This year, my goals are to eat less sugar, drink less caffeine, eat more vegetables, exercise more, blog more, do more marketing, develop new material, engage in social media more, be a better husband, be a better father, study my devotionals more, ride my motorcycle more often, eat less sugar (really need to do this), do more research, write more humor, book more speaking engagements, write a new book, read more, connect more with clients, ride my mountain bike more often, build a new house, and.…..have more time to relax and enjoy life.
Get the picture?
This is how most people start the year – with a laundry list of too many goals that are post-holiday-gluttony induced and way too unrealistic. Then, we stick with them for about 76 hours and then file the list away until next January. If we want to be successful, which I’m assuming you do, we need to be a bit more focused and realistic. That’s why I’ve created a very short list of goals for this year. My hope is that it will help me accomplish more in the long run.
I’ve chosen DISCIPLINE to be my overriding focus for the year. Since I tend to be easily distracted by just about anything that crosses my mind or my visual field, this is a big deal for me. Essentially, I want to make disciplined choices that lead me to healthier and more productive results.
Within the framework of discipline, I have two primary goals:
#1: Exercise every day for at least 45 minutes.
I recently read Younger Next Year and was convinced that my body needs to move more, not sit more. So, my priority in life right now is to move as often as I can so that I can continue to do the things I want to do now and well into the future.
#2: Write for an hour every day.
I find that when I write, I exercise the creative part of my brain. That enriches both my life and my work. Writing results in new material, more connections with friends and followers, and allows me to process my life while sharing information that helps others along the way.
Exercise and writing. That’s it. Everything else on my list is a bonus. And if I can stay disciplined for the next 365 days, I will have created a habit that will serve me well for the rest of my life.
What do you really want or need to accomplish this year? Don’t try to do it all. Keep it simple and keep your focus. You’ll be glad you did.
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