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You are here: Home / inspiration / for fun / Having something to look forward to.

Having something to look forward to.

February 4, 2016 · 16 Comments
Filed Under: for fun, inspiration, mamahood

winter sky maggie whitley

The idea of “having something to look forward to” crossed my mind the other day. We have had some really beautiful weather in Michigan, which is totally abnormal for this time of year. I should be making tea every night and gathering all of my oven recipes to help our family stay warm. Instead, we are wearing our Spring coats and (gasp) even going barefoot inside.

The Winter season often makes me feel like I’m always looking ahead, but I remembered this week WHY it’s important to have a few things in life to look forward to. And this not in avoidance, but in hope. Here are some examples:

+ working out: in the moment it’s uncomfortable, but your goal is to get to the end of your workout — that’s where the reward lies. Keep this mindset for a couple of months, take photos of your progress, and journal “before” & “after” thoughts. When I began running last year I had to adopt the “something to look forward to” mindset. In the beginning, finishing even one mile, while pushing a double stroller, felt mountainous. But after a few months of practice, I was finishing 3 to 4 mile runs daily, and feeling very happy with my minutes/mile rate.

+ working through a difficult job/project: starting a handmade business, preparing to quit my day job, learning how to sew a quilt, co-authoring an eBook — none of these tasks were easy in the beginning. They all required me to keep my focus, to work in 20-minute increments if need be, to stay inspired through the difficult tasks. And because of how long I had to remember the why with each project, the satisfaction I received once finishing stayed with me a long, long, long while.

+ moving: I mean, there were times I wanted to curl into a ball and beg someone else to do all the hard work! Moving across the country with two toddlers and a dog, while 5 months pregnant, knowing it would be about 6 weeks before we’d move into our new home, was exhausting just to think about! But, it was exhaustingly fun. If we didn’t have really exciting things to look forward to, why would we make this large of a move? The reward for finishing strong far exceeded the tasks we needed to wrap up, and we kept ourselves focused on this.

+ raising children: this is probably the easiest to fall back on when I think about “having something to look forward to”. You know the infamous saying, “the days are long but the years are short.” So how do we get from A to B in motherhood with that kind of referral? We have to (no, we must) have something to look forward to. Even if it’s something as silly as baking cookies once naptime is over, we must keep our chins lifted up throughout it all. Motherhood is all consuming. It’s made up of teeny tiny moments of solidarity with our children, which later blossom into breathtaking beauty. Nursing, diaper changes, holiday crafts, naptime, laundry, meal preparation, sleepless nights, intimacy with your spouse, birthday parties, morning play dates, doctor appointments, and so on — there are endless things to be working on, working towards, and relishing over success. And my guess? You’re already doing a great job at mothering, so keep at it, friend.

+ cooking: preparing our meals each week isn’t my favorite past time, but having the week’s menu planned out & bought is so rewarding that I make myself power through the prep work. But in all honesty, friend to friend, having a good meal on the horizon is definitely something to look forward to ;)

+ gathering a collection: related to moving, setting up a new home takes a lot of patience and hope. There are many things I want to do (read: buy), but I have to slow down and consider the process the same way I would if I was gathering a collection. And, all good collections take time. I have a few ideas for what to hang on our walls in our new home, but I’m not rushing into anything just yet. Yes, nail holes can be filled, but I’m taking some time to make sure my visions are headed in the right direction. The thrill of finding exactly what you are looking for is your fuel to keep yourself moving forward.

+ reaching a financial goal: we are in the thick of paying off debt, which means we are constantly evaluating our purchases. Buying X now can easily delay our financial goals, so it’s common for Zack and I to create a spreadsheet to anticipate exactly how a purchase will affect our end goal. It’s a constant “look ahead to the big picture” kind of thing; it definitely keeps us focused on the here and now. I can also relate this to when I was working towards quitting my day job to focus on Gussy Sews full time. Before I made the jump, I wanted to save 3 months of living expenses as an emergency fund. And while it was discouraging at times knowing I needed to reach this financial goal, it was super rewarding to finally accomplish it. There’s no doubt, setting impactful financial goals gives me something to look forward to.

We need to practice good self-care by making sure we “zoom out” from time to time. It’s healthy to keep a few things in mind that allow us to exhale. And, we need to carry hope in our back pockets, as that’s often what the future holds.

Let’s try something new. In the comments, I want you to answer this phrase: “Having something to look forward to makes me feel ___________________.” 

