It won't be long and a new year will click over; the year 2023, my fifty third year on the planet. Man that makes me feel old...but...nah...I don't really feel old in truth - the G-dog is still rockin' it. Sure, maybe I'm not getting any prettier...In fact, I never was, but I'm still rockin' it G-dog style...life I mean, and have a pretty decent one indeed.
Yes, I have problems. Yes, they get the better of me at times. Yes, I feel worn out and stressed. Yes, I wish I'd made a few different choices. Yes, I have a few regrets...I think most could say the same.
On the flipside, yes, my life has been (overall) fucken awesome. I can't complain - I don't even want to.
Thinking on the year that was 2022, I can summarise it as, a year of the same and a year of change - both describe it well - but both did not occur in equal measure.
I mean that I've made some big changes that have expanded my paradigm, pushed me to better thoughts, attitudes and results and that it was also a year in which several things, situations, challenges and adversities remained unchanged or got worse. I'm ok with it; life swings both ways, it's when the pendulum stops we've got a problem. So that was then...but what about now? When looking forward, it's always good to look with 'new eyes'. I mean, the same ones as before, but with different thoughts and attitudes behind them.
I don't make New Year resolutions; Saying I'm going to do something and then doing nothing proactive to attain it seems a waste of time. I make goals though.
These are attainable, measurable and focused and each has a strategized plan to ensure I reach it or, at least, to give me the best chance of doing so. I start working on these in December and I write them down, along with the plan of attack, and in this way I move into the new year with new fresh eyes. I've been doing this for years and it's paid dividends. Furthermore, I set stretch-goals which lay beyond the initial ones and are there in case I get to my goals earlier than expected...it gives me something more to work towards, to reach for.
Life is a voyage, a journey, with a known and clear destination; death. Yeah, it's not nice to think about but you'll be dead one day like every one else. But not yet.
What's unclear is the paths we'll take, the happenings along the way, and how we may deal with the challenges we'll face, however, we can influence that somewhat; that's what making goals with plans is all about. Floundering along in life isn't my way, hoping for something to come to fruition isn't either; I'm more of a go get after it sort of fellow. Therefore, I'll head into 2023 looking forward to what may come, what I may be able to design and create and to looking backward from the tail-end of it and evaluating how I went, as always.
I wonder what your end of year/new year plans are. How do you round out one year and get ready for, and move into, the next?
Do you make resolutions, sit back and hope? Do you set goals and plans then deploy with vigour and passion? Do you do nothing and leave it to chance? Maybe you have an imaginary friend to tell you what to do...Feel free to let me know in the comments if you would like to.
Understand the past, set the right goals for the future and reside in each moment - be present. Your future is in your hands so design and create it, then own it - G-dog
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default, tomorrow isn't promised so be humble and kind - galenkp
I photographed the image in this post personally.
I don't do resolutions. I have a secret life mission statement that I keep very personal to me. To me its a punchy concise statement describing who I want to be. I review it at the end of the year and think about what I have achieved but importantly, where I still need to get to. That helps me set my goals for the next year.
I do also review the mission statement to see if it still relevant. Have I changed? To be honest though, I haven't updated it for a few years now as I feel happy with it but initially I did change it quite often as I refined it.
Destiny is death. We can't avoid that and this was made more real to me in 2022 with a health issue that landed me in hospital for a few days in a critical state. That has given me a renewed enthusiasm to drive forward to achieve my vision. Ultimately, when I do die, I would hope that friend and family would remember me in a way that reflect the vision of myself.
I like your mission plan thing, it shows you're thinking about life in general l, working to make it the best you can, and in reviewing it regularly you have the chance to make adjustments to it, or the way you approach it. Nice work.
I am not a fan of resolutions and I never make them hehe! That said, one of the more meaningful stuff I would do would be to go through my finances (e.g. what's my net worth, am I on target to financial freedom, how my investments are doing, etc).
Reviewing one's finances is a great idea and to do it at the start of the year means one can make a fresh start if it applying any changes that are relevant. I hope it goes well for you.
Each time that someone will be saying such words back then I feel that they are quite morbid. But then, facing it now I thanked them for making me realize that I am spending time dawdling, lurking, and not taking action.
I myself do not have a concrete plan on how to attack the following year. Probably I might have in the next few weeks of 2023.
