💡 What Are Your Goals This Year? (Issue 610)
Include your personal dreams and ambitions too
Would you like to attend one of my community’s monthly meetings? We have one coming up on Jan 20th, when we’ll talk about the goals we all want to achieve next year.
Join us for just $15! If you’re a premium subscriber, you can sign up for free.
Happy New Year! Will this be the year you achieve your most exciting goals yet?
The theme for January is Goals & Plans for the Year. This month, I will discuss your overall goals, quarterly and monthly goals, plans, new habits, accountability, and leveraging your calendar to ensure you accomplish what you want.
Identify Your Goals for This Year
This week, identify your overall goals for the year. Start by brainstorming a list of personal and professional goals that come to mind.
As you write them down, make a note of whether each goal is small, medium, or large:
A small goal might be something you can work on and achieve in a few days or weeks (e.g., research potential employers, reach out and reconnect with 10 people from your professional network, apply for a few jobs, or take a professional development course). You could easily have 40-50 small goals for the year on your list.
A medium goal might take a few weeks or even months to complete (e.g., create a new website, update your online portfolio, write the first draft of a short book, launch a podcast). I could see you having 15-20 medium goals.
Larger goals may take an entire quarter, six months, or even the full year (e.g., get promoted, land a new job, launch a new business). You should probably only have 5-6 large goals.
Think about what you most want to achieve this year. Also, what did your performance review for the past year reveal? What do you need to work on?
Have you thought about what you believe needs to change this year?
What do you want to avoid this year?
Why did you fail to achieve some of your goals last year?
How will you ensure this year is different?
By the way, I’m here to help with that. As you’ve heard me mention before, accountability is one of the most significant factors that ensures success. I often play the role of an accountability partner for my clients.
Here are some examples of goals I’ve heard in the past from clients and my career community members:
Get promoted into management.
Land a better job.
Write a book.
Start a podcast.
Pursue a new degree.
Learn a new language.
Travel to a country you’ve never visited before.
Start a consistent exercise program.
Find the love of your life.
Buy a house.
Take a public speaking course.
Read a book every month.
Learn how to cook healthy meals.
Practice daily journaling.
Learn how to play a new instrument.
Meditate every day.
Teach a workshop.
Have a date night every month.
Don’t forget to include your long-term dreams and larger ambitions, too. Planting a flag on the horizon and mapping your path to get there is always exciting.
Here’s an exercise that can help you envision that future. Experiment with filling in the blank in this statement:
“I wish I could get paid to __________ every day.”
You may have one obvious answer that goes in the blank. If you don’t, brainstorm a few potential items.
You might put some hobbies or other fun things in there (e.g., play tennis, eat ice cream, surf, drink wine). That’s okay, but stretch yourself to complete the statement with some items that play to your strengths, talents, skills, and experience, too.
Is there an activity you’re already good at that the world needs and someone would pay you to do? For example:
“I wish I could get paid to write every day.”
“I wish I could get paid to take photos every day.”
“I wish I could get paid to create art every day.”
“I wish I could get paid to connect people every day.”
“I wish I could get paid to build business models every day.”
“I wish I could get paid to bake every day.”
“I wish I could get paid to play music every day.”
“I wish I could get paid to coach every day.”
“I wish I could get paid to work out every day.”
Identify goals for YOU
It’s easy to get caught up in your 9-5 job. We often set goals and engage in planning exercises for our employer’s benefit. Even though I run my own business, I know I spend a lot of time working in my business but not on my business. Annual goal-setting also helps me remember to take care of my professional needs.
This exercise is about setting personal and professional development goals this year. This isn’t for your employer. I want to help you grow and set yourself up for success.
Your goals are an intentional investment in your future!
So, let’s start by capturing your goals for the year. Are you ready to commit to some goals? Are you willing to share some of your goals with us so we can help hold you accountable (leave a comment)?
This will set you up to create a plan to ensure you can achieve them later.
I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach who works with you to optimize your career, business, and life. My mission is to help you become a more "Invincible You" so you can live your life on your terms instead of being controlled by someone else's rules. I live in Northern California near Lake Tahoe with my wife and our Great Dane.
