My 2023 Goals and What You Can Learn From Them
Time to publicly declare my goals for 2023! The two reasons why I share them are:
- Hold myself accountable
- Prompt you to do something
If you read my stuff, then you know I’ve been using my own technique called Epic Life Planner for over 5 years now, which calls for me to pick goals that are either Adventure, Achieving, or a Skill.
But that’s not enough! I want us, after picking goals, to keep in mind two additional concepts:
- Think BIG, think THEME. Try not to pick a goal that is too narrow and that can only be satisfied one way.
- 1% Improvements. Made pop culture popular by James Clear’s Atomic Habits, the concept is to do a bunch of little things throughout the year that will add up.
“Making a choice that is 1% better or 1% worse is insignificant in the moment. But over the span of moments that make up a lifetime, these choices determine the difference between who you are and who you could be.”
— James Clear, Atomic Habits
Without further ado, drumroll, please!
Goal #1 — Outdoors (Adventure)
Similar to last year, the goal is to get out into nature! Plenty of science to support the health benefits, but for me, it’s as simple as preventing work-from-home burnout. I’ll define success as at least one major outdoor adventure or 10 mini-adventures. The mini-adventures can be anything, as long as we’re outside, stimulating the senses, and not staring at a screen. This could be bike riding on an unexplored path, backyard camping, or running in the rain.
Goal #2 — Venture Out (Achievement)
If last year’s goal was to break even (which I’m very close to), then this year it’s to actually make a profit, even if it’s just by $1. Currently, I spent $60/month and earn $45/month, which means it won’t take much for me to reach this goal! As big a milestone as that would be for me (I’ve been writing for years now!), I would like to achieve more…
Success will also include producing more awesome interview podcasts, such as with Mike Vardy and Ashley Richmond, and other unique ideas. Also, I aim to have an outline for a book by the end of the year.
Goal #3 — Stress and Injury-Proof Goals (Skill)
My focus here is on becoming stress-proof, injury-proof, and basically life proof.
But why? Simply put, I’m 43 and prob somewhere around my halfway point in life. I see my parents and other elderlies, and it just looks really hard. So if you’re around 20 years old, then pay attention: taking care of your mental and physical health is critical. Just like how old people preach to the young to save for retirement because of the compounding effect, it’s the same for our mental and physical health.
“If you can get 1% better each day for one year, you’ll end up 37 times better by the time you’re done.”
— James Clear
How do I develop this skill? The answer is in as many ways as possible. By thinking BIG and thematically, I can have lots of different ways to satisfy it.
- Fasting: Once a month do a 24 hours fasting = 12 days out of 365 days = 3.3%
- Cold water: End showers with 30 seconds of cold water. Do this more often than not per week.
- Meditation: At least more often than not per week. I’m still on the Headspace app.
- Flexibility: Such as yoga & stretching, do this after every run, once per week a 15+ min class, and stretch/foam roll every night before bed.
- Sleep: Increase by 15 min on average = 3.8 days of sleep in a year = 1%
- Eyes and Posture: Basically, get up from desk more often, relieve eye strain and improve posture.
- Read Books: Aim for 15 books again, specifically books that dive deeper into the above concepts.
- Journaling or Plan for the Week: Typically on a Sunday, forecast what the next 7 days will look like.
Whew, that’s a lot! But we shouldn’t stress about our goals, rather they are something to aim for and as long as we show up, then that’s a success.
“The art of showing up” helps put a behavior on autopilot. [James Clear] shared the story of one man who drove to the gym every day, then exercised for a few minutes before going home. By performing that seemingly futile action for six weeks, Mr. Clear said the man slowly became “the type of person who works out every day.”
— Susan Shain, How to Crush Your Habits in the New Year With the Help of Science
Goal #4…
That leaves only my 4th and final goal left… but I’ll keep this one close to me with plans to discuss it later this year. Suffice it to say, it’s about our limitless relationships, to everything and everywhere, all at once. Haha.
Conclusion and Call-to-Action
Consider setting goals that are diverse and big, such that it leaves plenty of room for how to accomplish them. The more ways we can celebrate wins, the better. And don’t forget to make them personal to who we want to be, as our identity. According to James Clear, framing goals as this is “who I am” versus “what I need to do to become” is much more powerful.
Do this:
- Ask yourself, who do you want to be known as
- Pick a goal that gets you closer to that identity
- Make that goal as broad and fun as possible
- Then list several smaller sub-goals that can be measurable