#HEYGRRRLFRENNNS How are youuuu?? It feels like forever since we last spoke, so I have to start this week’s grrrl talk with a few life updates! Well, the biggest one is that I AM DONE WITH GRAD SCHOOL! Can a grrrl get an AMEN?? Now, as you know, I’m a sagittarius, which means I love to learn, but I am also a huge fan of beauty sleep, and unfortunately, nap time and grad school don’t mix well. Thankfully, all of that is behind us now! I am excited that I can officially say that I have three degrees, but I am even more excited that I can power down my big brain and really use my energy to focus on the things that make me happy, aka me, myself, and my grrrls! Here is how I knew my life instantly changed for the better. The other day I had time to make a healthy lunch? (What?) and I had time to enjoy it? (Whoa!) and I was smiling to myself and looking at the sun?? (Stop the madness!) Like I’m not even kidding, I literally looked like one of those ladies in the tampon commercials that are having the time of their lives eating salad. Maybe they just graduated too! Anyways, the second life update that I want to share with you is that I actually have the free time to pay more attention to myself and I am lovvvvving it and I want to share that with you all!

BUT I do have a confession… I have been doing a little more than making kale salads in my new found spare time. I have actually been recalibrating and grounding myself in order to make a more concerted effort to focus on my goals and be even more productive. I know, I know! Y’all are probably thinking I’m goofy because I spent the last year complaining about grad school just to get right back on the work horse, but this time is gonna be different! I mean let’s be real, I am still gonna complain sometimes because I am contractually obligated by Get Real Inc™ to try my absolute best to be as honest as possible. What! Every grrrls got her secrets! The main difference is that I am setting my sights on the goals that even more aligned with my hopes and dreams so hopefully it will mean more health and happiness in my future and a lot less homework. Now that I am trying to find my new post-grad normal, I am trying to find ways to stay focused on my new goals. So this week, I want to talk about some of the tips and tricks I have picked up on productivity. If you’re ready to crush your goals and live your best life along with me keep reading because the tea is HOT and ready to be served!

Grrrl, Get Real!

First of all, I want to applaud you for being brave enough to achieve your goals and to encourage you not to scare yourself out of going for whatever your lil heart has it’s eyes set on. All you have to do is get real! As we know, when I say “get real” it doesn’t mean pack your bags and forget about your hopes and dreams. Getting real means sitting down and having an honest conversation with yourself about what it is that you actually want and then being brave enough to put yourself out there to make it real. This process can take as long or as short as you need it to, we have been soo conditioned to want this capitalistic version of success that it can be hard to make sure the things that you want are actually your own desires and not an agenda some marketing team in the big apple implanted in your brain to make themselves more money. I have three steps that you can implement to quality test your goals, or help you find what you are truly interested in pursuing if you are unsure. Think of it like those fun personality quizzes on Buzzfeed, except instead of figuring out which character of Sex and The City you are, you are becoming the main character of your own life! I’m a Carrie through and through which is a blessing and a curse. Hello, Lover! Back to business, the three questions you need to ask yourself is: 1. What would I do if I knew I could not fail? 2. What would I do if no one was watching? 3. What would I do if I didn’t have to work for it? After you remove all of the common barriers aka fear of failure, fear of looking dumb, and fear of breaking a nail from working too hard then your goals will be crystal clear and ready for you to achieve them!!

Smarter Not Harder

Okay, now that we know what we want to do, we have to come up with a plan to achieve our goals! It’s fun to imagine what life would be like without barriers, but unfortunately they do exist and they really really suck. Goal setting can definitely feel overwhelming, especially when you start calculating all of the hard work that has to go into your success. Literally nothing makes me more sleepy than thinking about all of the things that I have to do to survive and then adding “reach for the stars” on top of that. Like plz, I’m just a grrrl! I don’t know why I’m like this but if I had to guess it could potentially stem from the fact that I genuinely think I am a little princess and my job should just be to look cute and be happy, which just translates to “I’m lazy” in English. What was a complete game changer for me was learning how to work smarter and not harder, and now I am ready to share this wisdom with my grrrls. The biggest thing to remember here is that a little goes a long way and is always better than doing nothing at all. Think about it, would you rather have one chocolate chip cookie or no chocolate chip cookies?? (Please excuse me, I just started trying to eat healthy for the 175th time so I have a severe case of sugar on the brain) The answer is give me the freakin cookie! To make being ambitious feel less annoying I usually break my big goals into smaller mini goals and then setting a limit on my time to procrastinate. Not all fifty-leven steps of your master plan to become a world famous photographer needs to be done right this second, but you could spend an hour looking at youtube videos on which cameras have the best quality for your budget. Boom! You’re productive af grrrl!! I knew you could do it!

A Win Is A Win

One of the most annoying parts about going after your goals is that sometimes change takes time, and soo much can happen in between the time you decide to go after your goals and you reaching them. That’s why making time to celebrate the small wins is soo important and can be a really fun way to keep yourself motivated! Even lab rats get a little piece of cheese when they figure out the puzzle correctly, so I think I am well within my right to expect a treat for finding realistic ways to prioritize myself and my pleasure! Certified cheddar chaser <3333 Speaking of science, celebrating your progress also creates this cute little thing called a “positive feedback loop”. A positive feedback loop is fancy talk for the process of rewarding yourself for achieving smaller goals, which reinforces the behavior that led to those successes. Meaning the more cheddar you chase, the easier it is to reach your goals because you have subconsciously turned it into a hobby that makes you happy. Acknowledging your progress also helps you stay resilient in the face of setbacks. When you celebrate small wins, you build your confidence up and remind yourself that you’re that grrrl, making it easier to bounce back from challenges and keep going. This is the sign you’ve been looking for to indulge in something you absolutely love, whether it’s a spending splurge, a fun getaway, or a addition to your self-care routine. Rewards don’t have to be extravagant— it’s just more fun when they are! JK JK (not) just pick something that makes you feel good and acknowledges your hard work and you really can’t go wrong. If you’re a social butterfly you can share your achievements with friends, family, or the rest of the #grrrlfrennns, but if you are a shy grrrly maybe keeping a journal or private visual tracker of your milestones is a better fit. Either way, give yourself a pat on the back and a little reward because you deserve it grrrl!

Remember grrrls, reaching your goals isn’t about being perfect. It’s all in the steady progress that you are going to make along the way. Actually, I wouldn’t even get too hung up on how something is “supposed” to look or how you think you “should” be going about something. Just try your best, follow your intuition, and let the series of fortunate events unfold. Sometimes, things happen in ways that we don’t see coming, and what the universe has in store for us is greater than we could have ever imagined for ourselves. I feel like I just gave my detail oriented grrrlies who love to plan a heart attack and my partners in chaotic crime a box of matches to go play with, but I trust you both lmao (I’m really laughing y’all)!! More importantly, you should trust yourself to make the right decisions for you. No one knows you better than you! You’ve got this, and I’m cheering you on from the sidelines. Embrace every challenge as an opportunity to grow and make the most of every moment. You’re capable of achieving amazing things, and I can’t wait to see you turn your goals into reality. Each milestone you hit is a step closer to your big dreams, so don’t forget to acknowledge and enjoy those small victories!! Now go and be great you lil grrrly pop! TTYL!