business. I started with a small launch on May 5th, 2018 where I presented the new Instagram and Facebook pages, initiated my daily messages and weekend reflections, and became more active with readings and connection. But if you read my previous post, you know that D/B was conceived in January of 2018. So I spent a lot of time leading up to May 5th, as well as the time between May 5th and our official launch on February 14th, working to make this a reality. I took classes, I developed designs, I strengthened my reading and guidance skills, I worked on the website and Etsy page, I discussed my plans and ideas with people whose opinions I respect to get outside insight into what I was doing because I recognized that it wasn’t just about me. I spent over a year crafting this space and this business. So naturally when it finally launched on Thursday, I was left with… well I can’t quite call it an emptiness, but there was something… a little hollow. This thing that had consumed my life for the last year is now released into the world. All the preparation and work has paid off. There it is. And now its presence in my life has been drastically altered.
So what comes next?
Well what comes next is a new goal. I’ve now launched the business so now I want the business to succeed. I’ve made my first Etsy sale, I’ve been in discussions with people about future custom work, I’ve got readings scheduled… and I am so extremely grateful for all of it. Now it’s time to promote. But my goal is to find a way to promote my business, and generate business, without being that person who constantly talks about her business. Lol. I don’t want every Instagram post to be about sales because that isn’t solely what D/B is. So it’s finding that balance. Helping make the business side succeed, helping to guide people who ask while keeping the spirit that got so many folks’ attention in the first place.
Of course, this process is true with anything. Your goal is to get married? Great! You get married. So what comes next? Well next is building a strong marriage with your partner, working together through the tough times and rejoicing in the blessings. If you want a family, you start thinking about having kids, or buying a house, or maybe furthering your career now that your romantic life has found a solid footing.
Your goal is to get into your dream college? Great! You get in. So what comes next? Now you work to maintain good grades so you can stay there. To allow yourself to experience things that you will never have another chance to experience whether it’s studying abroad, working with top researchers in your field, making strong friendships with people you cherish and admire, or just being able to live independently and set the foundation for your future career.
My point is, friends, that the wanting never stops. Nor should it. Contentment is a wonderful thing to strive for. But complacency is a death sentence. We don’t reach a goal and stop. What then do we have to push us to go on? We are creatures of wanting. And it’s perfectly okay to want. It’s okay to want and to set goals, to reach those goals and create new ones. It’s not about not being selfish or dissatisfied, it’s about continuing to push forward to be the best and most authentic versions of ourselves. We can’t be that if we cease wanting. We can’t be that if we reach a goal and then quit. We are constantly evolving. So too should our wants and needs.
So once you reach the end of this road… what comes next?
