“If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes.” – Andrew Carnegie
A new year always comes with new resolutions, but most of these resolutions will be short-lived.
The gym will have new faces that regular members have never seen before, and these individuals will commit to working out daily…For about 1-2 weeks at best.
Contrary to popular belief, pure motivation comes and goes.
For this reason, one must follow the correct framework in order to ensure that his or her resolutions last the entire year.
Introducing SMART goals:
S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Attainable
R – Relevant
T – Time-bound
Using this mnemonic in the past has helped me set practical objectives that I was able to attain with enough time management, diligence, and delayed gratification.
Throughout my life, I would visualize where I’d want to be in 10 years and then work my way backwards.
For example, if my mission was to become a neurosurgeon, I’d set that as the long-term goal and then break it down into short-term ones: matching into residency, scoring X on Step 1, getting into medical school, getting Y+ GPA, doing Z activities, and so forth.
Another useful analogy is to view your life as a boat.
A boat would just float adrift and likely crash onto some deserted island with no final destination, but give it a defined location and the story changes.
Although it’s not efficient to plan one’s entire life out, envisioning the future has helped me create the life I want to live.
Jordan Peterson, a renowned clinical psychologist and author, emphasizes the notion that true fulfillment is found within the climb rather than at the top of the mountain–and he’s spot on.
Whenever I accomplish something, I’m ecstatic for the first couple of minutes–and the next thing you know–it becomes the norm and I’m striving towards to the next goal.
Assuming that meaning is derived from the achievement will cause one to enter this never-ending cycle of periodic happiness.
Thus, it’s in your best interest to focus on the process when it comes to living a meaningful life.
The future is near impossible to predict, however, it is possible to bend it to your will.
Let all our resolutions become ingrained in us.
Happy New Year.
JL