I’ll start: Having something to look forward to makes me feel alive and inspired.

Your turn! xx

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16 Comments
Filed Under: for fun, inspiration, mamahood

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Comments

  1. Sam says

    February 4, 2016 at 7:00 am

    Having something to look forward to makes me feel hopeful. Sometimes the daily grind can be discouraging but looking forward to something can help me keep my head above water and remain hopeful for the future.

    Reply
  2. Cindy R says

    February 4, 2016 at 8:56 am

    Having something to look forward to makes me feel energetic and hopeful! Give me a goal to work towards and do something for myself too! :)

    Reply
    • Maggie Whitley says

      February 4, 2016 at 8:58 am

      ENERGETIC — that’s a great descriptor!

      Reply
  3. Shannon says

    February 4, 2016 at 9:39 am

    …that the mundane has value.

    Reply
    • Maggie Whitley says

      February 4, 2016 at 3:07 pm

      …so good! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
  4. Nicole Marie says

    February 4, 2016 at 10:13 am

    Having something to look forward to makes me feel alive with purpose and loved by God!

    Reply
  5. Ahsa says

    February 4, 2016 at 2:48 pm

    Having something to look forward to makes me feel…excited!

    And reading your blogs, Maggie, make me feel grateful. :) thank you for sharing your story, wisdom and insights with us. You are more inspirational than you know!

    Reply
    • Maggie Whitley says

      February 4, 2016 at 3:08 pm

      oh, that is awesome! :) thank you for sharing, Ahsa!!!!!!!!!!!

      Reply
  6. Christa Threlfall says

    February 4, 2016 at 11:01 pm

    …eternally focused!

    I was thinking through this post about how good God is to give us heaven to look forward to! Having things on earth to look forward to is just a little taste of what I want to feel every day as I think about Jesus and an eternity with Him! <3

    Reply
  7. Katie says

    February 5, 2016 at 9:47 am

    Having something to look forward to makes me feel excited & ready to go for it! If I’m working hard towards something, having that end goal makes me want to go all-in and work until midnight every night! I’m slowly getting back to my running, too, and seeing some baby weight {finally!} drop off is such an amazing feeling! Looking forward to that size 4 dress fitting is giving me some energy every time I go to the gym! :-D

    Reply
    • Maggie Whitley says

      February 6, 2016 at 9:09 am

      Yeah! Another fellow runner. I can’t wait to be running again… really, my chance will be here so soon :)

      Reply
  8. Laura says

    February 5, 2016 at 2:59 pm

    Having something to look forward to that makes me feel ALIVE!

    A family hike in the mountains, dinner around the table with friends, date with the hubs…these things all make me feel alive. XO

    Reply
  9. Cindy says

    February 5, 2016 at 11:23 pm

    Makes me feel super energized and so thankful that God has a better plan for us than we could ever plan for ourselves. It is amazing how he closes one door and leads you through another that is bigger, better and brighter than anything you could have hoped for. There is so much to be learned by the wonderful practice of patiently waiting on Him. Thank you Maggie for yet another beautiful and inspiring message. Hugs to all of you.

    Reply
    • Maggie Whitley says

      February 7, 2016 at 8:12 am

      It’s pretty neat to think back on all of the events and details since we started talking about moving back to Michigan, and how things have worked out in reality. God is pretty neat :) even the little things in life/home, like having a little “coffee nook” in our kitchen (space to keep our coffee pot without being in the way on the counter, and all our mugs nearby), He’s given that to us — and it’s something I’ve wanted for quite some time. Next up is getting Z back home. It’s sooooooooooo hard waiting for this to be answered, but God must have something really great planned for Z and his career. Right? Right! :)

      Reply
  10. Trisha says

    February 6, 2016 at 10:35 pm

    Like there’s hope for tomorrow.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Our first week in our new house! says:
    February 8, 2016 at 6:01 am

    […] me is totally fine with the slow process of unpacking and making this house our home. It’s so good to have something to look forward to, I am even more encouraged by this fact […]

    Reply

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ABOUT MAGGIE WHITLEY DESIGNS:
Maggie Whitley weaves her writings around joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith, and simple living. She homeschools her children, enjoys a quiet room while reading, and roars with laughter over the challenges & delights of motherhood. Maggie and her husband, along with their four young children, live in metro-Detroit. She has been writing online since 2008.
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