Setting better goals in 2025
December and early January are the perfect time to set goals for the new year. As one year ends, and another begins, there’s an energy of newness, as if anything is possible in the new year. It is. But if you set your goals or resolutions the same way you’ve set them in years past, you’re likely to get the same frustrating outcome.
The Hidden Traps of Traditional Goal Setting
Success in corporate environments often comes from excellence in execution and meeting deliverables. This conditioning leads many leaders to approach their career and personal goals with the same tactical mindset. However, this approach can become a liability because it doesn’t consider the power of changing well-established patterns and habits.
Many professionals excel at crafting detailed action plans and delivering against them, yet find themselves at year's end feeling unsatisfied with the progress, purpose, and fulfillment they achieved that year. They get a lot done, but miss opportunities for genuine impact, connection, growth, and joy.
The Cost of Staying Busy
When leaders constantly anticipate the next break or weekend, they inadvertently wish away their present experiences. This pattern creates a perpetual state of waiting for life to begin, while meaningful moments slip away unnoticed. The result is a year filled with achievements but lacking both in real progress, and in genuine satisfaction and connection.
Better Goals in 3 Steps
Success in the coming year requires a fundamental shift in planning approach. Here's a proven framework for creating meaningful goals that align with personal values and foster genuine fulfillment:
1. Focus on Characteristics Over Outcomes
Instead of listing specific achievements, define desired experiences
Identify emotional qualities you want more of in your life
Consider what creates genuine connection and joy
Think about opportunities for personal growth and learning
2. Look Backwards, Not Forwards
Imagine yourself at year-end looking backward
Consider what experiences would make the year meaningful
Reflect on what you'd regret not doing
Envision the quality of experiences you want to have
3. Commit and Schedule
Keep goals visible, commit to achieving them, and regularly review progress
Schedule important experiences rather than waiting for free time
Create accountability through partnerships or mentorship
Choose long-term fulfillment over short-term comfort
The Power of Shifting Perspective
This approach marks a departure from traditional resolution-setting. Instead of creating another to-do list, it encourages leaders to envision the quality of life they want to create. This shift often reveals that the most meaningful goals aren't about what we achieve, but rather about how we experience our journey.
The new year presents an opportunity to break free from the constraints of conventional goal-setting. By focusing on the characteristics of experiences rather than just outcomes, looking backward from the future rather than forward from the present, and taking proactive steps toward meaningful goals, leaders can create a year filled with genuine growth, connection, and satisfaction.
The magic of a new year lies not a the fresh start, but in the opportunity to approach the new year differently. By shifting your perspective, you can transform your planning process into a catalyst for meaningful change.
Happy new year!
New Year’s in New Orleans, 2023