With 2014 squarely in the books, it is time to consider our plans for the New Year. While it can seem arbitrary to choose a date such as the beginning of January to take on the task of goal-setting, it nevertheless provides an opportunity to look forward.
There is a quote accredited to Robin Sharma that we both enjoy:
“Don’t live the same year 75 times and call it a life.”
Ain’t that the truth, eh?
It’s an amazing quote as it really gets to the heart of what planning for the future is all about. If we can’t improve on last year with a fresh set of 365 days, then what the hell is the point of even living them? Why keep using up resources and breathing and existing for another year if it’s just going to be the same old shit as what we’ve already done?
Simple answer: This year won’t be the same as last. It won’t be the same because we’ve chosen to make it better. We’ve chosen to make a difference. We’re actively going to make decisions that put us in a position to improve ourselves.
With that in mind, here are our goals:
Rick –
- Parental: I want to work on being the best parent that I can be. Fatherhood is a blessing and one I plan to take advantage of. I want to be present for all of those “moments” and be the best man that I can be.
- Financial: I plan to build a solid educational plan for my child. That will include providing the opportunities for my son to achieve his milestones along the way with regard to speech, motor abilities, and everything else along the way.
- Musical: Begin learning a new instrument. I’ve already gained proficiency with the acoustic guitar and have purchased an electric guitar. I would like to build on my musical base. I figure that by the time my son is three or four years old, I should be able to teach him the ropes on this front.
Ryan –
- Financial: I would like to earn $1,000 from new sources when compared with last year. I have begun writing commissioned articles that provide some income. I would like to build on this success.
- Fitness: I ran my first full marathon last year in 3h55m. I would like to improve on that time this year by following a running schedule leading up to the marathon I have scheduled myself to run in Ottawa in May. A goal of 3h45m challenges me to shave ten minutes off of my time and is achievable if I train properly.
- Musical: I have a rudimentary skill-level with the piano. I am planning to improve my skillset through regular practice. This is meaningful for me as it would allow Rick and I to have jam sessions together.
Having goals is important. We both put together a good-sized list and decided to shrink them down to only three so we could be focused and know where we’d really like to put our efforts.
Thanks for reading,
– The Get Rich Brothers
What goals have you set yourself for the New Year? What would you like to achieve?
Pictures courtesy of pixabay.com
I felt like I barely made any money from blogging until I actually sat down and created an excel spreadsheet of my income and expenses. Since I ended up being on the positive side last year, I have made a goal to try and double my income from last year. I don’t think it will be too hard, considering I didn’t make that much last year. Lol.
My financial goals are to max out my TFSA contributions and purchase stocks with the majority of that amount.
Karen,
Any progress is a good thing and doubling your income (no matter what the base was) is a big thing. Keep compounding at that rate for a decade or two and you’ll be doing great!
Topping out your TFSA is a good goal to have. It’ll be interesting to see if the government keeps the rules the same once people have sizeable nest eggs planted there down the road. People will be able to pull in sizeable incomes from dividends from TFSAs and qualify for income-tested government benefits as if they were actually low-income individuals as a result of the TFSA withdrawals having no impact on taxable income.
Take care!
– Ryan
Hi guys,
I like the quote.
Marathons and music! Sounds like great plans. I don’t know how people can run for 4 hours straight… you’re great. I get bored after 2 minutes and would probably die after 20 lol
I’d like to make money from my blogging or online activities too in 2015 and also double my dividend income and drop my mortgage below 140k. I’d like to have a kid and to get back to martial arts.
For sure my day to day will be different anyway. We went through a restructuring at my job and I will have to learn a new profession that will lead me somewhere else (unplanned) in my career.
Best regards
Hi Allan,
It sounds like you already have an incredibly busy 2015 underway.
As for running, it’s just a lot of pace and rhythm. You find that spot you’re just a little uncomfortable at and learn to love the hurt.
I’ve been following your progress through optimizing SEO and drawing traffic. You’re doing a hell of a good job at it.
Your goals are similar to ours in that you take a holistic approach to it and look beyond just finance. I hope all goes well with your new career move – and I’ll stay tuned to hear just what that might be.
Take care!
– Ryan
GR Brothers,
That’s a great adage to live by! Sadly a lot of people lead the same life day-in day-out for 75 years and call it quits.
I really like your goals because they’re actively aimed at becoming both a better person in general, but also in one particular aspect of your lives. If you consistently set objectives like that, you’re sure to enjoy a purposeful and meaningful life you’ll be happy to look back on when you turn 75.
All the best for 2015,
NMW
NMW,
Thanks for stopping in. That’s what we were aiming at; meaningful, well-rounded goals. While we tend to think from a financial perspective, there is of course a hell of a lot more to life than numbers. The journey is where it’s at.
Take care,
– Ryan