#9 2025: My Year of Positivity

Goals...Some people love 'em. Some people hate 'em.

Goals are essential for personal & professional development.

They're important to me for 3 reasons which I'll explain below.

1. They're a North Star.

Goals provide direction & can act as a roadmap to your life. They clarify what matters in your life & career. They're provide inspiration on what to work towards. They are motivation to keep moving forward, especially when obstacles pop up. Personally, I feel very grounded when I have goals because I know what direction I need to head with the with the small decisions I make in my daily life.

2. They require self-discipline & increase self confidence.

It's tough to show up to something all the time regardless of how you feel. But that's discipline. It's prioritizing long term goals over short term desires. When I lived in Boulder, I use to weekly attend a 6 am run with the Rocky Mountain Runners (RMR). The run occurred in rain, snow, or shine. There were plenty of times when I didn't want to show up (especially in the winter with a foot of snow on the trails) but I did anyway because it was important that I stayed disciplined. And honestly when I complete something hard, I feel really damn good. Here's a picture that was my phone screensaver for a while. Take a moment to think about times in your life you took the easy route versus the road less traveled. Do you find life more challenging when you avoid certain obstacles? Do you find life easier when you tackle obstacles in your way?

3. When you & other have shared goals, it can lead to connection, teamwork, & mutual support.

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. It's much easier to accomplish something if you're working toward it with a group. This is due to having accountability for one another. Personally, I have an intrinsic motivation to step up if I'm surrounded by individuals doing the same. Surround yourself with individuals that will push you & make you a better version of yourself.

So here's to 2025: My Year of Positivity

This year I want to be more positive because life is too short to be unhappy. You are the only obstacle stopping yourself from being at peace.

I won't lie to you, I have had some difficulty writing my goals this year. I think it's due to learning that goals don't have to be tangible (i.e. races) to be productive. I tried my best to follow the SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound) method but a few of them are ideals I'm working toward.

Note: I will keep my financial & a few personal goals to myself but here are the rest:

Physical

1. Complete the San Juan Solstice 50 on June 21st, 2025.

2. Run rim to rim to rim of the Grand Canyon in the Fall.

3. Go to the gym at least twice a week. Running does not count.

Relationships

1. Find 3 mentors to discuss my professional path by the end of February.

2. Meet at least one new person each week.

3. Try 3 new classes this year that allows opportunities for meeting people.

A few less formal but...

1. Improve finding God in all things.

2. Be more positive.

3. Quit playing the victim card.

4. Regret less.

I am a big advocate for placing your goals somewhere you can see them daily as a gentle reminder to stay the course. I am also a big advocate of the green check mark. If you accomplish something, check it off. It feels good. Well that's all. Let's make 2025 a positive & rememberable year. Cheers!