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My 2024 Goals

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2024 Annual Goals

Setting annual goals gives us DIRECTION for the year ahead. 

Where we end up as a result of goal setting is UNKNOWN but wouldn’t you rather be going in the DIRECTION YOU SET instead of anywhere else?

Annual goal setting gives us PURPOSE & MEANING and the more we work on our goals, the more PURPOSE & MEANING we bring into our lives. 

Using the template outlined in my blog post Setting Dream Driven Goals, I ask myself the following four questions for each area of my life to set my goals for 2024. 

  • What are my DREAM DRIVEN GOALS?
  • WHY are these goals important to me?
  • HOW will I achieve these goals?
  • What METRICS will I use to measure progress?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All of my goals and everything I do align with the concepts of I Am Enough and Less is More. 

Below are my 2024 Annual Goals for each area of my life,

1. SENSE OF SELF:

Before I dive into my goals in this area, I’ll explain what Sense of Self means to me. 

This category combines my spirituality, personal development, personal strategy and my relationship with myself. This category is all about who I am, who I want to be and how I feel about myself & the world around me. This is also where I work on the concepts of self love, self worth, self esteem, self belief, self trust, self confidence, self assurance, self understanding, self respect, self awareness and self observation.

The success of this category determines the success in all other categories of my life and so it is the most important category of my life. 

What are my Sense of Self Dream Driven Goals?

  • To prioritise, understand and learn more about myself to bring the best version of my truest, most authentic self to my life, my relationships & the world. 
  • To learn more about, grow and stay grounded spiritually. 
  • To utilise, improve and learn more about my personal strategy.

WHY are my Sense of Self goals important to me?

My Sense of Self has taken a bit of a battering over the past few years and so it’s pretty unstable at the moment. This means my entire life feels unstable – this is not a nice place to be and not somewhere I want to spend too much more time in!

My personal strategy keeps me on top of everything & ensures I get everything done with no stress, strain or pressure! The more visibility & understanding I have in my life, the more I can see what areas I want to improve and change. 

When I don’t utilise my personal strategy I feel disorganised, overwhelmed, under pressure, stressed, less grounded, less happy & less fulfilled. 

HOW will I achieve my Sense of Self goals?

  • Learn more about sprituality, psychology and concepts of self 
  • Create my personal strategy for 2024 and carry out regular plans and reviews 
  • Journal daily – daily journaling is a game changer in terms of self awareness
  • Spend sufficient time in solitude – I’m an introvert and so solitude is as important to me as oxygen is! 

 What METRICS will measure progress towards my Sense Self goals?

Progress in terms of ‘Sense of Self’ is difficult to measure, it’s almost intangible. It is however closely linked to my happiness, contentment and fulfillment of which all of the above add to immensely.

Currently I don’t have a measure for this category other than how joyful I feel every day and what I learn about myself. 

 

2. RELATIONSHIPS:

What are my relationship Dream Driven Goals?

To nurture & improve my relationships & spend quality time with Mike, my family & friends  This part of my life is really just about enjoying the company of those I love and who love me.

There is no greater gift!  

My beloved Dad passed away last year. Learning to live with my Dad’s physical absence is something that I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to. I don’t even know how I’ll get used to life without him, it’s just so incomprehensible.  

WHY are my relationship goals important to me?

My relationships with those I love are my greatest source of happiness and I want to ensure my relationships are given the time and focus that they deserve.

The work I do in the Sense of Self category will also support my relationships to ensure I bring the best version of my truest, most authentic self to my relationships 

HOW will I achieve my relationship goals?

  • Navigate the journey of grief for my beloved Dad which brings me much sadness.
  • Spend precious time with Mike, my family and friends which brings me much joy.

What METRICS will measure progress towards my relationship goals?

There are no metrics in this category although I do ensure I capture the precious time I spend with those I love in photos and journaled memories.

 

3. HEALTH:

What are my health Dream Driven Goals?

Mental & Emotional Health: To nurture & improve my mental & emotional health to create mental & emotional stability and strength. 

Physical Health: To nurture and improve my physical health to be the healthiest, fittest and strongest I can be.

WHY are my health important to me?

My health is the foundation on which everything else is built – without health, nothing else can thrive. 

