Goals have gotten a bad reputation. That’s why I like drafting them early in the year and publishing them in the next couple weeks, so we avoid the emotional “conquer the world, do a 180-in-life” kind of commitment. It’s a negative thought to begin this blog post, so let’s get away from that. Let me paraphrase my favorite quote about goals: If you aim at nothing, you are sure to hit it every time. If we do not have clear goals, what can we really expect in 2014? On the other hand, if we plan now, execute all year, how will we fill in the middle of December?

I argue that well-crafted goals, a disciplined routine of execution, and a support staff or inner circle will guarantee 2014 to be the most productive year ever. Big statement, I know. The reason I can make this claim is because very few people follow through with their resolutions and goals. That’s just a fact. Many will read this and put it away, move on to the next Facebook update. Some will participate in the comment section, some will participate alone at their desk. Cool! I’ve done this for quite a few years, I’m ready to take it to the next level. How about you?

(The following goals are in no order of importance.) 

Wellness program shipped

I will have an functional wellness program for small businesses by March 1. I will done the research, I’ve done the homework, I’ve even worked out some of the kinks with small businesses already. But I’m working towards literally publishing a manual for how to implement a wellness program for small business. I also have a goal in the number of companies I want to work with this year, but I’ll keep that goal internal. Here’s the thing – March 1 is on the calendar because it aligns with a current client and relationship that’s already in place. It will evolve throughout the year and with the subsequent clients, so there’s lots of work after the third month of the year. But the goal is March 1, wellness program.

Exercise is Medicine

I will double the number of doctors I work with for exercise prescription. I think (again) it’s wise to keep numbers to myself right now. Trust me, there’s an inner circle that’s well aware of my numbers goal, and failing to reach those numbers – I take that very seriously.

Correspondance project

I was talking with Katie the other day about when email came into my life. Do you remember your moments? I had an email in high school, I think I was the only one. But when I got to college, it was required. It immediately made communications (basic letter writing) simple. Painfully simple. I always new in middle and high school that I should write more letters. I loved in English class when Mrs. Curtis made us have pen pals with 4th grade students (mine was Katie Ruffel). But in reality, I never made writing a priority. Now with email – it was easy, it was fast, and with pictures it was fun. I want to bring that back. I want to write people more often. I’ll go public with this goal. My goal is to write one person a personal email (or FB message) each week. Relationships are important (more about this coming later in this post). This correspondence project will force me to slow down and improve the quality of my relationships dramatically. I’m especially excited about this goal.

ETB2014

My spiritual goal for the year is to finish Eat This Book. This is the third (!!) time attempting this goal. I’ve failed in the past and I’m not giving up. Not much else to say. I think the Bible is an excellent book, certainly worthy of the first 20 minutes of my day. Talk to me around the 4th of July, I hope to be on pace. Then the week of Christmas you can check in again, it should be just finishing up.

Keep Tri-ing

Last year I became a triathlete. This year I want to continue that and take it to the next level. My goal is to compete in an Olympic distance triathlon and also improve my time in the sprint distance.

Summary:  Your mileage may vary. You may have more detail, you may have less. You may have more goals, you may have one. Please consider having at least one goal by the end of the week. You don’t need to conquer the world. You don’t need to do a complete 180 with your life. But let’s set ourselves up to succeed this year in new and exciting ways. Today was about publishing our goals. Later this week we’ll talk about a plan for executing them. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.