Many think this way and so avoid the reality of the fact they will die. I believe, in understanding that one is indeed mortal a person can make better decisions on how to live a better life whilst they have the chance.
Hopefully you set some goals and plans to get them before too much of the year goes by and the time takes away the opportunity.
I confess that I love every year that ends up summing up and then setting myself goals for the new year; goals of various kinds, which concern my personal and also financial growth.
Measurable goals that can be divided into many smaller short- and medium-term goals.
I see life as a journey and in every self-respecting journey it is always useful to keep a diary on board, useful but also beautiful and why not fun.
I hug you! I'm sure you will pursue all the goals you set for yourself 😉
Exactly!
It doesn't make a lot of sense not to have measurable, realistic and time-limited goals with plans to attain them. It's wasteful of life I think, and not conducive to attaining ones best version of life.
I found this picture the other day and I’ve seen it numerous times but I love it each time I see it because it shows how vast our life choices are and can be. There are so many paths we can take and it’s hard to know what one to take but we have to take one and we will see where it leads.
I didn’t make many goals before but I’m getting better at it over time. Some of the goals are hard to achieve but that’s the good thing about goals, it’s not supposed to be easy but having a direction in mind is important in the long run.
I think I’ve made resolutions a few times but I find the practice foolish because of how much people just give up on them. I could be better at keeping some of the processes that I’ve tried, which we all could but I like to be able to adapt to things as it comes. As well every time I try to set something up, lately it doesn’t work out lol a lot of them are around routines and the little man and he’s a lot like me when I was a kid and doesn’t like routines that aren’t very fun hahaha. Can’t blame him! I’ve worn him down a bit on some things and it’s been good but I would like to make some exercise goals for the year if anything. Sadly the one thing that’s least often kept! Lol
The direction a goal (with a plan) brings us what helps a person walk th paths of life. Some don't of course, some don't understand goals, and that's ok if they prefer chance and happenstance to dictate their lives. It's not my way though. As you say, there's choices, and one of the hardest ones can be choosing to start.
Oh yes time flies so fast that very soon our calendar will be changing. Yes I have some new goals and hopefully with a fresh new eyes for 2023 I can see it being fulfilled.
All the best in your journey towards your goals, I hope you have a few plans in place and they carry you towards the ultimate 2023 goals you've set.
Thank you sir @galenkp. God bless to our new journey.
I made a New Year's resolution one year, many years ago, and I have kept it. My resolution was to never ever make any New Year's resolutions.
😆
Yeah, I caught onto that nonsense really fast.
2023 may hold something different for me.... or not. Technically, by age I could retire. I don't consider myself to have enough other money put back to do that, but I will be looking into everything, exploring, researching and all that kind of thing to see just what all it would take and what changes would have to be made (a lot!) to consider it. That is quite a task in itself.
Meanwhile, the days will come and go, just like always..... if I'm lucky.
Oh yeah, that's a great one to make and keep, I did the same many years ago.
It sounds like 2023 could be interesting for you and I'm glad you're doing that research, through it the best way forward will become evident.
I really wish this whole make goals thing worked for me.
It doesn't work in two ways.
Lets say you were Edison, and you wanted to make a manufacturable light bulb.
What goals can you make? There is nothing measurable, attainable or focussed
except the end... have a manufacturable light bulb.
What do you do except keep trying various ways of getting there.
And often, the best thing to do is take a nap.
The other problem is in self healing.
I want to get 50% better at dealing with the trauma my mother inflicted upon me....?
There is nothing here that is measurable. Only in hindsight, after reading your diary can you notice that you have made improvements.
And the percentages go more like, 1%, 2%, 3%, 5%, 30%, 100%
I am glad that you do not make new years resolutions, as those are pretty much doomed to failure. When the resolution strikes you, you should take it on.
You've never set a goal for yourself?
There is nothing in the measurable, quantifiable and achievable category that i desire enough to make it a goal.
All my goals aren't really goals... they are destinations on a path... that may be unachievable.
Further, when childhood trauma leaves you with no self-esteem. Goals are really difficult to achieve. Self sabotage or worse. If you do no set a goal, it is often easier. Sneak up on success.
That's a shame. Goals are powerful. Oh well, if what you're doing delivers an awesome life then stick with it.
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