A new year and a clean slate again. The new year is a great time to reevaluate how far we’ve come, where we are now, and what we want to do in the future.
As the year comes to an end, it’s always a useful exercise to take some time to review the past year and all its events. Reflecting on what happened during the year, what you accomplished, and what could have been done better will bring closure to the year and will also provide the space for valuable learning. It’s also a good idea to take some time to review the past before thinking about the year ahead.
When you are ready to close the chapter of the prior year, you can move on to the future. Start with a clean slate, and create what you want in the following year. Anything goes: it’s your future. Don’t worry if the goals seem too lofty–with deliberate planning and execution, anything is possible.
Setting goals is essential for growth. Without a clear roadmap, the probabilities of getting to our destination are significantly diminished. On the other hand, with planning and perseverance, goals can help us arrive at previously unimaginable points. It is the only way to get to these new places.
Goals can vary immensely depending on the person and life stage. Sometimes a goal can be as simple as accomplishing a life event, like a pregnancy, in the healthiest way possible. Other times, the goal can be completing a major project successfully, such as the implementation of a company-wide system. The goals can change significantly from year to year.
What is important is to aim high and work diligently. The goals will guide you.
Starting a new project from ground zero is probably one of the hardest things to do. Sometimes I have a wonderful idea, a whole new project I’m ready to start. I’m convinced it’ll change everything for the better and I’m ready to go. Then, I sit down in front of my computer to start working and everything suddenly goes blank, leaving me with no clue where to start.
When this happens, I try to go back and re-discover my original inspiration. Even though the excitement is almost always still there, I don’t know how to get started. I usually sit there for a few more minutes until I can’t take it anymore. Finally, I end up shutting down my computer and continuing with my day so it doesn’t feel wasted.
It was January 2016, and I was thinking about the year ahead, wondering what I wanted the new year to bring in regards to my growth. I had recently read about the idea of setting an impossible goal for that year and thought it might be a worthwhile idea to try.
An impossible goal is an objective that seems unattainable at the moment but can still be fulfilled within a year’s time. The goal has to be something that you cannot realistically accomplish at that moment, but once it is achieved at the end of the year, it will give you an immense satisfaction of accomplishment. The goal can be anything you want it to be, from running a marathon to writing a short novel.