My birthday recently passed, and unlike most people who set new goals at the start of the year, I use my birthday as a time to reflect and plan. In this post, I’ll share my aspirations and intentions for the upcoming year.

This post is more personal than usual, but since this is a personal blog, let’s dive in. For several years now, I’ve been writing down my goals. Initially, they were simple, but over time they’ve become more detailed and complex. Last year, inspired by the podcast episode Happiness 2.0: Cultivating Your Purpose, I shifted from setting goals to embracing a more enduring sense of purpose.

Goals vs. Purpose

Let’s briefly check what’s my definition of goals and purposes and why I choose purpose instead of goals.

Goal: A goal is specific and finite. It’s great for changing behaviors or achieving specific tasks. Goals are clear intentions that can be completed.

Purpose: Purpose is a lifelong pursuit. It is good when you want to continue doing something. Having a purpose is looking forward, and aspiring to do something. The purpose is to have intentionality, a life aim. Something that is always in front of you. It helps us decide when we have to move forward helping us clarify the decisions. Sometimes bigger than us.

I may be overcomplicating things by focusing on purpose instead of goals, but I find it more fulfilling. Here are my purposes categorized by different areas of my life:

Purposes for the Next Year (and Beyond)

The idea of the purpose is that they are something that I see myself doing for many years, so they don’t tend to change a lot. Actually, it changed very little compared with last year. I just try to change it when things in my life change so I try to adjust it accordingly.

All of them are important, but the order defines the importance ranking.

be happy

Enjoy life. Don’t let things upset you. Always look for something positive. Being happy (or content) is one of the most important things in life.

be healthy

Taking care of myself comes first before others. If I am not well, I cannot help or take care of others.

be a good husband

Be deliberate and not reactive. Don’t let things get cold.

  • dedicate time to staying together
  • find interesting things to do together
  • pay attention to her and her things

be a good friend (and son)

Purposely spend time keeping the friendship and investing in people.

  • reach out to friends
  • schedule things together
  • spend time with parents

be curious

Read books, listen to podcasts, acquire knowledge, but don’t get overwhelmed.

  • read important books
  • listen to good podcasts

have a stable financial life (be financially conscious)

Keep a good balance between saving for the future and living in the moment.

  • keep investing a portion of the paycheck every month
  • have a simple investment strategy

be more playful

Don’t take life too seriously. play for playing sake try to relax more

be less impatient (anxious)

  • be comfortable doing nothing
  • check less the phone

be present (disconnect)

I sometimes live in my imagination and my mind is always active thinking about something. I want to be able to be more present in nature and in the moments that I am sharing with people.

  • go for walks without the phone
  • be present at the meetings (not doing anything else)
  • don’t use the phone at the dinner table

have a simple life

Simplicity is the goal. Have fewer physical goods, fewer tasks, less everything. Throw away what I don’t use and just keep the essentials.

  • have only the essential things
  • have a simple digital life

explore the world

Visit the most places possible and always try to learn something from the places that you go.

  • use the money on the Travel Pig Bank to travel
  • be in the moment, not in the phone

be a good professional

  • have extreme Ownership at work
  • document knowledge and share it
  • work only on work hours (AND NOT MORE)

These are some of the things that I strive for. They don’t encompass everything but serve as a good guideline on what is important to me and what I have to focus on. I go back to the list often when I feel that I need a reminder of what I have to strive for.

Hope this helps you in any way, shape, or form.

Cheers.

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash