Tips for Setting New Goals at Any Age

The best development conversation I ever had happened 15 years ago. It started with a “simple” question. Where do you want to be in 2045? This conversation was with my first commander after becoming a pilot in the US Air Force. He is one of the best leaders I have ever worked for and said he had had many of these conversations before. “I find it easiest to start at the end,” he said. Did I want to be a General? Did I want to become an airline pilot? Did I want to do something else entirely? My answer to that initial question would inform how the rest of the conversation would go. He didn’t expect my answer, but that is another story. This advice of starting at the end is true for every goal. You need to start with an idea of where you want to go in the longer term, in order to know what you need to do in the short term. This is why I like to break goals into two parts: A long-term direction A short-term target The long-term direction is just that, a direction. I don’t know exactly where I want to end up, but I have a general idea. When thinking even 12 months in the future, it isn’t worth spending that much time creating a detailed vision of where you want to be because things change. The short-term target is another story. You want this to be as precise as possible so you know the exact actions you need to take and can measure if you have achieved it. So for me, goal setting looks like this: Where do you want to be in 12 months? What do you need to do in the next 3 months, to be on track for that 12 month goal? After 3 months, you measure where you are at and then create a new 12 month goal. That keeps you moving forward and learning from what you either achieve or fail to achieve. Where do you want to be in 12 months? #Goals #Progress #GoalSetting

Setting goals at the beginning of each year is easy. Spending time reflecting on things that keep getting in your way is the much harder part. I found these 7 reflections by Shane Parrish helpful in gearing up for the new year: 1) You're Fired: focus on doing more of what works and less of what doesn't. → Reflection: Imagine being fired as the CEO of your own life and replaced by someone exceptional. What would they do differently? What would they focus on more? 2) Eliminate Ruthlessly: prioritize doing less but better. Instead of juggling too many tasks and priorities, zero in on the RIGHT things. → Reflection: List 10 objectives for 2024. Circle the 3-4 most crucial to you. Everything else? Consider it your 'avoid at all costs' list. 3) Passive Mode: unlock the secret of letting the world work for you. → Reflection: Where might you be passively waiting for action from others? Identify proactive steps you can take to initiate positive outcomes. 4) Avoid Weaknesses: design your life to sidestep your weaknesses. → Reflection: Identify your weaknesses and strategize to avoid them as much as possible. Consider areas like investment, people management, cooking, or hiring, and plan to address these challenges. 5) Avoid Toxic People: purge toxicity from your life. → Reflection: Conduct an inventory of the people in your personal and online circles. Who uplifts you? Who drains your energy? Focus on those who inspire and offer new perspectives. 6) Film Crew: model the actions of successful individuals. → Reflection: Think about the actions you'd want captured on film and those you wouldn't. Why is there a difference? 7) Easy Mode / Hard Mode: remember, there are no extra points for difficulty in real life. Top achievers often operate in 'easy mode', achieving better results effortlessly compared to others struggling in 'hard mode'. → Reflection: How can you simplify your challenges? What can you do today to make tomorrow easier? What actions this year will strengthen your position next year? #GoalSetting #PersonalDevelopment #LeadershipInsights

A few years ago, I embarked on a health and well-being journey. I’ll be honest, I didn’t prioritize my health earlier in my career. As a result of multiple high-stress roles, I found myself on a path that was hurtling towards a potentially lower healthspan in my thirties and forties. I’m now in the fourth year of my health journey and here's what I’ve learned about how to make a health and fitness comeback – at any age: 1) Start small with the basics It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the health information, products and systems available today. Instead, go back to the basics by focusing on the foundational pillars of health and wellbeing: eat well, move your body, spend time with loved ones, get ample rest and sleep. 2) Develop micro-habits Habits are one of the most powerful forces we can use to help us achieve our goals in life and work. But it’s not always easy to build new habits we can stick to. That’s why I’m a firm believer in micro-habits: small, daily practices that I can easily entrench into my lifestyle and routine – no matter how busy I get. For example, nearly every day I make sure to find 10-15 minutes and a space where I can sip a cup of chai or meditate. 3) Set short-term and long-term goals It’s great to have yearly health goals, but I’ve found that it’s been useful to set longer-term goals for multiple years and even decades into the future. This year, I sat down and sketched out short-term goals that would feed into my long-term goals. Knowing what I want to accomplish in the long run helps me break down bigger goals into smaller habits I can pursue now. For example, I know that when I’m 80, I want to be able to run, hike and lift my grandkids onto my shoulders. That means adding weight training into my fitness routine now so that I can lay the foundation for building (and keeping) my muscle mass. I’m a firm believer that we’re never too old to regain control of our health and wellness. If anyone else started their health and wellbeing journey later in life, I’d love to hear about your experience!