As we enter a new year, it’s a great time to reflect on your life, your accomplishments, areas you can improve, and set goals for your future.
For the past 25 years, I’ve been personally journaling my goals at the beginning and conclusion of each year. I use this process to create a consistent framework for personal development and for managing accountability. I keep my ideas in a simple notebook with dates to document my entries. Some people may prefer technological solutions. Apps, such as Strides, enable you to set/track goals for daily tasks like hydration, saving money, sleep, and project management. Claire Brown Kohler from We Empower Leaders states: think of creating goals “like a map to your life’s destination…successful and happy people tell us that creating specific goals and direction is much more likely to get us to the destination that we want…When creating your goals, it is often helpful to make them SMART. That means Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time Sensitive.”
When I volunteered for the Small Business Administration (SBA), we required business owners to submit a formal business plan before we would consider referring them for a business loan. The purpose of the business plan was to establish a formal outline (roadmap) for how to structure, run, and grow the business. Ultimately, the business plan served as evidence that the entrepreneur had established goals and a blueprint for success!
According to NY Times bestselling author Mark Murphy, “neuropsychologists have identified the “generation effect” which basically says individuals demonstrate better memory for material they’ve generated themselves than for material they’ve merely read…when you write down your goal, you get to access the “generation effect” twice: first, when you generate the goal (create a picture in your mind), and second, when you write it down.”
In finance, I encourage clients to establish priorities, so we understand which goals have the greatest importance. In life, defining clear objectives and considering the impact and importance of each goal will help you stay focused. Sharing your goals with trusted friends/family/colleagues may provide valuable perspective and partners to help you succeed. Remember to learn from both victories and defeats and reward your dedication and success. I wish you the utmost of health, happiness, and fulfillment of your goals in 2025!
Sources: Mark Murphy https://www.forbes.com/sites/markmurphy/2018/04/15/neuroscience-explains-why-you-need-to-write-down-your-goals-if-you-actually-want-to-achieve-them/; Claire Brown Kohler https://www.weempowerleaders.com/goal_writing/; https://clickup.com/blog/goal-tracking-apps/
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