Goal, Given or Gift?

As most of us do around this time of year, I'm grappling with a lot of feelings looking back over 2024 and ahead to 2025.

Looking back, there are so many things I'm proud of and unexpected highlights across my work and personal life. And there are many unforeseen challenges, setbacks and frustrations that I'm quite happy to close the book on. (Not with quite the same intensity as 2020, but close.)

Looking ahead, I'm ready for a kick-ass year. Creating the results I want is going to require a new roadmap. As I sat down to scribble a first draft of some goals, what quickly emerged is the realization that some of the goals I've always had are now 'givens'. I need to celebrate this but also avoid the temptation to rinse and repeat.

An easy example is walking. Back in 2020, I started the habit of walking every day in the early morning hours. It saved my sanity, provided me with quiet time to think and delve into a podcast or audiobook, and enjoy my coffee before anyone had a chance to place a demand on me.

"Walk every morning" was on my goals for 2021 - 2024. It doesn't belong there in 2025. It's now a given.

On the career side, a year ago I had a big goal of integrating my family and work time better. I discovered the after school hours are a precious time to connect with my kids, even if it's while shuttling them from one activity to the next and listening to their Spotify playlist. So, ending my work day by 4 doesn't belong on my goal list this year, it's a given.

This mental sorting and reality-checking is forcing me to confront what leveling up will really look like this year. Calling a given a goal is just selling myself short.

A few of my draft goals:

• Double my revenue in 30 hours a week
• Publish my book (stay tuned)
• Adopt a meditation practice
• Connect 1:1 in a meaningful way with each of my kids and husband each week
• Stay on my own side of the street (code for a WHOLE lot of personal growth)

Some of the things that are a given:

• Walk, exercise 7 days a week
• Contribute to my professional communities through mentorship and leadership
• Keep care of my home while creating accountability for the rest of the family to contribute

This leads me to a third area that I am calling gifts. Typically, we can't name a gift until after we've received it. A great trip, a serendipitous meeting, a new client. In hindsight, it's easy to identify things that came into our life that we weren't planning for. What I'm interested in is anticipating the gifts that might come my way.

• I will have visits from some of my family - what gifts might be available if I plan the time in a certain way?
• I have several new strategic partnerships in the works - what gifts are possible if I take an active role in making them successful?
• I have airline credits to use up - what gift could I give myself if I use them to invest in myself?

I think the idea of intentionally looking for gifts to show up feels exciting, mysterious and empowering. The ones I listed are big things but looking for the gifts in my life daily is where I'm going to start.

However you approach your planning for the new year, through resolutions, a guiding word or a list of specific goals, I hope you take some inspiration from this approach and celebrate moving things from your goal to given list.

Most of all, I wish you a year of some unexpected, some intentional and many cherished gifts.