If Star Wars could have one, so can I and so can you. With some intentioned thoughtfulness and planning we can see hope become reality.
I asked a friend, lets call him D, about his aspirations for 2025. We all know that New Year’s Resolutions are a bad idea, but there’s no harm in aspiring to something, right?
D said, “To be in control of his life.”
When I asked D what he meant it became quickly apparent that being in control meant having the financial freedom to work and play where and when he wants to.
This is a good aspiration, and one that D has been working on for sometime, unlike many of us who dream but do not try. This year he is going to put more energy into his own business, becoming the captain of his own ship, in order to realise at least the beginning of financial freedom, and that sense of control.
D also mentioned he wanted to feel the satisfaction of knowing he had achieved something that will benefit his family.
Community Connections
Ideas are fragile when shared with the wrong audience, but soloing through life is not only lonely, it cuts against the desire most of us feel to be connected. We need safe, uplifting people around us to keep us energized and focussed. In turn we can offer the same.
Celebrate Small Victories
I don’t know about you, but I am quite talented at giving criticism. On the other hand I hate receiving it as it leaves me feeling emotionally bereft. So instead of offering generous amounts of criticism to ourselves and others, start looking for reasons to celebrate. Small victories, uplifting traits, embers of hope smouldering in the struggle of life.
Persevere Through Stormy Seas
Not everything is going to go well, whether through our own mistakes or actions of others. This is where community can thrive. Seek to offer grounded encouragement — not clichéd platitudes — while helping each other to see what can be done better or differently.
I remember visiting some American friends one winter only to hear about one of their sons, who had tried seven times to start a successful business and failed every time. It was on the eighth time that he succeeded. This contrasts with some cultures I have experienced where you will be told to give up trying after one failure.
Appreciate Each Other
Appreciation from colleagues, peers, friends and family adds a massive boost of emotional energy. As you head towards your 2025 aspirations, appreciate those who go with you on the journey. Find ways to let them know how much they mean to you. This small act in itself will help you keep your head lifted high. The journey is just as important as the destination.
Plan for Success
I honestly felt like setting a new year’s goal of ‘no new years goals’!
Joking aside, I have to plan at work, so why don’t I plan for my own life goals?
Ditch Your Top-10 Ideas
In the book “4DX — Four Disciplines of Execution” (4DX) the authors make several key observations regarding bringing about change amidst the tornado of ‘business as usual’. Perhaps the most important is to focus on just one thing at a time. It is a well established fact that once we go beyond attempting to deliver more than one or maximum two projects simultaneously, our likelihood of success plummets.
Translating this into actionable thought, consider your aspirations for 2025, list the most important ‘top-10’ in order of significance. Then ditch 9!
That’s right, your good ideas are not good enough — you just need your best idea.
Focus, an overlooked aspect to productivity, needs a single high priority target, and that’s what you are giving yourself when you just work on that one best idea to move towards your goals for this year.
Be Selfish
You have to make sacrifices if you are going to succeed, and that means making tough choices about your time. You will need to make time every day (or at least weekly) to work towards your single best idea. This means your family and friends, your community will need to support you by allowing you, and even encouraging your use of time.
However, please don’t lock yourself away from your support crowd, and don’t lose sight of your responsibilities — change happens amongst the chaos of life or “business as usual”. The goal of financial freedom is not an excuse to ignore responsibilities at home or work.
Close Your Eyes and Hope for the Best
That’s a really dumb idea but too many of us do just that. The opposite means opening your eyes, looking ahead with sound judgement, making intentioned decisions and actions. In 4DX they talk about finding ‘Lead Measures’, actions that when done consistently will bring positive, predictable, progress. There is nothing wrong with ‘Lag Measures’ but they come too late to help us make proactive decisions.
Mountain Climbing
Mountain climbing is hard, full of risk and adrenaline, but comes with the reward and satisfaction of overcoming the stubborn rock-face.
Intentional change and achieving hopes and dreams is equally hard, if somewhat less tangible at times.
Getting Stronger
Daily and weekly habits are needed to be healthy, and for our own character to improve, and for our skills to level-up.
Not all of us find routine easy, and this is where community connections become invaluable, pushing us to keep going, climb harder, and succeed when we may be inclined to quit.
One Mountain at a Time
Setting your sights on the peaks of two mountains may feel awesome, but you will climb one at a time.
The route to the top needs mapping out, risks assessing, equipment preparing, and so-on. It is the same for those goals we want to achieve. There will be plenty of possible climbs tempting you, and more than one or two goals shouting out for attention, but you can just manage one at a time.
The good news is that as you are training for one peak, you are in reality preparing for the climbs that come after.
Aspirations once unassailable are conquered and you will become better at reaching your goals.
Map Your Route
Any complex journey is mapped out as a series of directions, just as any complex goal needs to be broken down into simpler, manageable pieces. This is called **analysis**. As you go through each stage of a climb, or journey, you get closer to your goal. Putting the pieces back together is the practice of **synthesis**. Both are needed for to attain any goal or aspiration.
Keep your goal in sight. Reflect on it, plan towards it, keep focus and most importantly act!
Happy 2025!
References:
The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Revised and Updated
ISBN: 1982156988 9781982156985
Published: Simon and Schuster
Authors: Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, Jim Huling, Scott Thele, Beverly Walker