When I was 23 years old, my manager then showed me a powerpoint slide with her personal goals, pillars, and tactics for the New Year. It looked very much like a business plan slide, but with personal aspirations. I set goals every year, but had never written down in that format. Since then, I tried doing that for myself. A few years into it, I started feeling discouraged. I realized that many times, I didn’t meet those goals. I also noticed that my goals were largely unchanged. I probably had all versions of ‘lose weight’ every year in my twenties. So, I decided to do the opposite. I stopped setting any specific goals. I had big vision for the year, but didn’t write down goals anymore. Maybe that will force me to be more present each day, I thought. It turns out that wasn’t that effective either. I somehow found myself wondering, am I living the best version of myself at this point in my life?
Why does New Year’s resolutions have to be so complicated? If you had similar experience of feeling lost at the start of the New Year, you’re not alone. The key to such dilemma is balance. New Year’s resolutions can’t be as rigid as business goals and it can’t be nothing. New Year is not about a completely New You. It’s about becoming the more evolved version of you. To help you evolve to who you want to be by the end of this year, here are three simple steps you can follow.
Reflect on 2024: Write down about 5 key pillars of your life that are important to you. I wrote down family, health, career, friends, and hobbies. Think about how things went for each of these pillars in 2024. What went well? What didn’t go well? What could be improved? This can be like a brain dump. Let your thoughts just freely flow and keep writing. See what key themes jump out at you.
Imagine your evolved self at the end of 2025: For each key pillar you wrote down, think about your best version. For instance, I wrote down that I would like to spark passion and curiosity on my students, as part of my career goal. Then, think through the key events or activities you have this year to achieve those. Think in small, manageable, and actionable steps. That will make evolving less daunting of a goal.
Allow creativity and freedom: Have a flexible mindset that life may not go as planned and that is ok. There are bumps and windy roads along the way that you didn’t see from afar. For instance, I just had to reschedule everything for tomorrow because my son came home from school today not feeling well. When you’re there, just be fully present. Do the best you can. It may look like you’re a little behind or deviating from where you want to be. Let the dust settle and you’ll see that there are many ways to get to where you want to go. Just keep your head up high and march forward.
Ultimately, the most effective way to start the New Year right is a personal one. Remember that the goal is not to be perfect, but to grow and learn throughout the year. Wishing you all a happy and healthy New Year!
Sign up to the newsletter to be the first to know when a new blog article is posted.
Comments