I’ve begun planning my goals for 2025. It’s a month-long process that includes many parts:
- I solicit ideas from friends, colleagues, and even readers.
- I examine the goals of others for ideas and inspiration.
- I reflect upon the previous year to determine if I need to repeat, elevate, or remove a goal from my list.
But I also ask myself questions. I ask myself these questions throughout the year, but I am far more deliberate and purposeful in addressing these questions as the year ends and new goals must be made.
I ask myself many questions, but they all boil down to one question, which constantly echos in my mind:
What am I not doing?
This question applies to many aspects of my life:
- What am I not doing to achieve my goals?
- What else could I be doing to improve my chances of success?
- What opportunities to move forward might I be missing?
But also:
- What are others doing that I should try?
- What do the people around me love that I might love, too?
- What brand new thing has appeared on the horizon that I should give a chance?
But also:
- What am I not doing that I once did?
- What has unaccountably fallen by the wayside?
- What oldie-but-goodie should I bring back?
But also:
- What did I miss along the way?
- What did I once dismiss or ignore that deserves a second look?
- What was done before my time that might serve me well in this time?
My recommendations:
- Seek to expand and extend whenever possible.
- Make life new whenever you can.
- As often as possible, do something you’ve never done before.
- Constantly, relentlessly learn something new.
These are my guiding principles as I set goals for 2025.
If you are setting goals for yourself, I suggest you ask yourself these questions to help guide you along the way.
If you don’t typically set goals for yourself, consider it. It’s far too easy to move through life with wishes and dreams, thinking you’ll get to them someday.
Someday is a myth. It’s a promise not kept. The path to regret.
Someday is today.
