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Go Ahead. Make That New Year’s Resolution.
It’s that time again. We ring in the New Year, celebrating (and hopefully not regretting) the wild journey that was the last year and start to look forward to what the future brings. Inevitably, you’re going to see those “heroes” online or hear that “stud” next to you scoff about New Year’s Resolutions.
But here’s the thing, forget them! If you want the next year to be “your year,” then let’s make it happen!
Here are some tips to help you create some goals for 2024 in a way that can actually be productive and helpful.
Let’s start by first answering some questions that will help us do some self-reflection. These are questions I actually adopted from Tim Ferris, author of The 4-Hour Workweek.
The first is this, if money was no object, and you could do whatever you wanted, what would it be? Before you jump to answer the question, I want you to pay attention to the fact that the question is not asking “what would you stop doing?” It’s asking, “what would you do?” That’s an important difference.
See, most of us who live frustrated and are motivated to want to make a change out of that frustration don’t actually know why we’re frustrated. We don’t know what we would change and why. We may know that we don’t like something, but don’t even have in mind what alternative we would like to do.
For example, you might have heard yourself say “I hate this job.” Okay. So, if money was no object, what other job would you do? Would you even have a job? Would you go to school instead? Would you travel instead? What would you actually do if you could do anything?
“I want to get healthier, but I just don’t have enough time or money or energy.” Okay. Well, if you did have time, money, or energy, what would you do to get healthier? What does it actually mean when you say “healthier?” Are we talking about managing blood pressure, better sleeping patterns, losing, or gaining weight?
Take some time with this question. If you’ve been carrying the answer with you for a while, then it won’t take that long. But after you answer this first question, the next question is “why?”
This one has often been a sticking point for many people. “Why” is asking you to examine your motivations. It’s highlighting whether or not those motivations are superficial and will fall apart at the first sign of resistance or are deeply rooted and will last throughout whatever adversity. “Why” really makes you consider your values, your experiences, and any unhelpful assumptions you have about the life you’re living. “Why” helps you examine you.
In an effort at transparency and offering a useful example, I’ll share with you how I answer these two questions.
If I could do anything in the world, and money was no object, I would spend most of my days at home with my wife and four kids. I would wake up early every day to pray and read my Bible, work out, finish and have my cup of coffee while reading a book, then enjoy breakfast with my family. We would spend most days of the week homeschooling together and I would occasionally work on writing and video projects and offer medical consulting to people on an as needed basis free of charge. I would regularly volunteer at my church and participate in Bible teaching. My family and I would travel to different places at least once a quarter. They would be places the kids are learning about in school and places my wife and I had always wanted to visit.
Why? Because what I value most in this life is the role God has given me as husband, father, and member of the Body of Christ. I don’t believe in the joy of riches, and I have no desire to be “successful.” To me, working hard to earn a living is a necessity of this life in order to provide, but it is not the chief aim of living. Christ did not die on the cross for me to have a “good life” and enjoy the finer things. He died, more than that, He rose, so that I could know Him and make Him known and the place where that starts is at home with my loved ones and in my local community.
So, again, before you sit down and write your goals for 2024, ask yourself, “what would I do if money was no object, and why?”
Once you answered those questions, you’re ready to come up with some goals that would be worth striving for in light of your answer.
For that, I’m a big fan of the SMART Goals model:
S
pecific
M
easurable
A
ttainable
R
elevant
T
ime-based
Specificity is what takes a dream and turns it into a goal that you can then set up a plan for. “I want to grow in my faith” is not really specific as growth can be many kinds of things. Do you want to grow in knowledge, experience, community? A more specific goal would be “I want to pray more regularly.” This is stating that you want to do something (praying) at a greater frequency than you are today. And this can be measured, leading us to the next component of SMART Goals.
A SMART goal is measurable. This is important because it allows you to track your progress, which can provide encouragement and accountability. If I only pray before a meal, then I can mark that as my starting point. Adding prayer to my morning routine means I’m measurably praying more a day. I can then add it to my evening routine before bed. I can then go further and decide that at least once a week I’m going to go away to be alone with the Lord and just sit in prayer. Each one of those instances can be counted. So, I can know for sure whether or not I have started praying more regularly. That provides the encouragement and accountability I mentioned. Now, accountability can sometimes be daunting, so it’s important that goals are attainable.
A big pitfall for us when we make goals is that we often want to make extreme changes in the hopes of attaining extreme results. The irony, however, is that the “all or nothing” approach is rarely sustainable. If I go from having a small prayer thanking Jesus for my meals to deciding I’m now going to dedicate an hour of every morning to prayer, you can imagine that’s going to be tough to attain. Won’t be long before I’m discouraged that I don’t know what to pray about for an hour. A more attainable goal would be to commit to waking up every morning and thanking Jesus for last night’s rest and this day’s light. I can then slowly build on that and in the evening add a prayer for thanks for the day and for the night’s upcoming rest. This approach is not only attainable, but also relevant to me and my values.
SMART goals need to have relevance to you because they matter enough for you to go through the hard process of reaching the goals. If you pursue something because someone guilted you into it or because you have this sense that someone has this expectation of you, you run the risk of giving up when things change, or you grow weary of performing for others. That’s why those first two questions I had you ask are so important. For me, I want to grow in my faith and so I want to pray more. I want to practice gratitude towards my God and make it a habit of inviting Him into every facet of my life. I’m not trying to please anyone else, and I know that this is something that will benefit me! So, I make sure to allocate the time for this goal that is relevant to me and my values. And that’s the last component of a SMART goal; time.
SMART goals need to be time-based. That means that you need to actually set an attainable but ambitious point in time where you will have accomplished the goal you set for yourself. If my goal is to pray more regularly, I can decide that by the end of the first month, I’m going to have prayed every day when I wake up, even if it’s just to give thanks and praise. Then I can decide that by the end of month two, I’m praying every night as well. Then I keep going until I have made it a habit to give thanks in all circumstances and to pray without ceasing as we are exhorted to in the Scripture.
Putting it all together, my one goal could be written out as such.
In 2024, I want to grow in my faith by praying more regularly than just before meals (specific, measurable, and relevant). I will commit to praying every day when I wake up by giving thanks to the Lord for last night’s rest and today’s light (attainable). Each month of the year I will add an additional prayer time, even if it’s just a moment to give thanks and praise (time-bound). By the end of 2024, I will have grown in my faith because praying will be a daily habit and I will be accustomed to giving thanks to the Lord in all circumstances and praying without ceasing.
The two questions I shared with you and the SMART goal framework is useful for any time you decide you want to make an active change in your life. No matter what the critics say, the start of a new year is a great time to think about those changes and resolve to meet specific goals for yourself.
I look forward to experiencing the new year with you all and leave you with this blessing from the book of Numbers:
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
Numbers 6:24-26 ESV