My 2025 Goal Setting Session (Better Late Than Early)
WARNING: May contain traces of sarcasm
Quick Recap
Last Week
I encouraged everyone not to make Galileo’s Mistake.
Next Week
I’ll explain why I did #GoalSetting in Mid-February, why you should also, and the Real, Real Reason New Year’s Resolutions fade out.
My Mission
To Enlighten the Enlightenable Portion of Humanity, even if it makes us unbearable.
To sell books—and other stuff.
This Week
Non B.S. Goal Setting—I show the world how it’s really done. By starting my year when everyone else’s starts to fizzle out, I win by default.
When I tried to explain this genius to my brother, he responded rather sensibly:
That’s not the point. Setting your goals for the year is about realising where you want to improve, how you want to be better, and focusing on that. It’s not a competition.
But this is LIFE. Everything’s a competition. Besides, if my insight can help just ONE person climb the Self-Awareness Ladder, it will all have been worthwhile.
My word for 2025.
I’ll start with my word for the year. But first, a brief history.
Setting a word for the year is the last thing I ever thought I’d do. However, my friend asked me what my word for the year was back in 2023. And, well, she’s rather attractive. So I thought, what the heck. I can choose a word for the year.
And so my word for 2023 was Allow.
Then came 2024. The same friend popped up again, asking me what my word for the year would be. This is a recurring thing, is it? Very well. ‘Allow,’ I said again. I argued it was such a good word, it had to be my word two years in a row. However, unbeknownst to her, I harboured an ulterior motive. By repeating 2023’s word for the year, I was saved the effort of figuring out a new one.
Then came 2025. I couldn’t make Allow my word for the third year in a row. So, without thinking, I blurted out, ‘Beauty.’
Beauty?
In hindsight that was very instinctive and I only said it because I thought it was the sort of thing she wanted to hear. It wasn’t an issue until I was standing at a party a few weeks later and someone asked me the same question—’What’s your word for the year?’
‘Um, beauty,’ I replied. This was much more awkward to say aloud than write in a Whatsapp message. The young woman looked at me a little funny. So I did a Volkswagen (issued a recall).
‘Actually no… it’s Fun.’
The Asker nodded, satisfied by my less Woo-Woo answer. I was relieved. We both went our separate ways and that was that.
Or so I thought.
A few weeks later, after reflecting on this saga, I realised the mistake I’d made. My answers were formulated based on what people expected to hear, what I thought they wanted me to say. Instead, I should have been listening to my heart and asking myself what really mattered to me. Taking the time to look inward, I realised the truth. My truth. I realised what was in my heart and what I wanted my word for 2025 to be. And that word was:
CASHFLOW
Why cashflow?
I need more of it
Cashflow is more useful than beauty
We live in a material world and I’m a material… young man
Domestic Goals: Help Out More Around The House
One of my 2025 goals was to develop Domestic Goals. This was important because no one sets or even mentions domestic goals, but did you know approximately 50% of our live is spent at home?
Funnily enough, no one’s New Year’s Resolution is ever to be nicer to family, be less of a prick, or to become more self-aware. We prefer to focus on very narrow, self-centred forms of improvement. To really improve, we should put attention into the sorts of areas that positively affect those around us.
For example, my main domestic goal is to help out more around the house. For example, when I’m with my mum, I have this lethargic habit I fall into—when I see the washing machine is done, I just leave it.
In 2025 I want to make sure I always tell Mum the washing is done and that she needs to put it in the dryer.
I think it was Mary MacKillop who said, ‘Never see a need without doing something about it.’
Other Important Goals:
Spend more time on social media: Social media gets a lot of hate, but its a great tool to see what people are up to without having to actively stay in touch. Because of my productivity in 2024 I don’t feel I spent enough time on social media, but I hope to address this in 2025.
Read less books—sell more: I did read a few books last year, including classics like Catch-22 and The Trial. Most of them were underwhelming and I think I can use the time better by doubling down on writing and selling my own books. I want to be free from the need to impress people by reading more over the next 11 months.
Watch more Netflix: I know how this sounds but there’s actually a few really interesting looking shows and documentaries on Netflix. I have a habit of starting a show or docu-series but not following through. I want to make 2025 the year I kick this nasty habit.
Spend less time with family: I got lazy and spent too much time with family last year, meaning they got on my nerves and as a result I appreciated them less. This year I’m opting for a ‘less is more’ approach, to make scarcity the catalyst for appreciation. This is ultimately selfless as spending less time with them helps to improve their lives immeasurably. Win-win.
Finally—Turn Inward
As you can see, my 2025 goals have nothing to do with impressing other people. They are ✅authentic, ✅genuine and ✅realistic. I certainly do not feel the need to blast them over the internet or post about them, or tell anyone about them—apart from you readers, of course.
You guys are different. Remember, our focus here is my endowing you all with Enlightenment. Will my 2025 goals rub some people the wrong way? Sure. But what about all the people they could help? What about the people who might be encouraged to step out of the safe and secure, and into the authentic with me? It would only be selfish of me to hold them back then, not to share.
If my talking about my 2025 goals can help just ONE person… then my risk is worthwhile.
Next Week
Next week, we discuss the Real, Real Reason New Year’s Resolutions Fall Short.