Goals can be a very private endeavor and perhaps they should be. There are TED Talks and Stoic Philosophy to support why you should NOT share what your are working toward. There is also some research to suggest maybe you should as it helps you accomplish your goals. I know several writers that I admire who share their goals, and I find it inspiring. Regardless of which is truly right and best, I have decided to share my goals this year.
As the first month of the year comes to a close, and I’ve shared ideas and tools to help you design a better year, I thought perhaps I would share some of my goals and the thoughts behind them to help hold myself more accountable, and I hope one or two may inspire others to get outside their comfort zone, set some of their own, and make some progress.
Typically the majority of goals around the world and over time fall into three primary categories: health, finances, and relationships.
I typically make a long list of my hopes and dreams for the new year. I also have five categories that I focus on with my goals setting which are: physical, financial, family, professional and business. From all of these I also pick the top three overall goals as my primary focus.
I keep everything organized in my journal.
Again, this is my first time sharing online ever! It may be my last too.
My top three goals for 2023 are: Click to Read More
- Publish my next book. I have written two books, and I have several others started. This year I will publish my next book, and I am very excited about that. If you subscribe to my newsletter you will be updated regularly. The book is nearly finished now, so this will happen this year.
- Get in good shape. So many people choose this as a goal. I have a very specific body weight, look, and physical challenge which will be the determining factors of this goal. I have set this goal in the past and missed the mark. This will be the year. (Hear the confidence there?!)
- Build savings to _$_. I have set a specific dollar amount I plan to reach for the year. Last year we had some fun family expenses that prevented us from hitting our savings and investing goal. This year my wife and I still plan to have fun with the kids, but we want to build a stronger savings. I know this is a popular goal as well. We have a budget and extra earnings we plan to use. It’s a smart goal for us.
My Top Goal in My 4 Categories: I have four very specific goals in each of these categories. Really five categories about I combined two of them for this post. For privacy I did not include all.
- Physical and Health: Correct Neck and Spine pain. So besides getting in good shape, I also have a very specific area of focus.
- Financial & Business: Add two new revenue streams. So, besides building our savings to the goal above, I want to introduce two new ways to earn money to my business. I have chosen and started the work on these.
- Family: Learn to Cook Meals & Launch Jaclyn to college and have a great family vacation. Okay, I snuck three in here. I need to cook some meals for my family. My wife is an incredible cook, but I gotta be more helpful. My third daughter is off to college and we want to do it right, and we all work so hard during the year we want to have a good vacation, but we have to save for it.
- Professional: Help My District Reach Our Goals & Publish in an educational magazine. I want to be able to do my job at an exceptional level and help my district meet our goals. I want to meet all of my work goals I have set with my super. Also, I’ve been blessed to speak at educational conferences and events, interviewed on podcasts, and been mentioned in magazines, but this year I hope one of my articles might make it into a educational magazine. It’s not ego, I hope, but because I I have a message I hope to share with the world. I love education.
My Big List of Goals: (But NOT all of them. Warning: It’s quite a list. While I know I can’t hit them all, I need to list them. I need the inspiration.)
- Publish children’s book.
- Always write neatly.
- Increase speaking engagements #.
- Publish book with co-author.
- Assist a friend in publishing book. Celebrate & promote it.
- Publish Christmas book. Art & Words.
- Record the audio to my book Along Came a Leader and submit to Audible.
- Create an online course to help others.
- Live a healthy life. Physical, mental, and spiritual.
- Awesome family vacation.
- Lots of family adventures.
- Twelve dates with my wife. (Hey we already had two!)
- Create lots of art.
- Buy a second home.
- Love what I do. Do what I love. Enjoy each day and give lots of gratitude.
- Laugh more.
- Attend a pro sporting event with family.
- Special trip just with my wife.
- Renovate my art studio.
- Give away as much as I can to help others.
- Own an electric truck.
- Run a 5K at a specific time.
- Publish book on Nativity.
- Help educators and educational leaders in new ways and help make a major impact in my district and around the world!
- Learn to play a song on a guitar.
- Help my second oldest daughter get a good job and a nice place to live.
- Accomplish my work goals.
- 30 podcasts and 50 blog posts. (Historically, I have already recorded hundreds of both.)
- Have an awesome time at the fair with my youngest daughter and her horse.
- Add 2 additional revenue streams.
- Spend more time with my circle of friends.
- Have a fun graduation party with my third daughter.
- Learn how to shuffle cards in a cool way or a card trick. (You need a fun goal or two.)
- Weigh myself every day.
- Help my oldest daughter and new son-in-law with a project of their choice.
- Have my hearing tested.
- Learn to cook meals for the family.
- Do something nice for my wife daily and show my appreciation more.
- Speak at educational conferences.
- Contribute to the ADE and Apple EDU Community in greater ways.
- Increase tithe at church at increase monthly % of investments.
- Look good without my shirt on.
- Cool 94th celebration for my mom.
- See a doctor about my neck and back pain and get RELIEF.
- Take more adventures outside.
- Coach someone in speaking, writing, podcasting, and art creation.
- Add some style/fashion to my wardrobe. I am pretty vanilla and need an update. lol
- Really work at being a better husband, dad, coworker, friend, brother, son, employee, community member with intention.
- Review my goals monthly.
- Post a Review of how I actually did on my goals on New Year’s Eve to keep myself accountable.
For better or for worse, you just got a peek at my goals for the new year. These are the things that I am interested in doing and accomplishing. I have a plan and deadline for the primary goals and many of the smaller goals. I know this is way, way too much, but it’s part of the fun. You may think I am insane, but this is how I approach my year. If I hit just a few of these, and I will, it will be a great year. Heck the first month has already been remarkable in many of these areas.
Always forward,
Kelly
Order Kelly’s books, Along Came a Leader and Unthink Before Bed: A Children’s Book on Mindfulness for your personal library.
Educator, Author, Keynote Speaker
Twitter: @kellycroy
Instagram: @kcroy
Website: kellycroy.com and wirededucator.com
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As Katie Reed, a very wise individual, once said, “Self care is giving the world the best of you, not what is left of you.” 
