I am actually writing this post on the 1st day of 2014. I kicked off the new year very differently than I have previous years and have loved the way it has started.
2014 is going to be a year full of change for our family and I see it also to be full of promise. I am simultaneously excited and nervous about some of the changes that will happen in 2014.
This year I have incorporated more areas of my life to the goal setting process. This does make it look like a long list (actually longer than last year), but it actually better reflects the activities I undertake.
Self discipline
My key learning from 2013 in terms of goals was about how important self discipline is to my success. The areas in which I achieved success, were the areas where I applied self discipline. The areas where I failed to achieve my goals were the areas where I didn’t keep myself in check and in reality behaved or acted in a way that I knew would not help me achieve my goals.
Self discipline will be a big focus for me in 2014. Applying it across all of my goals to have greater success this year. Which is why I find the above quote Jim Whittaker, American mountaineer and CEO so apt –
“You can never conquer the mountain. You can only conquer yourself.”
Regardless of what happens through out the year, I am the one responsible for my actions and how I spend my time. It is all of the decisions I make, big and small, that will determine what I achieve for the year.
Creating My Decision Making Framework
As with last year I have created a value statement or overarching goal for the various areas of my life. These statements create my decision making framework for the year. As new opportunities arise, I will need to determine if they will help me stick to my values and achieve my goals.
Under each value statement I have listed SMART goals which will determine my key activities and time frames for 2014.
I have ensured that each goal starts with a verb, something I can act on and something that prompts me to act.
Work – Place boundaries on my work hours
- Limit my average work week to 30 hours.
- Undertake no work activities before the kids go to school.
- Undertake no work activities after the kids come home from school until the younger ones are settled in bed.
Family – Increase family harmony
- Quarter one only – have the key focus of settling the kids into the new school year.
- Maintain a 5:1 ratio of positive to negative comments (lead by example).
- Conduct monthly family meetings.
- Eat out together on a quarterly basis.
Health and fitness – Test myself
- Run another marathon.
- Run an obstacle course.
- Compete at a local CrossFit competition.
- Maintain a whole food approach to my diet.
Local community – Increase my participation in the local community
- Undertake the role of class co-ordinator for the prep child’s class.
- Volunteer for canteen duty at the kids’ secondary school.
- Allocate a speaking session a quarter to local community groups.
- Find a local community group to partner with for the blog annual fundraising event.
Learning – Find new sources of information to grow my knowledge
- Attend four workshops/conferences/seminars over 2014.
- Listen to one podcast a month.
Fun – Increase the time I spend with those I love
- Organise a night out a month with the husband.
- Organise a monthly get together with girlfriends.
- Organise a monthly get together with my sisters.
Have you set goals for 2014?