The real goal

Dreams, goals, the future. 

What do you want? 

I think that, however grateful we may be, we often yearn for something more than we currently have. 

And that's okay. 

It's important to dream, set goals, and create your future. 

And I encourage you to re-evaluate what that looks like for you. 

Are you dreaming of a car? An apartment? A title? 

For awhile, I think I was there. 

I wanted to be a CEO, I wanted a new SUV, I wanted *insert one million different articles of clothing here, I wanted a penthouse apartment with exposed brick and a view. 

And some of these things, I still do. It is who I am to love style, design, and big cities and dreams. 

Yet, when I picture myself there, I don't feel fulfilled. 

Why is that? 

Because those goals don't involve what I'm doing every day, those goals don't involve what I'm feeling every day — those goals don't involve who I am sharing my time with every day. 

So, I changed it to this... I want to have the freedom to make a difference and lead others, I want to continue to cultivate my personal style and taste and be inspired by places and spaces, I want to further my education, I want to create a life that I am proud of, and hopefully, be able to share it with someone else. 

Or at least, share it with my family, my friends — the people I have yet to meet. 

It isn't about the apartment, the car, the clothes. 

It's about feeding my "why." It's about doing what I love. It's about making a difference. 

It's about connecting and sharing successes, failures, dreams, and changes with the people in my life. 

And this realization, this shift in goal-setting — it makes all the difference. 

You're not doing it for things, fame, fortune. 

You're doing it for you. 

You're doing it for your talents, your heart, your family, your friends. 

You're doing it for the people you haven't even met yet.

You're doing it for all the right reasons, and that is why you will ultimately succeed. 

Because, regardless of a monetary value, what anyone has told you, or anything else — at the end of the day, authenticity and a genuine mindset is what wins.

That I can promise you.