Over the past few years, my entire perspective on my health has changed. It is no longer about being healthy because I enjoy eating well, exercising and fitting into my clothes. Health is now about longevity and having fitness, strength & mobility to enjoy that longevity.

Dr Lisa Misconi says ‘Your health in mid life is the biggest determining factor of your health in later life’. This is why it is so important to be the healthiest, fittest and strongest I have ever been!

I feel more grounded, happy, joyful, less anxious, less overwhelmed, less stressed and more at peace with myself, life & everything when I feel fit and healthy.

HOW will I achieve my health goals?

I make the same health goals every year and have learned that progress is not linear. Some years I am at my healthiest, fittest and strongest and some years I am not.

What matters is not so much linear progress, but what I learn about my health and the continuous work I put in to improve it.

1. Mental & Emotional Health: 

To understand and prioritise what supports my mental health. For me, mental health is the most important element of overall health as without mental health, nothing else will function optimally. 

To understand and prioritise what supports my emotional life. I’m an Enneagram 4 and so pretty much live on my emotions! Managing my emotions needs to be a daily practise to stay sane! 

2. Physical Health: 

Continuously work on my physical health to be the healthiest, fittest and strongest I can be. I do this through embedding healthy habits for nutrition, exercise, sleep, relaxation etc. Here I schedule and monitor results of health check ups – optician, dentist, bloods etc. 

 What METRICS will measure progress towards my health goals?

  • Health metrics of BMI, weight, nutrition, exercise, sleep etc
  • Health checks completed and progress on same 

 

4. FINANCE: 

What are my finance Dream Driven Goals?

I only have one Financial Dream Driven Goal – to achieve and enjoy Financial Freedom. 

Financial Freedom is defined as ‘having sufficient income, savings or investments to live comfortably for life and meet all one’s obligations without relying on a salary’. 

I have learned a huge amount about Financial Freedom from Tony Robbin’s excellent book Money – Master the Game. Tony says Financial Freedom is ‘a long-term plan to build the life of your dreams. Tony also says ‘success is doing what you want to do, when you want, where you want, with whom you want, as much as you want, that’s also financial freedom’.

Both of these definitions sit well with me and sum up my dreams for Financial Freedom! 

WHY are my finance goals important to me?

For me, financial freedom isn’t about having a certain amount of money or buying material things. Financial freedom is more about using my financial situation to have the freedom to enjoy all other areas of life as much as possible. 

  • I want the freedom to give as much time as I want to other area of my life
  • I want the freedom to work for joy and not for the necessity of money
  • I want the freedom to contribute to the world however I want to

HOW will I achieve my finance goals?

I use the word ‘abundantly’ throughout my 2024 financial goals as I believe that reaching financial goals has as much to do with a growth and abundance mindset as it has to do with money. 

  • To abundantly spend and enjoy spending 

To enjoy and monitor my spending.

I’m not great at sticking to a budget but what I am very good at is monitoring spend in great detail. This ensures I know exactly how much I spend and can adjust my habits accordingly. 

  • To abundantly increase my financial value 

To increase my financial value – my financial value is my total savings, investments and pensions.

I find financial value is a better metric than earnings as while you could be staying on the same earnings, your financial value could be increasing depending on your savings, investments and pensions. 

In stark contrast your earnings could be increasing but if you are not saving and investing, your financial value could be decreasing.

This year I have one very large financial project and many smaller projects that will all increase my financial value and move me a few steps closer to financial freedom. 

  • To continue with my break from earning money

This is something I never thought I’d say – take a break from earning money! Actually this will be my 3rd year in a row earning less money.

This reduction in earnings has resulted in abundance of another type. I have abundance in terms of time which brings me more joy than any amount of money ever could. With this time, I plan to learn more about finance and build the foundation for my business..

These learnings and business foundation will in time support me to earn more.

  • To abundantly learn more about finance 

To learn more about personal finance and continue to embed a growth and abundance mindset in terms of finance. I haven’t read many books on finance but the books I have read have made a huge impact on me.and my financial decisions.

Below are books I highly recommend to learn more about personal finance. 

