Setting Goals in 2021?

It’s a new year in a new era, and it’s also a time when most of us set goals or make plans for the upcoming months. I set aside time today to think about my goals and desires for the next 12 months and the challenges you and I all face when trying to create certainty in uncertain times.

How did 2020 change your hopes and dreams and plans for the future? Are you setting goals and making plans? Or have those fallen by the wayside in light of the current pandemic? How has your life, and how have your dreams, changed?

In some ways my life changed only a little. I tend to be an introvert, so the enforced isolation hasn’t affected me emotionally as significantly as it has others. However, my plans for work – attending events, networking, hosting open houses, meeting with clients face-to-face – came to an abrupt halt. I had no backup plans, so I faltered. My failed plans developed a momentum of their own, and many of my normal routines and habits also fell by the wayside. I think that was both a blessing and a curse because it’s caused me to re-evaluate how I approach my planning process.

I don’t believe in compartmentalization in our lives, nor do I believe in “balance.” I believe in integration, convergence, consolidation, incorporation. Every year I try and move more towards having my personal life and my professional life work in harmony. So what does this look like as I step forward into 2021?

• First, I am keeping my goals simple, achievable, and most significantly a fit for my personality so as not to become overwhelmed if circumstances change. And I am keeping my plans flexible so they can change with the changing times.

• Second, I have set aside establishing specific financial goals, and instead I am setting my sights on the number of people I can serve. I believe if I keep my focus on the people I serve, the finances will take care of themselves.

• Third, I am committing to simple processes, disciplines and accountabilities that will help me stay on track. Without elaborating on all the specifics, I vow to love and respect my calendar!

• Fourth, I am including my personal needs and desires on that same calendar and treating them with the same respect I give to my professional work. All of it is necessary for me to have a productive and healthy life.

• And finally, but most importantly, I am committed to letting my desire to serve others to the best of my ability govern everything I think, say and do. My hope is to do more, do better, and be better connected in 2021.

What about you? What are your plans? And how can I help?

Wishing you all the best in the coming year!