How many times have you started something, then stopped? Then you come back to it, work on it for a while, then life happens and you stop again. You repeat this pattern a few times and then beat yourself up because you feel you should be done with it or further along the process by now.
I know that this has been a frequent occurrence for me. It has happened with home projects, research I have tried to do, writing another book, and let's not even talk about exercising. I used to really feel terrible for not being consistent with or finishing these things. It has taken me a long time to get to a place where I can be patient and give myself grace. I have not perfected this whole self-grace process, but I am better than I used to be. What I have experienced is a little less stress, a little less anxiety, and a little less perfectionist tendency. Being able to breathe a little more freely is so valuable.
We are at the beginning of a new year. This is a time when we are all considering what we want to do more of, less of, new, different, etc. We often overwhelm ourselves with the amount of goals we set and it can make us feel like losers when we don't meet these ridiculous deadlines we set. This is where the self-grace comes in. It is ok to set the goals, but it is also ok to revise, revamp, and reconsider. It could be revising the timeline, but it also could be reconsidering the whole doggone goal. You know what you need (and if you don't there are people who can help you figure it out).
This is your life! Start. Stop. U-turn. Zigzag. Just keep going.