I really need to kick the 1 year 1 log habit of journaling or I’m going to miss the best bits! And by best bits, I do mean the little things that matter more than we think.
So for 2018, I’ve listed down quite a few resolutions (or goals as I prefer to call it) and divided them into four parts:
- Professional Goals
- Spiritual Goals
- Financial Goals
- Personal Goals
While I will not be sharing each individual goal as it is quite a private matter (also I have pretty big dreams so some of them are quite laughable and I’d rather not have anyone laughing at how delusional my goals can be), I would like to share the precise % of hitting my goals in each respective components!
Professionally, I have hit 66.67% of my targeted goals. The remainder of which I am confident I can achieve in a matter of time! Suffice to say, 2018 has been leaps and bounds of an improvement for my career and I honestly cannot be more excited for 2019!! That is to say, I am equally as nervous because we all know how volatile this industry is and as easily (although not really THAT easily for me) as success may befall upon you, it can as quickly be snatched away. So, never lose sight!
In terms of spiritual goals, I only achieved 42.85% which is less than half which really means I pretty much failed. Definitely loads of room for improvement in this aspect disappointingly.
Now, my financial goal is literally the only goal that I actually hit, which I am super ecstatic about. The only issue with this department is that I ended up overspending a pinch and I wasn’t able to put as much into my savings as I would’ve liked. Still, I’m glad I am able to contribute a portion to church/charity and my parents (#filial or what).
As for my personal goals, let’s just say I really kicked ass– in neglecting my personal objectives with a whooping 20% success rate.
Okay so here’s the conundrum. Are resolutions/goals/targets/objectives we set for ourselves a recipe for failure or motivation?
Haven’t we all heard of the “setting low expectations to avoid disappointment” quotes? Wouldn’t doing this just make our lives less stressful and a little more care-free?
But then, doesn’t setting low expectations just proves you may be unmotivated, unambitious or just plain lazy?
Where and how do we find the balance between setting realistic, achievable goals that are not too easily attained to stay motivated?
Here’s my simple answer: SELF-AWARENESS.
Let’s face it, when you have a good sense of your whole self– your capabilities, limits, preferences, aversions– it won’t be difficult to set resolutions that are sensible, achievable yet maintain a level of difficulty and challenge that will get you up on your ass and doing something.
Having said that, not everyone is made for goal-setting and resolutions. But if you know yourself well enough, you will know what works best for you.
Also, the method of how you go about achieving your goals matter greatly. For instance, some people tend to be “all talk no action”. Personally, I find the practice of not sharing your goals publicly and keeping them to yourself to be more effective.
Another few more key points to successful and satisfactory goal-keeping are:
- Keep your goals simple but specific
- Good example: Spiritual goal: Complete “Steps to Christ” by Ellen White
- Bad example: Be a better Christian
- Acquire the habit of looking at your written goals often (whether you’d prefer having them handy on your phone like me or to have it physically written out or have it mind mapped on your work desk or at home, it needs to be very accessible to you)
- Don’t beat yourself up if you are unable to realize some or a lot of your goals. Just bring them forward to the following year if they are still relevant in your life and prioritize them if they have grown in importance
Life is all about constant recalibration. In order to do that well, not only do you need to be self-aware, you need to always seek knowledge and information, have sufficient planning, and determine your destination and/or objectives.
In summary, 2018 for me was indeed an uphill climb. But every time I paused to take a breath, the view from where I stood was simple awe-inspiring.
I am further than I ever was on the path I’ve embarked on… it has been 5 years since the start of this journal entries (Ink Spills of My Heart – First Entry) and reading back, it’s been just crazy how far I’ve come and yet, I truly am proud that I am still that same resolute girl I used to be.
I always thought to myself… perhaps the reason why God didn’t want me to have overnight success and that I was never, ever handed a silver platter with anything I ever wanted for my career because He wanted me to earn it. And the reason for this slow, steady, yet completely organic process of building my fan base and my name, is to build my character and skill-set to prepare it for longevity in this line of work.
I imagined if I did get my break earlier on and became super famous… sustaining fame requires so much of persistence, perseverance, passion and patience (I swear I wasn’t looking for all words starting with “P”, it just happened lol).
I’ve seen so many overnight success peers who simply do not have the 4Ps to push on and continue this line of work. They think to themselves that they need to keep having these amazing breaks in their career and due to pressure coming from no one but themselves to continually do better (as one would expect one to do), then they would, in their own mind’s eye, feel like a failure when they do not get another break and tend to give up altogether pursuing this line of work. All they needed to do was to accept that overnight fame is simply a phenomenon and it could happen once or twice in your life maybe a lot more for some and none at all for others.
It really does take a very specific sort of character to endure this line of work with it’s maddening combos of instability, moments of exhilaration, extreme fluidity and rude awakenings. All of which, again, boils down to self-awareness as being the foundation of achieving success.
Now, more than ever, I understand God’s plan for me, and all I need to do is continue to trust it and keep up my good work.
It does become exponentially more difficult to find peace amongst the jarring noise that accumulates the more eyes are on me and this is where, more and more, constant self-reminder to persist to my truth is needed.
I have always, always admired those who are so successful and achieved so much yet are never boastful or arrogant or think oneself as superior than others. These people remind me that our successes are not meant for personal glory but instead for a sense of purpose in this beautiful mess we call life.
For 2019, I hope to keep up the momentum I’ve built thus far and continue to improve all aspects of my life professionally, spiritually, financially, and personally.
Happy New Year!
PS, I do feel confident in giving advise in goal-keeping (I’ve been doing this all my life so I‘ve gotten quite good at it) so do feel free to send me a message or ask me questions regarding this topic and I will gladly correspond!
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