I believe in goal setting generally, and in my classes, I take students through simple academic goal setting each term. I also use the opportunity to share what I'm currently up to and the lessons I have learned.
I think that contrary to what most people would say: Resolutions are meant to be private and goals in life are meant to be ambitious. Privacy works well in this instance because sometimes, it could be the people around us who might not mean it, but they could accidentally dash some of our dreams. So my advice would be to share it only with people, only if they need to know. Or in the case of writing online blogs, share the goals when they are accomplished.
Of course, we should keep having big goals and dreams for ourselves; to continually work towards fulfilling the goals, constantly adjusting and adapting along the way, and maybe we achieve what we set out, sometimes we end up with something else, something better.
Through sharing my reflections each year, I hope I can inspire more people to take a long approach of their own lives.
It is possible to live a life by your own design, on your own terms.
Here's mine for 2018:
I took the leap and prepaid for Tony Robbins' Unleash the Power Within more than half a year in advance.
Since February 2018, I wrote a new resolution for the year: challenge comfort zones. I've always wanted increase my voluntarism and philanthropy. Last year, I decided to give freely without asking for anything in return.
Workwise:
1) it's been an amazing year. I stepped up on free consultations to students who are not performing up to par, but I reduced pizza as treats. The students stepped up in terms of food and gifts. I even got 6 commendation letters (2 still pending) last year.
Having slightly more money this year, I was able to hire myself a private tutor to become better in JC math so that I could teach my classes better.
Overall, I enjoy good retention rate and student headcount in general and I'm immensely grateful that even though I stepped up the difficulty and set high expectations, my students stuck with me.
2) Because of Marcus' commendation letter, about learning useful 'life skills' from me, I opened a series of free motivation talks in the workplace, with a fairly ambitious title, 'Living a Life of Your Own Design' series. I have had a few good runs of the workshop so far. Work is important but I think the meaning of work is even more. In my workplace, most people are intrinsically interested in the work they do, but what if they could take this idea to a higher level? Here, I borrow a famous saying from Warren Buffett, what if it is possible to 'tap dance to work' every morning?
Personal-wise:
1) I stepped up on overseas volunteering. Went with a group of strangers in a foreign country I've never visited, and survived! More than survived, I learned to make conversations with different groups of people, because I went alone. In communicating with them, I learned about their worldviews and their opinions on different experiences and subjects; some of which are vastly different from mine.
I even met an ex-school mate from more than a decade ago. We lost contact after JC; and it is a pleasant surprise to meet again. I guess there has probably been some lingering thought on how my future would have been if I made different decisions back then and took a more 'corporate-y' job. I had a good 3h conversation with the friend and her friend in the final day of our trip together. But nonetheless, I think I am right where I am supposed to be.
This year, I signed up for Global Village and intend to go out in the village for 5 days and do hard menial work.
Strangely, these volunteering humble me greatly, probably more than my supposed impact on the beneficiaries' lives. When I get back to Singapore, I think those experiences keep me grounded and keep me appreciative of my life here.
2) I diverted funds from swimming sessions to gym sessions. I never thought I'd like lifting weights. But exercise is another form of challenging myself mentally and physically. I like how I felt after each session and I also realized the importance of constant hard work. A simple concept that I always forget. I also decided to have some fun and join singing lessons.
A lot of new things I did are uncomfortable at first, like singing, gym. I'm so bad at interpreting the moods, but I push through. I learn to let go a little more, have a good laugh and just have fun.
3) Another seminar I attended on goal setting touched on the importance of lifetime pursuits. Ideas like definite chief aim and dream cards were floated during his talk. Strangely enough, this is a resit of a similar seminar I attended in 2014, but I did not take any actions then. July 2018, I finally sat down and wrote. My dream card, especially, has been through 3 revisions, it's now in Version 4 and still in progress.
4) I decided to expand my social circles as much as I can within 2018. One of the most amazing acquaintances I have made a the end of 2018 lives in Sentosa Cove.
Overall, 2018 has been a strange year of different revelations. And I wrote a fairly obscure kind of resolution: Challenge Comfort Zones. It is opposite of what a SMART goal is. But hey, Ralph Waldo Emerson says, 'We aim above the mark to hit the mark.'
It is our life, and I think we ought to give ourselves and the people around us the best versions of our self.