Why I Set Yearly Goals (Even If I Don’t Accomplish Them)

Like many, I used to set New Year’s resolutions and quickly abandon them within the first week of the new year. My resolutions were dreams I would like to accomplish, but I never made a plan for how to succeed. For the last ten years, I have abandoned New Year’s resolutions and instead set goals for the year. I keep a goal tracker; every day, I track my progress toward my yearly goals. However, despite my efforts, I have never accomplished all my goals in any year. Yet, I continue working toward my goals until the end of the year. You may wonder why I set yearly goals if I don’t accomplish them. The answer is simple.

Why I Set Yearly Goals

There are two reasons why I set yearly goals.

Personal Growth

When I set my goals, I think of what I’d like to see improved in my life. For instance, one of my goals for 2023 is to exercise 300 hours. I exercise sporadically now, so this goal encourages personal growth by working on self-discipline. I know exercising will make me healthier both now and in the future, so I want to work toward this goal.

Likewise, I also set a goal to read 30 books. I love reading, but life gets busy, and unless I plan to read a certain number of books for the year, weeks can go by before I pick up a book.

I Do Make Progress

Even though I don’t complete every single goal on my list, I do make progress. For instance, I set a goal last year to read 40 books. Unfortunately, I didn’t accomplish it. Instead, I was two books shy, having read 38 books in the year. However, I read many more books in 2022 than I would have if I hadn’t had the goal.  I am pleased with my progress, even though I didn’t hit the goal.

In addition, my husband and I had a list of 10 home improvement projects we wanted to complete in our new house, including updating the electrical, painting, replacing the kitchen sink, fixing the leaky basement, etc. By the end of 2022, we had accomplished nine of our ten home improvement goals. The only one we didn’t complete was replacing the kitchen sink. I can guarantee if I hadn’t had a goals list to keep me focused, we wouldn’t have completed as many repairs as we did.

Final Thoughts

You may have set yearly goals in the past and not accomplished them, as I typically do. However, understanding why I set yearly goals even if I don’t accomplish them has hopefully helped inspire you. As long as you set goals and make steady progress toward them throughout the year, you’re much further ahead than if you hadn’t set goals. So, if you haven’t done so yet, 2023 is still young. Now is the time to set your goals and improve your life.

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