  1. Money – Master the Game by Tony Robbins – I highly recommend this excellent book’. I didn’t understand all of it but it’s worth reading for chapter 8 which is all about financial freedom. According to Tony, it’s not as difficult to achieve as you may think. I listened to this on audible as I found it easier to understand as some chapters I had to listen to a few times.
  1. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill – this bestselling book was on my bookshelf for years before I finally read it last year and I look forward to reading it again this year. It’s the type of book that you can read over and over again as you go deeper and deeper into it’s wisdom. A must read for anyone serious about financial freedom! 
  1. Mindset by Carol Dwecke – If you want to learn more about a growth mindset I highly recommend you read Carol Dwecke’s book Mindset. This book teaches the difference between having a growth mindset and a fixed mindset and the consequences of both. I truly believe that having a growth mindset is the first step to reaching financial goals. 
  1. Rich Dad, Poor Dad – This is a very easy read as the lessons it teaches are told through a brilliant story. The financial teachings are easy to understand and jargon free which is how I like to learn about finance. I found many similarities between this book and Mindset in terms of the importance of a growth and abundance mindset when it comes to finance.  

What METRICS will measure progress towards my finance goals?

  • Progress in large and mini projects 
  • Monitor total spend which is detailed, capital and business spend
  • Monitor total financial value which is profit, property & pensions (minus debt)
  • Monitor total earnings and income
  • Document and action financial learnings 

 

5. WORK:

I currently spend the least time in this category which is ironic as for 25 years it is where I spent the most time! Even though I now spend the least time here, it is the area of my life that is changing the most. 

Having left my day job in October 2021, I am currently in between working for others and working for myself. 

My only focus at the moment in terms of work is on writing, writing and more writing! 

What are my work Dream Driven Goals?

  • To be a writer and build my own business
  • To practice and teach Lean philosophy
  • To continuously learn and improve my skills
  • To enjoy every minute of this process

 WHY are my work goals important to me?

  • My favourite thing to do is write.
  • My second favourite thing to do is read which helps me be a better writer.
  • I have always wanted to work for myself and have total freedom over my work, my time, my finances and my creativity. 
  • My business will be a channel to achieving financial freedom. While I’m not focused on earning money from my business at the moment I will be building the foundation on which money can be earned in the future.

HOW will I achieve my work goals?

  • Create more time to read and write
  • Write weekly emails consistently – you can sign up for my weekly email here
  • Write new blog posts and learn more about writing and blogging
  • Write and share social media posts consistently 

What METRICS will measure progress towards my work goals?

  • Progress in creating more time to read and write
  • Consistency in sending weekly emails and posting on social media
  • Consistency in writing and publishing new blog posts
  • Learnings and improvement in my skills 

 

6. EXPERIENCES/FUN:

What are my Dream Driven Goals?

To have enjoyable experiences, have fun, smile, laugh out loud & not take life too seriously!

WHY are my Dream Driven Goals important to me?

Because it makes me feel good! 

 HOW will I achieve my Dream Driven Goals? 

  • Spend time with loved ones who make me smile, laugh and bring me so much joy
  • Plan experiences that bring me joy and make me feel alive
  • Be more aware of everyday activities that bring me joy and do more of them
  • Be more aware of everyday activities that don’t bring me joy and do less of them

What METRICS will measure progress towards my Dream Driven goals?

There are no metrics in this category although I do ensure I capture fun times in photos and journaled memories.  

 

7. ENVIRONMENT:

What are my Dream Driven Goals?

To improve and enjoy my environment which is our home on a personal level. Remove everything that doesn’t serve me and only keep what brings me joy. 

WHY are my Dream Driven Goals important to me?

Because it makes me feel good and I enjoy looking after & improving our living space.

HOW will I achieve my Dream Driven Goals? 

  • Carry out Marie Kondo’s decluttering in our home. Marie’s overarching teaching is to remove anything from our homes that doesn’t SPARK JOY! Marie’s book ‘The Magic Art of Tidying Up’ is a must for anyone who wants more space in their home and life! 
  • Decorate our home with the support of an interior designer. This has been on my goals for 2 years and I haven’t got to it yet – maybe this year!

What METRICS will measure progress towards my Dream Driven goals?

  • Progress in Marie Kondo’s decluttering on our home. 
  • Progress in decorating our home with the support of an interior designer

8. CONTRIBUTION

What are my Dream Driven Goals?

To contribute to the world financially and also with my time & skills.

WHY are my Dream Driven Goals important to me?

