Goals... Not Resolutions.

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New Year's Resolutions

I absolutely hate New Year's resolutions. I think it is because I have always failed them or lose interest after several months. My past resolutions held little meaning and were not really sticky. Like most people, I would give them up after the second or third month. Forbes Health did a survey and found that only 6 percent of people stick with their resolutions for over a year. Failing New Year's resolutions is so common that there are days known as "Ditch New Year's Resolutions Day" (January 17) and "Quitters Day" (second Friday in January) as unofficial dates (Davis, 2023).

The five most common resolutions include improve fitness, improve finances, improve mental health, lose weight, and improve diet. Others include stop smoking, learn a new skill, travel more, drink less alcohol, and meditate regularly.

This year I will continue my tradition of not setting New Year's resolutions; however, I am interested in establishing big, bold personal goals that enhance many of my professional goals and my desire for bettering myself through continued learning, health improvements, and a few personal initiatives. This year I will focus on setting goals I can track from week-to-week. I would love to hear if you are making personal goals or finding ways you can continue your personal growth for a better you.

My Personal Goals

I enjoy accountability and believe the best way to be accountable to achieving my goals is to share them publicly. After about three weeks of thinking through my goals, I have created the following five goals (individual details below):

Walk/Jog Purposeful Miles

For the last three years, I have been 100% work-from-home. On a typical day, I will walk 3,600 to 4,000 steps throughout the house. The Mayo Clinic shares this is an American average (10,000 Steps a Day: Too Low? Too High?, 2020) and suggests that everyone should walk 10,000 steps-a-day which is approximately 5 miles (~8 kilometers).

In 2021, JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) published a study highlighting, "Middle-age people who walked at least 7,000 steps a day on average were 50 percent to 70 percent less likely to die of any cause over the next decade, compared with those who took fewer steps... Results showed that people appeared to gain more health benefits the more steps they took, with the greatest statistically significant reduction in mortality risk between 7,000 and 10,000 steps" (10,000 Steps a Day? A Few Thousand Less May Do a Lot of Good Too, Study Finds, 2021).

Most of us already know this information, but most of us don't change our situation to improve our outcomes.

Goal Number 1: I want to jog/walk 12 to 20 miles per week. This would mean I would need to jog/walk 624 miles to 1,040 miles. These are miles above my typical 1.5 to 2 miles per day that I complete just walking around the house.

How To Get Motivated: I'm a fan of the Garmin devices. One feature I plan to take advantage of is the free integrated Garmin coach that will create an adaptive training program based on your physical starting point. All you have to do is answer a few basic questions—Are you a runner (beginner/advance)? How many days do you want to include in the plan? Which day is your long day?

I'm currently doing the 5K plan and then will look to do the 10K and possibly the half marathon. If you are interested in Garmin's integrated coaches, check out the following videos (45 second introduction video and a 4 minute general overview).

Read Books

A popular quote attributed to Harry S. Truman states, "Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers" (Lee, 2022). I was already planning to set a goal to read 30 books this year; however, I came across a podcast where Jim Kwik—author of Limitless—challenged his audience to read 52 books a year. That is a lofty goal. One I want to attempt.

I enjoy reading. I find a mixture of technical books, business books, leadership books, fiction books (especially dystopian), and autobiographies to be my favorite—Does that cover all known books?

Goal Number 2: I want to read 30 to 52 books this calendar year.

How To Get Motivated: I find a lot of motivation when I see my colleagues and leaders that I follow recommend a book, especially if they will rate it on a 5 star scale and provide 2-3 sentences on the book from their perspective. If I'm reading a business or leadership book, I transfer all the highlights into a digital notebook where I then review the highlights and try to pick the top 3-8 that I consider Key Takeaways from the book. I'll revisit these highlights 2-3 times a year as a refresher. The repetition reinforces the learnings. Here is an example snippet.

