Do New Year’s resolutions work for you? Do you still remember what they are when the year comes to an end? Is there any value in setting new year’s resolutions?
At one time I fastidiously wrote down New Year’s resolutions only to find that within a few months I had forgotten about them.
Then I just got tired of setting them and only did my daily and monthly goals.
Each year after New Year’s day we get caught up in the maelstrom of daily living. But this is no way to live life because you quickly find that you need a vision to carry you through whether it is a day, week, month or year.
It’s worth having two or three major goals for each year. Your annual goal could be financial. You may want to save a certain sum of money for a holiday. Perhaps you decide it’s time to pay more of your bond off. Or, your goal could be to reduce your expenses. Another goal could be to take a course in something that you enjoy or that will make you more valuable.
These then would be your overriding goals for the year. At the end of the year you can look back and feel that you have moved forward and developed over the year.
Even if it’s a year for you where you don’t plan any major changes, you may need to look ahead and anticipate challenges that may come unexpectedly. For example, you may have face a major challenge if you lose your job or an important client. It therefore would be wise to build up a cash kitty where you have a few months’ income that you can draw on in a time of unexpected crisis.
A friend told me the other day that December was a very tough month for him because he was unable to work the number of days that he usually works in a month on contract. Yet, he hadn’t made any provision for this earlier in the year.
During the year you probably do a lot of short-term goal setting anyway. You need to plan your day, your week and your month. These major goals would be broken down into tasks and would form part of your short-term goals.
Someone without a vision will end up on any shore. Possession of a vision will enable you to navigate and end up at the harbour where you want to land.
It’s best to experiment and see what works for you. What does work best for you? Please leave your comment below for others to read.