I want to give back because the world has given and continues to give me so much 

HOW will I achieve my Dream Driven Goals? 

  • I have been supporting 4 main charities that mean a lot to me for many years. All of these charity direct debits are currently on hold as I’m not working but I contribute financially to charities with once off payments. 
  • Contribute to the world with my time & my skills – this means different things at different times

That’s it, my 2024 goals.

Whatever your goals are, I wish you success, love, health and happiness as you live your best life every day. 

If you want to follow my journey, you can sign up to my weekly newsletter by downloading my free ebook ‘The A-Z of Effective Change’ below. 

Thanks for reading,

Siobhain

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The Change Curve

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Image Credit: Madhuri Gupta

The Kubler-Ross model was first introduced to the world by Swiss American psychiatrist Elizabeth Kubler-Ross in her 1969 book ‘Death and Dying’. The Kubler-Ross model initially explained the 5 stages of loss a person goes through when faced with a terminal illness or the loss of a loved one. In her posthumous published book, Kubler-Ross extended her model to include any form of loss such as loss of a job, loss of income, loss of health, loss of a relationship, basically loss of anything that has meaning to us. In this book a 6th stage was suggested which is the stage of Meaning.

The 6 stages of the Kubler-Ross model then became Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance and Meaning.

Through the years, the model has been widely accepted and adopted as emotions we feel not just when loss is experienced but when we go through significant change of any kind, – positive or challenging, wanted or unwanted, planned or unplanned.

 The model, in various forms is widely used in business as a support system to successfully navigate organisational change. The model can also be used in terms of any personal change to understand why we feel what we feel during times of change.

Below are the 6 stages of the Kubler-Ross model in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic that we are all currently living through, by far the biggest change the world has ever seen on such a global scale in our lifetimes. In terms of the Covid-19 pandemic we are at the beginning of the changes that this virus has made and will make to our world. As the future for us all is so uncertain this a perfect time to utilise the Kubler-Ross model to understand the feelings we may be experiencing, based on the changes the pandemic has caused and will cause to our lives.

Stage 1 – Denial

The collective loss from Covid-19 has been on an epic scale and has affected every single person in the world and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

As the world continues to be in varying degrees of lockdown, social distancing and cocooning, feelings of denial may surface. The losses have been different for everyone – some people have lost their lives, of which there is no greater loss. On publishing this post, the death toll worldwide is over 200,000. This means 200,000 families have lost a loved one to Covid-19.

This loss of life is on an unimaginable scale and truly heartbreaking.

Kubler-Ross in her model explained that this first stage is one of shock and denial where time is needed to process the loss/change. It is normal at this time to feel that this is not happening, that somehow there has been a mistake, that what we are experiencing is not true. It is also normal to feel low energy and lack of motivation for anything. This can be a short lived stage moving on to the next stage quickly or people can remain in this stage for a long time making it harder to move to the next stage.

At this relatively early stage of Covid-19, a lot of people have lost jobs, incomes, businesses and we have all lost some element of freedom and miss spending precious time with our loved ones. In this stage it is not uncommon for people to lay blame with someone/something and cling to a false, preferred reality. Whatever loss you have experienced due to Covid-19 or anything else in life, do know that feelings of denial are normal and a natural part of the process we need to go through to accept and ultimately thrive in a new reality.

Stage 2 – Anger

When the loss or change is finally realised and denial is no longer an option, anger sets in. Anger at the loss, anger at the unknown future that lies ahead and anger at the entire situation. This is a stage of anger at oneself, anger at others and anger with life in general. People can be irritated, frustrated, negative, short tempered and can feel like they are a victim during this stage. Usually during this stage the future is most uncertain.

In terms of the Covid-19 pandemic this is very true, no-one knows what will happen with the virus and no-one knows what the future holds for our lives, our jobs, our economy, our families and what level of ‘normal life’ we will return to.

Kubler-Ross in her studies (supported by subsequent findings) noted that some people can alternate between denial and anger for some time which makes sense in the current Covid-19 situation as the future is so unknown. Anger is a well recognised emotion of loss/change and is an important part of the human emotional spectrum. When managed effectively, anger can support us and help us to move to the next stage of the Kubler-Ross model.

