My 20 Life Goals for 2020

“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.”

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– Tony Robbins

It’s only the start of September but that means it’s time for me to begin looking ahead towards next years goals and evaluating my progress against the goals I set for this year.

I’ve used some tools in the past that have definitely helped, and YearCompass has been one of my favorites for a while.

BUT, Before you even attempt to begin writing your goals, you need to know your values. If you haven’t defined your core values, I suggest starting here.

I’ve been attempting to set goals for most of my adult life. I’ve found that setting goals gives me a target to shoot for, a compass heading to intentionally guide my way. If you don’t first set your intention on where you’re headed, then, well…any road can get you there.

Wouldn’t it be better to live life on YOUR terms instead of just continually waiting to see what cards you’ve been dealt?

What’s the best way to set your goals?

#1 – Tie your goals to your values.

#2 – Set SMART goals:

• Specific: Make them clear and well defined.
• Measurable: What metric, or unit, can you use to evaluate your progress: Pounds? Reduction in time?
• Attainable: Is this realistic? Setting goals that you have no hope to accomplish will only result in becoming demoralized.
• Relevant: Is this goal tied to your values?
• Time Bound: When will you complete it?

A DREAM written down (SMART-LY) becomes a GOAL. A GOAL broken down into STEPS becomes a PLAN. A PLAN backed by ACTION becomes a REALITY.

#3 – Ignoring the “A” for a second – make sure some of them stretch your ability to easily attain them, sometimes called BHAGs. – Big Hairy Audacious Goals – originally conceptualized in the book Built to Last – by James Collins and Jerry Porras

My 20 Goals for 2020

Family Goals:

#1 – Take a week long family vacation during summer break next June/July to visit family and Disney World in Florida.

#2 – Take my boys overnight camping at least once every two months.

#3 – Take a cruise to Alaska with the extended family.

#4 – Pray every morning before school and every night before bed with Brock and Jack to help guide them more spiritually.

#5 – Start a YouTube / YouTube Kids channel with Brock & Jack

#6 – Complete an Obstacle Course / Mud Run event as a family

#7 – Plant a vegetable garden

Personal Goals:

#8 – Run the Ascension Seton Austin Half-Marathon on Feb 16, 2020 in 117 minutes or less.

#9 – Improve 400m track time to 1:20 & 800m track time to 3:00.

#10 – Reduce fat weight and increase lean muscle mass to reach a body fat % of +/- 12% and an approximate weight of 170 lbs.

#11 – Write a minimum of one “quality” blog post per week.

#12 – Read 52 books (1 book per week) before December 31, 2020.

#13 – Attend a one-week meditation retreat in Thailand

#14 – Start and lead a Bible Study / Life Group for 12 weeks

#15 – Begin a neighborhood monthly dinner club with friends

Professional Goals:

#16 – Begin attending one networking meeting per month with the intention of increasing professional contacts by at least two per month.

#17 – Design, build & sell custom go-karts and dune-buggys

#18 – Begin public speaking

#19 – Generate an income producing website

#20 – Find and join a local Rotary International chapter to help give back

Life Long “Bucket List” Goals

• Visit each continent at least once
• Meaningfully contribute to a Clean Water Initiative
• Start a charitable organization to help others less fortunate
• Become fluent in Spanish & Portuguese
• Obtain my pilot’s license
• Climb Mount Kilimanjaro
• Hike & camp the Machu Picchu trail with Brock & Jack.
• Pay it forward in a selfless and big way

Just the weight of these Butterfly coins in your pocket are a great reminder to do a good deed for others each day. I always loved the movie Pay It Forward (2000) with Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment and this coin embodies the essence of the film. You can track its progress after you hand it off, and it’s a tangible reminder to others to continue the journey of kindness.

At Least Once-per-Day Goals

One of the biggest changes that I made in 2019 was brought to light by reading The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. The insight that he sparked, drove me to begin waking up each morning at 4:30am to begin my day with purpose and vision. The Miracle Morning Facebook Page has an extremely uplifting and positive vibe that I really enjoy.

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Every morning I begin my day in the following way:

• Meditate for 30-45 minutes
• Pray & Read the Bible
• Journal – Gratitude, Visualizations and Affirmations included
• Exercise for at least 30 minutes
• Continued Learning & Education
• Build community and authentic friendships – give a stranger a genuine and authentic pick-me-up compliment (it can be life changing!)

Tips to Making Your Goal a Reality

• Create an Action Plan
• Make it a SUCCESS:
  • See your goal
  • Understand the obstacles
  • Create a positive mental picture
  • Clear your mind of doubt
  • Embrace the challenge
  • Stay on track
  • Show the world
• Review your action plan regularly and practice gratitude for your achievements. Celebrate even the small wins.
• Believe it’s already come true and visualize what that looks like regularly. If you believe in your heart, it will pull you in the direction you need to go.
• Regularly spend time in silence. Only by blocking out distractions will you find the answers to your questions.

“It must be borne in mind that the tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goals to reach.”

Benjamin E. Mays

Conclusion

To me, the process is relatively simple and straight-forward. We can muck it up trying to perfect the process and quite honestly, by simply having goals to strive towards you’re putting yourself ahead of a significant portion of society that floats by aimlessly letting life happen to THEM.

If this is your first attempt at goal planning, find a quiet place where you can sit down in complete silence and just write out your dreams…all of those things that you’ve always wanted to do but never dared to think you could ask the universe for them to manifest into reality.

Now, once you’ve gotten your dreams on paper, start assessing where you stand against those dreams today. THAT is where your goals begin. Your action plan to meet those goals follows closely behind.

“Life can be pulled by goals just as surely as it can be pushed by drives.”

Viktor Frankl

I’d love to hear about your goals. Which of your daily goals make you the most successful? Which stretch goals excite you or scare you the most? Which bring you the most peace?

📚 See my full reading list → 24 books that rebuilt my life, each with a personal note on why it mattered.