If you would like to follow the books I read, you can follow me on Goodreads. Here are a few other lists that might be of interest:

• McKinsey & Company - 10 books CEOs are reading now
• Forbes - Great Leadership Books for CEOs and Other Senior Executives in 2023
• TeamBuilding.com - 13 Best CEO Books to Read in 2024

What books are you reading or highly recommend?

Write Articles

One of my passions is around personal finance. Every year I write a public letter to the high school and college graduates trying to convince them to save for their retirement right away. It is never too early to start saving. I usually post this letter on Facebook.

If you are a relative or a very close friend, I write a personal letter to the graduate and give them $150 to open their first brokerage account (I'm a fan of Fidelity). A portion of the letter also discusses the compounding of money in hopes they invest their own funds into a low cost total market index fund. I suggest they start with $50 a month and try to get to $500 a month as quickly as possible. I also provide them with two books that I believe are essential for their future success.

I also like writing about the books I read, the technology I find interesting, and various other topics that pop into my mind.

Goal Number 3: I want to write 12 to 20 articles on the Vocal platform.

How To Get Motivated: This one is pretty easy. I find enjoyment in sharing information. I just need to stick to a single platform. Vocal+ members also can submit stories to the various Challenges and possibly win prizes. I was a Runner-Up in the 24/7 Companion Challenge with my story about my childhood stray dog, Phito—Lost, Found, and a Forever Home. If you are interested in using Vocal as your platform, please use my link above as I will get a small reward.

Write Books

For years I've been wanting to write a book and self publish it. I'm hoping this will be the year. There are two books that I think I can get completed in a few months as they are geared towards do-it-yourself / self-help books.

I have plans to write other books that would be more of a stretch. I have a fictional dystopian book and a suspense / horror book I have been pretty passionate about writing.

Goal Number 4: I want to write 1 to 2 books and self publish them.

How To Get Motivated: There are several tools that make writing a book easier than ever. I'll share a few tools and books that may be of interest if you are also interested in writing a book.

Tools:

• Scrivener (a lifetime license is only $59.99 for either Windows or macOS or $95.98 for both)
• Atticus (a lifetime license is only $147)
• ProWritingAid (a lifetime license is only $399 for Premium or $699 for Premium Pro)
• Amazon Self Publishing

Books:

• How To Write Best-Selling Fiction (The Great Courses on Audible)
• Writing Great Fiction: Storytelling Tips and Techniques (The Great Courses on Audible)
• How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method: Advanced Fiction Writing, Book 1 (Kindle, Audible, and/or Paperback)
• How to Write a Dynamite Scene Using the Snowflake Method: Advanced Fiction Writing, Book 2 (Kindle, Audible, and/or Paperback)
• On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King (Kindle, Audible, Paperback, and/or Hardcover)

Drop Weight

This is just a typical goal where I want to remind myself that my health and wellbeing are important.

Goal Number 5: Drop X number of pounds this year and restart an active lifestyle.

How To Get Motivated: I just have to put the work in!

Tracking

For me to be successful, I need to track it. I created a very simple Excel spreadsheet that is marked as a favorite for easy access. I look at this every morning to see how I'm tracking and to determine the adjustments I need to make in order to stay on track to achieving my goals. I plan to share publicly my results at the end of every month.

Sources

10,000 steps a day? A few thousand less may do a lot of good too, study finds. (2021, September 12). NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/how-many-steps-day-should-you-take-study-finds-7-n1278853

10,000 steps a day: Too low? Too high? (2020, March 23). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/10000-steps/art-20317391

Davis, S. (2023, December 18). New Year’s Resolutions Statistics 2024. Forbes Health. https://www.forbes.com/health/mind/new-years-resolutions-statistics/

Lee, M. (2022, November 2). Successful leaders are avid readers. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/11/02/successful-leaders-are-avid-readers

Affiliate Links

This article uses a few affiliate links. Any links to books/audibles and the link to sign-up to Vocal+ using my personal Vocal Link (located under Write Articles section). I may receive small compensation if you purchase any books or sign up to Vocal using my affiliate links.

Thank You

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