As 2022 comes to a close it is time to look forward to what I would like to focus on in 2023. I have shared my goal setting process many times on the blog. It starts with an annual review (you can find my 2022 annual review here) and finishes with crafting a goal statement and defining supporting habits to help me achieve my goal.
This year I am doing something a little different with goal setting. For paid subscribers of my weekly newsletter I will be running goal-setting workshops mid January. They will run for approximately an hour and I will guide you through the steps I take to set my annual goal. A workbook will be sent out in the lead-up to the workshop and while I will do a lot of the talking, attendees will be doing a lot of writing! The goal of the workshop will be to have you leave it with your goal statement for 2023 written, along with the habits chosen to support that goal.
Due to the nature of the workshops and people sharing personal information these sessions will not be recorded. The workshop dates and times are as follows:
- Tuesday 17th January, 12pm – 1pm ADST
- Tuesday 24th January, 7pm – 8pm ADST
If you want to take part in the workshops make sure you are a paid subscriber by Thursday 12th January so you can find out all the details and join in.
My goal and habits for 2023
As you can see from the graphic above my goal for 2023 is to:
Embrace life with curiosity and experimentation to gain greater connection
The words curiosity, experimentation and connection had been appearing with increasing frequency over the last month or so of 2023 for me, making creating this goal statement a relatively quick process this year. This goal will provide the overarching direction for 2023. It will:
- be the framework I use to help me make decisions on where to allocate my time
- provide a guide as to how I want to approach my daily interactions
- help give purpose and some fun to the mundaneness of daily life
My single goal provides the macro view for the year and the habits I then select give me the micro direction I need on a daily basis to help me achieve my goal. The habits I have chosen for this year are as follows:
- create a monthly experiment
- practice switching from judgement to curiosity
- curate a diverse low information consumption practice
There will be other things I do along the way next year that will move me forward toward my goal but the habits listed will create a solid foundation for me to keep on track. The table below gives further details of what I want these habits to look like and how they are connected to my goal.
| Habit | Connection to goal - Embrace life with curiosity and experimentation to gain greater connection | Quote - “All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson |
|---|---|---|
| Create a monthly experiment | I love my routines and they provide an excellent base from which I can achieve a great deal. My love of routines can mean that I can take a very well worn path. This year I want to mix it up more. Add more play, challenge myself and try new things while bringing along others as I go. | "The true method of knowledge is experiment." - William Blake |
| Practice switching from judgement to curiosity | Having strong opinions on issues means that when I hear a dissenting view I can move to judgement and not make an attempt to understand the opposing viewpoint - it stifles open communication. When I hear/read/view something that triggers me, I want to be curious not judgemental about it and really listen and understand the thinking behind the differing view and have truly open communication with others. Communication is key to connection. | “Listen with curiosity. Speak with honesty. Act with integrity. The greatest problem with communication is we don’t listen to understand.” – Roy T. Bennett |
| Curate a diverse low information consumption practice | When consuming information from many sources now, algorithms are feeding us what it thinks we want to see based of what we have already seen, listened to or read. It takes a concerted effort to diversify the information we are consuming. We are becoming an increasingly polarised society on so many issues and it is causing deep division. If we only ever look at one side of the story our divisions will only grow bigger. | "We need diversity of thought in the world to face the new challenges." - Tim Berners-Lee |
My previous single goal statements
If you are after some goal inspiration, here are the single goal statements I have worked toward and achieved (with varying success!) over the last few years:
- 2015 – Be a planned and present mother to my beautiful kids
- 2016 – Create space in my life for creativity and calm
- 2017 – To invest in my relationships with family, friends and community to bring joy and connection
- 2018 – Detach from the old and embrace the new to nurture a family spirit of adventure
- 2019 – Nurture new routines to re-energise, re-invigorate and create personal growth
- 2020 – Simplify daily life to spend more time with family and friends
- 2021 – Do the inner work to be able to give more to those around me
- 2022 – Cultivate routines to expand my knowledge and experiences