It is easy in life to just go through the motions of living. Get up, go to work, run errands, cook dinner, watch television, surf the internet. Days, weeks and even years can slip by when we don’t purposefully allot time and energy to the people, projects and goals we believe are important to us.
Back in 2013 I wrote out what I called “My Destination” as a roadmap of how I wanted to live my life in the pursuit of health, wealth and happiness. This idea came from “Living the 80/20 Way” by Richard Koch This is what I wrote at that time:
My Destination:
- I want my home to be relaxing, simple, joyful and low maintenance
- I want to earn my living doing work that I find meaningful and that brings others to a better place/space
- I want to be debt free leaving my options for semi-retirement wide open
- I want to share my life with a partner that enjoys the simple things in life that I have to offer
- I want to spend my time doing things I enjoy with people I care about
- I want to do my part to leave this earth a better place then I found it
- I want to live below my means with a focus on people, relationships, the environment – not stuff
Flash forward to today and my destination hasn’t really changed. I still try to live my life simply, in the manner I outlined 5 years ago. The bullet points in my destination serve as a measuring stick to help me determine if I am on the right course. In 2017, I bought a used car with cash vs taking out a loan on a new one. That fits into my vision of how I want to live my life. I don’t want debt, I don’t want to focus on shiny new things. I want to be debt-free and focused on people, relationships and the environment – NOT STUFF.
I keep “My Destination” on my “Start Here” page of My Little Blue Kayak. It is easily accessible to me and helps me make good daily decision in the pursuit of health, wealth and happiness. I purposefully go back to it each year to write my annual goals. I strive to live my life strategically in the pursuit of my destination. Part of that strategy is to write goals annually, to review my progress and to update them as needed.
Here are my 2018 goals!
My Health Goals for 2018
Get an Eye Exam
Complete a Whole30
Health Care Proxy
Write a will
Podiatrist
My Wealth (Financial) Goals for 2018
$1200 to Cottage Fund for projects
Max out HSA
Max out Roth IRA
$5000 to Vanguard non-retirement account
Health Coach with at least 1 person as new income stream
$2400 to Car Fund
Track every penny spent
My Happiness Goals for 2018
Vacation to Acadia National Park with my honey
2 bike/kayak trips away from home
Visit Mom in Florida at least once
Visit friends in Massachusetts
Buy roof rack and kayak rack for Sun Burst
Pass Health Coach Exam – DONE!!!
Average 6 Blog Posts per month and increase traffic to an average of 600 views per month
Complete a 7 Days / 7 Gives
Feel free to check out other goal related posts.
Make One Good Decision After Another
Don’t just go through the motions of living and let 2018 slip through your fingers! Spend some time prioritizing what is important to you and identify what will do this year to focus in on those things.
Tell me about some of your 2018 Goals in the Comment Section!
Lake Girl
