For me, as a woman, goals have varied meanings in my life. Goals as a daughter, a wife, and a mother are all completely different from one another. And while I go about meticulously planning and achieving these goals, there is no scope or space left to accomplish mine as an individual.
Goals that are set keeping myself in mind are left far behind, and before I realise how far, it’s too late. It makes me wonder, “Do I have a right to dream?”
Too late because I was busy living for others, fulfilling their goals, being an integral part of their path to success. In turn, I celebrate their success as my own. All this while it was all about them — parents, husband, children. Invariably losing sight of what I wanted from life, what my dreams and aspirations were.
My dreams were buried deep under the umpteen duties and responsibilities life handed me. The goals were always about how parents wanted me to study well and pursue a certain field.
After marriage, it was all about how to live a happily married life and supporting the husband in his various pursuits. Once a mother, the entire attention shifted to raising a perfect child.
In all of the above situations, it was never about what I wanted or what my goals were, it was always about someone I loved and I happily obliged, considering it my duty.
We as women may aspire and dream, but it takes a lot of effort to realise these dreams. We need to live dual lives, one where we fulfil our family’s needs and the other where we can fulfill ours.
Clear and SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound) goals need to be set, be it professional or personal. Efficient time management needs to be done. Lots of compromises and sacrifices need to be made to attain these goals.
When we reap the benefits of all the hard work, it will be worth the efforts we put in. The contentment and satisfaction, the taste of success of doing something for oneself, would be the sweetest ever.
Dear woman, dream on, dream big, make sure you’re on the right path, enjoy the journey and bask in the glory of your success. Yes, you do have the right to dream.
Let’s not get overwhelmed with the duties and responsibilities we have to face in our everyday life. Let’s set a goal to do something for ourselves. This goal will give meaning to our lives and make it worth living.