A new year brings a new set of goals!

It has been over a year since I created content for this blog/website! It is disappointing considering publishing regularly and allotting a specific number of hours per day towards content creation. So, it is befitting and amusing that my first post in over a year will be about goal setting. Most articles I have posted on this site are about goals. 

As I read through them, I  discuss various topics, ranging from methods to set goals to the details of my plans and their results. After reading through some of the posts, I often repeat the same goals while seldom achieving them, but enough with the past. So instead, let’s look toward the future. 

Why set annual goals? 

I seldom achieve my goals, so I often ask myself this question. Why set goals when it seems futile? I do not have a great answer, but every year at the end of December, I reflect on the results of that year’s goals and develop a plan for the upcoming year. Even though I could have had better success with the process, there are benefits. 

One of the main benefits of creating an annual goal plan is direction. Despite seldom fulfilling my plans, I work towards them, so I am improving. After all, improving is the main objective of goal setting, so I continue with the process and typically end up repeating the same goals. 

Why repeat goals?

Many of my goals have a beneficial long-term positive impact on my life, and typically, the benefits of their results reach further than me. Furthermore, they are noble by nature, making them worthwhile to pursue and aligning with my life purpose. Therefore, it makes sense to repeat them regardless of my ability to achieve them. Fake it till you make it, so the saying goes. 

What will make this year different?

If you continue to underachieve, are your goals a high priority? The harsh reality is that they’re probably not. Most of the time, I lose focus on pursuing my goals. Life gets in the way, and I stop performing the atomic habits, like writing daily, that will get results. Instead, I either allow lower-priority tasks to consume my time or become a higher priority than the goals I set. Juggling priorities is complex, and most of the time, limiting them is the best option. 

Saying no is tricky, though. It’s challenging to say no to worthwhile projects. It’s hard to say no to a community project that will benefit your city, to sharing your knowledge with others to help them pursue their goals, or to a family event. Those things are worthwhile but can be a distraction that may need to be limited. However, we should eliminate worthless distractions. 

The average American spends over 7 hours daily on their phone, TV, or computer. Granted, some of that time is productive; however, I suspect most of it is entertainment. Unfortunately, I am highly susceptible to wasting my time on entertainment. I like watching sporting events, scrolling through Instagram reals, watching videos on Youtube, endlessly surfing for useless information, or reading irrelevant news articles. 

So, why will this year be different? I have two plans that will make this year different. The first is to refocus when I get distracted, and the second is to eliminate time-wasting activities such as scrolling on my phone. 

What are my goals for the year? 

I won’t go into the details of my goals, but I will share an overview of their general categories and how I arrived at them. Like many of you, my goals center around crucial aspects of my life. They involve family, finances, and fitness. As well as these three pillars, I also count faith and fraternity as my life’s foundations. If I improve on these five aspects, I will live a pretty good life, so I picked three to focus on this year.

Financially, I would like to achieve financial freedom before I leave this world. Specific goals in this category would be to set and implement a balanced budget, reduce debt or increase investments, and create new revenue streams or improve existing ones.

My fitness goals are typical. They mostly center around my weight, considering I am susceptible to weight gain. Over many years, I have learned that hitting a number on the scale is not the best way to achieve a fitness goal. Now, I focus on my nutrition and exercise plans, such as exercising regularly or increasing my protein intake. I have also learned that body composition is more important to me than the number of pounds I weigh, so that is my focus.

Being present and positive are my usual family goals. It’s easy to get lost in the daily tasks and the grind of living, and it seems family members are the ones that suffer when I am tired or stressed. It’s easy for us to take it out on them. After all, didn’t they buy into the job? No, they didn’t! So, I attempt to be positive and present in their lives. I also try to contact extended family members, but I am not the best at doing this. I need to do a lot of work in this regard. 

Conclusion

Bring on 2023! After reflecting on my goals, I am ready to enact my plan for the upcoming year. Of course, this year is no different than last year, but I hope the outcomes will change from the past, especially since I have plans to keep me on track.