In a recent email, James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, has said, “It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner or an expert as long as you’re on the path. If a beginner is on the path, all they need is time. If an expert is off the path, they won’t be an expert for long.”
At the beginning of the year, many people begin to think about their path, how to change direction and/or get back on their preferred path. So with these thoughts, simple “New Year’s Resolutions” begin to be formed. However we want to be people with purpose and not just simple task-oriented folks. It is good to think about your path and where you’re going but knowing how to get there can be make the difference between ending the year a person with new skills and/or habits versus being that typical “Valentine’s Day” resolution breaker because you can’t competently complete all our new tasks.
If you want to be an achiever, setting goals properly can make all the difference to your success. I believe that thinking about YOUR habits (good or bad) and life goals is how you achieve a better future and is one of the best ways to start. However, I think “less is more” when it comes to goals as well as thinking about how you can couple your new expected goals to habits you’re already doing well. Doing this will create the likelihood that you’ll succeed and feel accomplished while so doing.
Of course, we always hear that you should create “SMART” goals but in my experience, I always struggle with making them “achievable” and “relevant” because, like many people, I have audacious goals and/or I’m not sure how to accomplish them. I think that is why I like to keep my goals to a few simple changes with a good, yet short timeline. I think that having big goals is how we become amazing people but the small steps are even more important to large changes down the path. Life really is about those 1 degree tiny shifts. It is about having an overall vision of your life’s path and what you want, but setting little goals that get you there with a more satisfied expectations of yourself.
I really like rule 7 in Jordon Peterson’s book “12 Rules For Life – An Antidote to Chaos,” which is to “pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient).” Don’t get stuck making goals that someone else finds valuable, in the valley of the typical peer-pressured society we share. When our goals mean something to us we are more likely to achieve them. Making your goals more personal to yourself, down a path that you seek and in a direction that is true to yourself is a path worth pursuing.
So in summary, I’d suggest to make fewer, yet more meaningful goals that you can couple to areas of your life that you have already seen some success. In closing, the best place to figure out who you are, what you want to become and how to get there, is in nature so strap on your backpack filled with your favorite Teton Hammock Company gear and go find a quiet, comfortable path to reflect on YOUR path…even in the cold of winter!
