About this time of year I start thinking about the things that I want to accomplish during the coming year. I also reflect on my goals from the past year. I call them goals and not resolutions because they are rarely resolute and the nature of the goals are not such that you can resolve to do them. You can resolve to not eat sugar or resolve to read your scriptures every day, but I don’t think the term “resolve” really applies to getting your cholesterol checked. You see, I agree with the colloquial view that “resolutions are made to be broken”. Resolutions are typically unattainable or require a steely nerve and a constant uphill battle that I simply don’t have. So I settle for New Year’s “Goals” which are much more within reach and harder to get discouraged about. My goals usually don’t require an entire year’s worth of work to do (as going to the gym everyday would) but are still lofty and provide me with a challenge throughout the year. If I don’t accomplish a goal, I don’t get discouraged, I just reevaluate the goal and put it back on the list for next year or I forget about it.
While we’re on the subject of goals, let me enumerate a few things that I have learned about goal setting.
1) Goals must be attainable
2) A goal should be quantifiable
3) A goal that isn’t written down, isn’t a goal
4) If you don’t evaluate how you are doing, you probably won’t do any better
5) Goals don’t attain themselves. You better have a plan.
6) As my brother says, “It is better to aim a little lower and attain your goal than aim for the stars, give up along the way and land in a pile of crap”
Some might think that last one a pessimistic view, but I like to think of it as baby steps. Believe it or not there are doctrinal principles behind all six of these points.
All this being said, 2008 wasn’t a very good year for me as far as goals go. Don’t get me wrong. I worked diligently on many of these goals, but alas.
Select Goals for 2008:
Lose weight by October (details omitted in this posting)—FAILED
Publish 3 Papers—FAILED
Get Cholesterol Checked—FAILED
Build a financial reserve—FAILED
Read an Organic Chemistry textbook—FAILED
Get adequate sleep—FAILED
Pass Prelim—SUCCESS
Have FHE regularly—SUCCESS (qualified)
Find renewed enjoyment in attending and serving at church--SUCCESS
