Choose Goals Across All Areas of Life
Every year around this time, people sit down to map out their annual goals. For many, this ritual is driven entirely by their employer — a box to check for performance reviews, bonus calculations, and next year’s corporate priorities.
But if goal setting only happens at work, you’re missing the point.
A surprising number of people I know — friends, coworkers, even high performers — set no personal goals at all. They drift from one year to the next reacting to whatever comes their way. Without intentional direction, life becomes something that happens to them rather than something they actively shape.
This year, I want to challenge you to do something different:
Set goals for yourself and your family — and write them down.
When you think about your goals, don’t start with tasks or outcomes. Start with identity.
Who do you want to be by the end of the year?
As Michael Hyatt puts it, “A goal is not about what you accomplish. It’s about what you become.”
Choose Goals Across All Areas of Life
Hyatt’s framework is helpful because it forces you to think beyond work. He organizes goals into three broad life domains:
• Being — mind, body, spirit, love
• Relating — marital, parental, social
• Doing — money, work, hobbies
A balanced life requires balanced goals. Focusing on two to three goals each quarter — and rotating through these domains — keeps you growing in a well‑rounded way instead of over‑investing in just one area.
Life is multifaceted. Your goals should be too.
Write SMARTER Goals, Not Just SMART Ones
Most people know the SMART acronym, but Hyatt’s expanded SMARTER version pushes you to think more deeply and create goals that actually drive change:
• Specific — clear and binary: it happened or it didn’t.
• Measurable — define the finish line.
• Actionable — start with a verb; avoid “to be” or “to have.”
• Risky — stretch yourself; discomfort signals growth.
• Time‑keyed — deadlines create momentum.
• Exciting — if it energizes you, you’ll find a way.
• Relevant — aligned with your season of life and your family’s priorities.
Your employer may shape your vocational goals, but only you can define your life goals.
Make This a New Year — Not Just Another Year
Most people repeat the same patterns year after year and call it a life. As the quote often attributed to Robin Sharma says:
“Most people live the same year over and over for fifty years and call it a life.”
Intentional goals are how you break that cycle. As you look toward 2026, choose who you want to become — and build goals that move you in that direction. What’s one personal goal you already know belongs on your list this year?
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