Happy Friday and Happy New Year my friend.
Have you written down your goals for the New Year? If you haven't yet, you're not alone and there's still time. According to YouGov, only 34% of American's planned to give themselves New Year's resolutions for 2024. The number of people who actually write them down and go through with them is far less, but I have a hack for you.
I'm going to give you a way to pass your New Year's Pen Test as it were in 2 simple steps. Mind you I said simple and not easy:
1) Analysis by paralysis In Will Smith's memoir "Will" he shares one relevant story about his beginnings in Hollywood. Will was trying to decide between The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and his first hip-hop recording contract and was stuck. A very senior Hollywood producer took him aside and told him, “Will, there’s one way to fail in this industry, and that is paralysis by analysis.” Basically, just stop thinking and go forward. Over analysis leads to decision fatigue, so just decide that you're going to set some goals for 2024. But where to start? That's number 2.
2) Most people have only 3 types of goals According to Brian Tracy, a public speaker who has coached thousands of people on goal setting over several decades, most people only have 3 kinds of goals: health goals, relationship goals and financial goals.
So, this is the place to start. It can apply to personal as well as professional goals. Let's go through them.
Health Goals. Losing weight tops the list in this category but I encourage you to expand on this idea and give yourself deadlines. For example, completing the Honolulu Marathon in December or lowering your cholesterol levels by 10% by July 1st.
There are also professional health goals for a healthy team. For example, scheduling quarterly out-of-office team building exercises such as a hike or breakout room or all-staff stretching or yoga sessions 2-3 times per week.
Relationship Goals. These again can be both personal and professional. For example, have 1 date night each month for 12 months or create 4 major family memories (one per quarter). Professionally, meet with your top clients in-person at least once per quarter or improve NPS (customer satisfaction) by 15% by year end.
Financial Goals. This one can be a bit harder since it's easier to quantify financial gains but achieving them can be elusive. According to Jim Rohn, income is a reflection of you and your company's value to the marketplace and seldom exceeds personal development. So, why not focus on becoming a better you?
Can you enroll in classes that allows you to become a better manager, leader or improve your technical skills? Goals in this category might include enrolling in and completing a Dale Carnegie Sales or Management class (taught locally), taking evening or extension classes at a nearby community college to increase technical skills, attending monthly networking sessions at the Chamber of Commerce or joining a local trade organization such as BIA to magnify the number of people you can help in the community.
The best way to stick with a new practice is to announce it to others. Feel free to share your goals for 2024 by replying to this email or drop us a line on LinkedIn or Facebook. With a little goal setting, 2024 could be your best year ever!
Stay safe out there.
-Attila
PS. If you think this email might be of value to a friend or colleague, feel free to forward it along. Also, if you've read this far, I'll share a bio-hack I picked up recently. Try brushing your teeth after eating dinner. It may help keep you from snacking before going to bed.
New Friday Funnies
Youth is when you're allowed to stay up for New Year's.
Middle age is when you're forced to.