The new year is upon us and most of us want to make 2023 a better year than 2022. We want to grow, become better, be more successful. But setting goals can be intimidating, especially if we have failed to reach some goals in the past. Breaking goals down into manageable areas helps. One concept is to break down your new year goals into five life categories for successful goals.
It’s What the Goal Does
It’s been said that It’s not what the goal is—it’s what the goal does. I’ve been a goal setter for most of my life. In truth I have a habit of creating 101 goals that I try to achieve. When I achieve most of them, I create a new list. I don’t reach all my goals. However, as that adage states, there’s something about the goal that changes us. And even failure to achieve a goal still has a positive impact on the goal setter. One should not stress about not meeting a goal. One should focus on how they changed for the better.
Life categories for Successful Goals: The Five F’s
We are diverse beings. We have many interests. Using areas of our life to organize our goals is a proven way to lean into a well-rounded person. These areas can be broken down into the Five F’s: Family and Friends, Finances, Fun, Faith, and Fitness.
Family and Friends
At Familius we focus on our ten habits of happy families. Our entire company’s focus is on how to help families grow in these areas and be happier. One could easily use these habits to create goals. For example, perhaps you want to create a goal of family dinner. Setting a goal of planning, preparing, and eating one meal a week together is a manageable goal.
A recent article and poll suggests that one in every four people in the United States is estranged from their family. Perhaps a goal of reconnecting with our estranged family members could bring more happiness to one’s family. This goal certainly falls within the Familius Heal Together habit.
Finances
Money
2022 was the year of inflation. Rising interest rates and inflation dramatically impacted our pocketbooks. Finances can be a significant stress on a relationship. Setting goals to improve one’s financial and work success has tremendous benefits to our happiness. Three simple ideas to start your financial life changes include setting and keeping to a budget, creating a rainy-day fund, and reading a book about money management. One to consider is the Familius title Buy the Avocado Toast.
Work
If you are unsatisfied with your current job, setting goals to improve your skills is always worthwhile. There are many online sites to help you identify valuable skills that could help you improve your employment value. Warren Buffett, the Oracle of Omaha, has stressed that his goal is to learn one new thing each day. A lifetime of that habit creates a wealth of knowledge and skill. To be job competitive in 2023, a Forbes article suggests five areas for improvement. Perhaps one of these resonates with your financial goal interests.
Fun for Successful Goals
Who doesn’t like fun? All work and no play can make you a bit dull. Consider how you can make 2023 a bit more fun by adding some spice to your life. A good way to start this goal is to set a timer for three minutes and write down anything that you’ve ever wanted to do but haven’t yet. Maybe it’s learning to ballroom dance or draw or skydive or visit a unique place in the world. Writing down things you wish to do but haven’t can move from wish to goal. Once you choose that goal for more fun, you’ll find the focus you need to make that happen.
Faith for Successful Goals
Faith plays an important role in all our lives. It’s believing in something which is true but can’t be seen, yet. You can be a religious faith or a secular faith. The point is to have faith in yourself and in a higher power to help you achieve a higher self. Again, it’s not what the goal is; it’s what the goal does.
Faith can change us for the better by focusing our behavior on a belief that we can be better and tapping into a higher power to help us. Perhaps you are a religious person and want to exercise faith by actively participating in your local church. Perhaps you are not a religious person, but you want to exercise faith by looking to help someone in need each week. Both goals will provide opportunities for change.
Fitness Goals
When we think of goals, fitness usually is at the top of the list. We want to lose weight, be healthier, run a marathon, and exercise regularly. There seems no end to fitness goals and resources to help us achieve them. According to a Harvard study, for the first time in our lifetimes, life expectancy went down over the last three years. We can improve the odds of living a healthy and long life with healthy habits.
Our personal fitness is a major contributor to our health. Simple goals to improve our fitness include drinking more water, stopping drinking one’s calories, improving flexibility and balance, and regularly increasing our heart rate. Lifehack.org has 15 ideas to help you set goals to improve your fitness in 2023. There’s no doubt that at least one of these will be worthwhile.
Conclusion
As we’ve communicated, it’s not what the goal is; it’s what the goal does. Goals are a means. The Five Fs: Family and Friends, Finances, Fun, Faith, and Fitness are simple categories to organize your goals. Using these five life categories for successful new year goals may make your 2023 the best year ever.
Christopher Robbins is the co-founder of the media company Familius. He has an addiction to goal setting and has completed hundreds of goals during his short fifty-five years. However, he’s never found an end to goals and believes that there are more goals to achieve over his next fifty-five years, health permitting.
