Goals, Hopes, and Dreams for my 38th Year on the Planet...
For many many years, dare I say over ten, I’ve used my birthday season to look at where I’ve been, and where I want to be in life. I’m a combination of proud and humbled by what I’ve built so far through trying, failing, then trying more, luck, support and in some cases privilege (this is important to be aware of and recognize).
The personal practice of intentionally sitting down regularly, not just at birthday’s or the new year, but also around the start of each new quarter, and then reviewing monthly has helped me stay in alignment with my core values and where I want to be over all in life.
The word goal can be a complicated one, I don’t like being held accountable to arbitrary goals. I’m careful in what I set my intentions for in the year to come. I don’t have arbitrary goals and you shouldn’t either. I don’t set huge sales numbers that sound good purely because they’re big numbers. I don’t have goals I set purely because I want to set a goal. I sit down and look at how I want my life to be, what kind of life would align with my core values, what kind of impact I want to make, and I also think about what would help me bring ease, fun and enjoyment into my life. It has taken me a long time to get there, but yes ease, enjoyment and fun are becoming things I’m actively working towards these days, I don’t think we get them by accident. Like most things I feel like we get them by being intentional.
This year I’ve done my 2020 Year in Review and Year ahead workbook looking at my wheel of life, assessing what’s transpired for me in 2020, and set some intentions for 2021. For simplicities sake in this article I’m breaking things down into personal goals and professional goals.
Business Intentions and Aspirations:
There is an income number I want to hit to help me get on the road to financial stability
Hire an assistant
Research and discern if graduate school is the right thing for me and my business.
Finish, edit, launch my book
Take two weeks vacation in July, a week of vacation on my birthday and 2 weeks of vacation around the holiday’s
Personal Intentions and Aspirations
Celebrate the people I love intentionally and with as much presence as possible during a pandemic
Keep up my snail mail writing practice (writing close to 365 letters a year)
Keep up my watercolor lessons (minimum of one lesson a week)
Keep up the consistency I’ve developed in my running practice
Take day hikes throughout the year (at least 2)
Go camping
Safely visit my mom and brother when covid numbers go down
Safely visit and see my sister and brother-in-law when covid numbers go down.
What you don’t see here are arbitrary numbers of goals. I already read and educate myself and do research and marketing for my business that won’t change and I’m not forcing myself to do anything beyond that. I have habits and practices right now I love, I’ll keep up with those and I don’t need to state them to do them.
Now it’s your turn! Have you assessed where you were, and where you want to be? What are your Goals, Hopes, and Dreams for the year to come?
Want to take yourself through the same annual assessment that I take myself through? Then Purchase the 2020/2021 Year Ahead, Year In Review Digital Workbook.