Okay maybe not champions, but I figure I should probably get some goals on paper, that's usually how these things go right?
Why set goals?
When I google "Goal Setting" - the AI spit's this out: "Goal setting is the process of creating a plan to achieve a desired outcome. It involves defining specific objectives, tracking progress, and taking action to reach those objectives."
So in order to start the journey, we need to know where the (initial) destination is, and be honest with ourselves on where we are currently. There's no point setting a goal of losing 10 kilos, if you're not willing to weigh yourself, or clean up your finances if you never check your bank account. The purpose of goals is to give help us focus on what's important and what you want to achieve, give you direction so when you're feeling lost or unmotivated you know what step to take next, and give you accountability to track your progress and see just how far you've come.
If you read my first post A Test Run... it's been a while you'll know 2024 was a blur for me, as was many years prior. I've been the chill gal, going with the flow of life, letting the wind blow me to the next thing with little to no effort or energy required from me. But a stink realisation hit after losing my job in November of 2024, I realised going with the flow has hindered me in more areas of my life than I'd like to admit, so goals are going to be necessary to move forward in life.
.. But it's already February, maybe you should wait until next year...
Setting goals should not be reserved for the 31st December and January 1st, everyday, every minute we have the chance to change the direction of our lives. If you're feeling stuck and unmotivated setting 1-3 small goals can create a huge boost of self esteem, and confidence, even if it's as simple as get out of bed each day (you don't have to make the bed, and you could lounge on the couch all day, but you got out of bed, that's the goal, and sometimes the hardest part of the day, I know.)
I'm not going to tell you how to set your goals, or what your goals should be as it has to be something you truly desire, even if it's just in the moment. Goals can shift and morph as you work towards them, they may be come irrelevant, but the purpose is to have something to focus on and work toward, something to track, so when you look back on the previous week, month, year you can see "oh yeah, I did that!!"
Getting started immediately.
I totally understand it can be too much pressure to create goals every December/January, so pick a day you like, could even be your birthday, and set your goals to start that day even if it's like May 17th, just do what works for you, starting is always the hardest so be sure to stick to that date, after all you chose it.
Once you have your start date set, pencil in a checkpoint or three (depending on the timeframe of your goals.) This will be the time to check in on your goal, are you on, off or sideways tracking, fallen off the bandwagon and need a gentle reminder to get back on the horse, where ever you are this is the second most important part of goal getting, making sure to keep yourself accountable, after all the goals you are working toward are for you, not any one else.
Because December and January flew by in a blink for me, I decided February 1st would be a great time, and (kind of) in time for the Lunar New Year, rough as today is and a Saturday, I did sleep in.. not a great start, but we keep going, I'm here writing this so the day is doing better by far.. win.
I actually sat down in November/December to plan out what I wanted to achieve in a 10 year period. I'll be 40 in 10 years, and like HELL do I want to be in the same shitty situations that yield the littlest to no results, giving my all to everyone else but myself (and my dogs). I will have to do another post on why and how I did my 10 year plan, but I decided to go bigger picture, and work my way backwards, crunching the HUGE goals into bite size pieces year on year, and for this year I have a lot of work to do because I'm starting from zero, nilch, nada, actually if I'm being honest, I'm starting in the negatives, ouch.
Overwhelming or Motivating - Mindset shifts
Our mindset plays a huge role in our perspective on life, half full, half empty etc - because I went bigger picture it was very, VERY overwhelming, but I knew if I could chunk these big goals down, I could slowly chip away at the bigger picture, and be a lot closer to it than if I was to continue blowing in the wind, hoping someone else would save me. I (unknowingly) was waiting for someone to answer my prayers, and do the work for me. Then the newsflash hit me, you got to do it yourself, honey.
My life has not been any rainbow and lollipop situation. I've had glimpes, that usually get buried under the weight of responsibility, loyalty, and distraction (hello reels), but I've endured hard things for the sake of others and realised it's time to endure for myself. With this mindset shift, I'm ready to take action and move my life forward one step at a time, so what do my goals look like for February - December 2025?
Wheel of Life
I have goals for each section of my life, that (at the time) are important for me to see improvement. There is a coaching activity that can help you get honest with your current situation, and see where you could potentially improve to bring balance to your life. This will look different for each person, but if you're a family person who wants to spend more time with family, but work and career is outweighing quality family time, you may feel like your life is out of control/balance, using this activity can highlight this and encourage you to readjust your current priorities, if you so choose.
There are many sections of the wheel of life you can use but the most common are:
- Mind/Education/learning
- Body/health/fitness
- Soul/Spiritual/religion/ethical
- Relationships/family/friends
- Community/social/cultural/hobbies
- Career/finance
- Wealth
It doesn't have to be a circle, but visually it helps to see a 'well rounded" life. You choose what segments are most important to you, and rate them from 0 - 10, Zero being completely unsatisfied, 10 being completely satisfied and fulfilled.
This article from The Coaching Tools Company shows you how to complete the exercise, and furthe questions to ask to delve deeper into the segments. This is not a 5 minute exercise, definitely take the time to evaluate your life to find where you truly want change.
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After deep reflection - this is how I would rate my current state of affairs when I sat down to do my goal setting, my goals reflect these areas that I hope to improve over the next 10 years.
Ideally I would like to sit above 6 for each of these areas within the next year, some need more work than others and that's where the goals come to edge each of the white lines closer to 10. With that being said, these are my goals for the remainder of the year:
My 2025 Goals
Financial Goals:
1) Pay down $6,000 worth of debt
2) Build a starter emergency und of $2,600
3) Develop financial literacy, by tracking expenses, and reading personal finance books.
Career/Business Goals:
4) Launch a Side Hustle - Generate first $2000 by end of the year
5) Create a personal brand
Education and Skill Development:
6) Start journey toward bachelors degree
Enrol in at least 1 preparatory course, or related certification
7) Reach conversationalist proficiency in Mandarin or Spanish
Fitness and Wellness:
8) Run a half marathon by December
9) Establish strength training routine including 2-3 mobility sessions a week
10) Establish consistent morning and evening routines
Personal growth and Relationships
11) Develop language and cultural connections
12) Strengthen my sense of style
13) Foster a healthy family environment
14) Cultivate self care practices to recharge
Vision and Big Picture
15) Create a 10-year vision board
16) Start ideating an outline for a book
17) Research land and property investment opportunities
These are bigger picture goals that have been broken down into month tasks for me to easily check off, and see the progress. Because I missed January I have more work to do than if I had started back in December when these were drafted, the best thing to do is start, no matter how small, do something to get you closer to your goals.
I will use my blogging (cause I'm just not brave enough for Insta, and don't do tiktok) to keep myself accountable, and also show you can literally set whatever goals you want, anything is possible if you put in the work. So with day 1 of February almost coming to a close, Day 2 will be a fiesty start, looks to work on, lots to do. Gah being selfless really is a burden...
Can you figure out which goal this blog relates to?
I figured I better put a signature, last post looked quite naked...
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