Goals 2014: Where I Succeeded, and Failed-Part 1

 

Take a look:

It’s January. Time for a fresh start right? Resolutions, plans, goals. How many did you accomplish last year? For that matter, how many have you kept going these first couple weeks in January? Research shows that the majority of people scrap their resolutions, some in as little as a few weeks, some within six months.*

Last year, I’d say I successfully fulfilled about 50-60% of my goals. I’m fairly pleased with that, but also see where I fell short. I decided it might be helpful to share where I succeeded or failed, and my takeaway for this year. I hope this encourages you in your own goal setting. I’ll spread it over the next two posts to keep the length reasonable and because January is a great month to consider this topic. I’m really coming clean here and you are going to get a glimpse into my personality…

In 2014 I created a visual sheet to track my goals in 10 areas (see photo.) I tried to refer to it regularly throughout the year. Here’s how I did:

Spiritual

Complete two New Testament reading plans.  Accomplished.  Takeaway: using a Bible app like YouVersion and reading it in bed upon waking before even getting up is a great habit
Complete two full Bible studies. Accomplished and actually did one more. Takeaway: I enjoy carving out additional quiet time and my personality is naturally motivated about some things, so this was not too difficult. These were done personally, not in a group setting so I could go at my own pace and it didn’t have to be done every day.

Mental/Professional

Read 30 books.  Somewhat accomplished (read 20). Takeaway: I do better with a “finish goal” rather than a “total goal” in some cases. See next item.
Finish one book per month Accomplished.  Takeaway: this idea has worked for me for three years now, and I plan to continue it. I usually have more than one book going at once, sometimes spanning a whole year. So the “finish” style of goal is more motivating to me.

Financial

Finish step three of Financial Peace (build a 3-6 month emergency fund.) Not accomplished. Not even close. Takeaway: Since I was  underemployed for much of the year, our finances went into somewhat of a reversal. That is changing now. You have to understand that external situations can impact your goals, but you shouldn’t give up on them entirely.

Donational (This could’ve gone into financial, but it also included a goal about volunteering so I separated it. Is “donational” even a word?)

Give over $____ (the amount is private) Accomplished. Takeaway: consistently budgeted/percentage-based giving is a good habit for us.
Volunteer for two events. Accomplished. One was a speaking engagement for a non-profit and the other was joining the board of Life in Abundance and helping them.  Takeaway: the goal was reasonable and reachable.

Physical

Participate in 5K once per quarter.  Sort of accomplished. Three times I walked the equivalent either with a friend or on a treadmill, one time I worked a 5K as a staff member (can that count?) I never reached my time goal nor participated formally in an event, though. Takeaway: sometimes goals are a bit too lofty. At least I did do some exercise shooting for it.
Do 100 international activity times of 30 minutes . Accomplished! Takeaway: amazing what you can do when motivated by extra spending money in January if you reached this goal in 2014.
Lose 10-15 pounds.  Can we not talk about this one? Total failure. Not only didn’t lose, but I ended year 11 pounds heavier. Takeaway: Even when you are eating healthier, whole foods, you have to watch portions, and you have to be active to keep the calories reasonable and the weight off. Ironically, with the extra free time I  had, you’d think I could have attacked this goal more. It’s possible that emotions played into NOT attacking it.

So, overall, I’m relatively pleased with the journey with the above. Yes, I’m disappointed about the weight, but I’m already slow-but-steady headed in the right direction for 2015. I’ve already played my flute more times in the new year than I did all last year (and I’ll explain why in the next post, along with sharing the results of the remaining goals.)

Engage (with the online community via blog comments or social media):

What goals have you established for 2015? Are you on track, or already falling off?

Think about (for personal reflection or discussion with colleagues):

Business value key word: Achievement

Image: Brainyquote.com

 

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