For the month of February, I set a goal for myself to read 5 books. Yes, I am aware that I chose the SHORTEST month of the year to set this goal. But I was determined. I substituted nights of watching Netflix with curling up on the couch with a novel, I kept my book in one hand, fork in the other while I ate every meal, I even propped my book up on the elliptical during my daily workouts. Regardless of my efforts, I didn’t reach my goal.

I read 4 books and got 40 pages into the 5th by the 28th of February. I felt defeated, upset I wasn’t able to reach the goal I worked so feverishly towards. Yet, four books in one month is a lot of reading. And that’s when I came to the not so revolutionary revelation that maybe all goals don’t need to met.

Goals are important to set as you strive and push yourself, but don’t forget to celebrate the smaller successes along the way. This small revelation has brought new light to my life situation as a whole. Maybe I don’t have a stable career or even a stable path paved yet, but I have a general idea of where I want to go. I don’t doubt the decisions that I make on a daily basis are making me a more diverse personal and a well rounded professional applicant.

Steps as small as reading a couple pages a day brought me to reading 4 books in a month, and everyday as I work, write, and plan for my future, I know I’m taking similarly small steps towards my long term goals. At times it may be hard to see the end goal, but remember to rejoice in the small victories along the way.