Stage 3 – Bargaining

In the third stage of the Kubler-Ross model there is a hope that there could be another outcome to the reality of what is happening. For example in terms of job/income loss one might bargain by saying ‘I’ll never take my job/income for granted again’. In terms of a business/relationship loss one might bargain by saying ‘I’ll spend more time on my business/relationship in the future’. Bargaining can take the form of many guises – anything that takes away the pain of the loss/change and in some way makes the loss/change seem less real.

In this stage we look for a better, more positive outcome because we do not want to accept or deal with reality.

Stage 4 – Depression

During this stage many negative emotions are felt –  immense sadness, fear, regret, worry, doubt, confusion, orientation, causing low mood and low energy. People may become indifferent and reclusive, push people away and have no interest in or excitement about life itself or anything else that once gave meaning to their lives.

This is a stage of despair where there seems to be little or no light at the end of the tunnel.

Awareness of this stage goes a long way to working through these emotions to move to the next stage. If you find yourself in this stage, reach out for help. There is so much support available to help you understand these feelings and work through this stage.

Stage 5 – Acceptance

In the penultimate stage there is a realisation that denial of, being angry at, bargaining with and being depressed about the loss/change will not make the situation any different. It is here in this stage that we stop resisting the situation and accept it completely. We may not be happy with the new situation but we accept it nonetheless which is crucial to enable us to move forward.

The new situation we find ourselves in becomes the ‘new normal’, routines are rebuilt, everything starts to become second nature and there seems to be not just light but happiness, contentment, fulfillment and optimism for the future at the end of the tunnel.

Previous feelings of sadness, fear, regret, worry, doubt, confusion, orientation and low energy diminish and are replaced by forward thinking, confidence, excitement, engagement, optimism with high energy and hope for the future. As positive as this stage may sound, there is still work to be done as planning for the new future can cause worry, doubt and confusion.

By learning about and and using the Kubler-Ross model we may want to skip all of the previous stages and get to the acceptance stage as it seems like a nicer, more pleasant, easier place to be. However this is not possible, every stage of the Kubler-Ross model fulfills a purpose that ultimately allows acceptance. No matter how dark the tunnel may seem, there is always light and much more than you can imagine at the other end.

In terms of Covid-19, we don’t know what the future holds and so all we can do is accept the current situation which is different for all of us at the moment.

‘We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude…I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you…we are in charge of our attitudes.‘

 Charles Swindoll

Stage 6 – Meaning

In this final stage, the loss/change has been accepted, the ‘new normal’ created has been accepted and this ‘new normal’ starts to take on meaning. Life starts to feel normal again and plans start to take shape for the future. As the ‘new normal’ becomes more enjoyable and has more meaning, people can start to look back at the journey of loss/change that they have come through. Learnings from this change cycle can be evaluated and understood that will support us when the next wave of change comes our way. We evolve and grow from every change in our lives, how much we evolve and grow is very much in our control.

If you want to learn more about having meaning in life, I highly recommend Viktor Frankl’s book ‘Man’s Search For Meaning’.

This book is absolutely life changing and gives meaning to meaning!!!!

Viktor E. Frankl was professor of neurology and psychiatry at the University of Vienna medical School until his death in 1997. His 32 books have been translated into 26 languages. During World War II he spent 3 years in Auschwitz, Dachau and other concentration camps.

‘Man’s Search For Meaning’ is Frankl’s recollection of his time in the concentration camps where everything was taken from him yet he still managed to find meaning to his life. This book is not just a holocaust survivor story, it is a brilliant masterpiece of hope, resilience, survival and an insight into the depths of the human strength that we all carry within us. This book reminds us that no matter how hard life gets, no matter what gets thrown at us or taken from us, as long as we are still alive we can always choose to bring meaning to our lives.

We may not move through the Kubler-Ross model in a linear fashion or step by step, instead we may move through the model in a random order, going back and forth between each stage with each stage lasting a different length of time. We are all unique, we all live unique lives and so we all experience loss/change differently. The Kubler-Ross model is a support system that can help you move from stage to stage and reassure you that what you feel is completely normal.

There is and always will be light at the end of every tunnel.

I hope you and your families are safe and well and that your ‘Change Curve’ due to Covid-19 or anything else isn’t too steep,

Want to read more about change?

Download your free e-book ‘The A-Z of Effective Change’ below. 

Thanks for reading,

Siobhain

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