Hey everyone - B. Quirke here,
The past year stretched me in a lot of ways - 2015 was a year of rowdy goal setting resulting in some big successes and some magnificent botches. Instead of keeping them to myself, I figure I'd let folks know how the kid did.
The goals I crushed highlighted areas I attacked with care and conviction, while the goals that crushed me exposed ambitions I set for my ego, and projects I was just interested in and not committed to. All told, a heck of a ride.
Here's what the process looked like for me:
- Oct/Nov/Dec 2014 - goal set - ongoing brainstorm
- Dec 2014 select the best and group each into categories (see below)
- Jan 1st, 2015 GO TIME
- June/July 2015 conduct a mid year review on where I'm thriving/struggling
- Dec 2016 year end review
The unaccomplished goals at year's end were assigned 1 of 3 fates: pushed to the 2016 goals list, put on the bucket list or assigned a "nah, I'm over it" and SCRATCHED (my personal favourite)
Categories:
- New territory (new experiences, challenges to my comfort zone)
- Fitness & Health (movement, strength, diet)
- Finance ($$$)
- Connection (is currency baby; creating deeper and broader relationships)
- Community (giving back to friends, family, others)
- Professional (all things 9-5)
So, how did they go?
New Territory:
- Create a GOLD 8 tracks playlist, release w/ Squamish/Pemberton Fest -- NOPE --> Bucket List
- Take 3 different dance classes at harbour dance center -- YUP
- Publish an E-book blending men's health, aphorisms and self-discovery -- NOPE --> Bucket List
- Try three 1.5 hour float room sessions -- YUP
- Craft a Noir'N'B playlist -- YUP
- Put up block letter "man in the arena" quote in kitchen -- YUP
- Travel to Turkey/Greece, create sights and sounds video -- YUP
- Finish writing personal manifesto -- NOPE--> 2016 Goal
Finance:
- Break 2 squash rackets or less this year, you idiot -- YUP
- put 20% down on a home in Vancouver -- NOPE --> Bucket List
Professional
- Get first two publications as lead author into impactful journals -- NOPE --> 2016 Goal
- Give a Tedx talk -- NOPE --> Bucket List
- Build LinkedIn profile, hit 500+ connections -- YUP
- Invest 200 hours in becoming a policy/program statistical evaluation guru -- NOPE --> Leave it
- Update resume -- YUP
- Secure mentorship from 3 individuals where you want to be -- NOPE --> 2016 Goal
- Comment on half of Terry Boygo's blog posts, formally request his mentorship -- YUP
Fitness:
- Run 42k in Vancouver -- NOPE --> Leave it
- Run 21k in Greece -- YUP
- Run 21k in Turkey -- YUP
- Bench 185 comfortably w/ clean form -- YUP
- Solidify 3 regular gym buddies-- YUP
Connection:
- Attend a BNI Creekside network morning meeting -- YUP
- Attend a mantalks event -- YUP
- Organize and WIN the Gentlemen's cup squash tournament -- NOPE --> 2016 Goal
- Attend 3 whiskey wiseman nights -- YUP
- Throw a Christmas party -- YUP
- Organize a work party at the UBC Biercraft -- YUP
- Hold a rock/paper/scissors tournament w/ Jolly Brain Group -- NOPE --> Bucket List
Community
- Strongly advocate 'Yes' for the March 2015 Metro Vancouver Transit vote -- YUP
- Take a half day to purge the possessions I don't need, donate in person at Carnegie Community Centre -- YUP
- Attend 2015 squash world open championship in Washington -- NOPE --> Leave it
- 1.5 hours a week on Saturday mornings formalizing a weight training program for DTES folk in the Carnegie Community centre weight room -- YUP
Following the review, it was evident I needed to pull my socks up in my professional and financial life. I made them a priority for my 2016 goals.
I'll follow up with a Pt.2 post digging into WHY some goals were achieved and not others (..so you want to run a marathon AND get your bench press up at the same time?), WHY I easily set 10 'New Territory' goals and a paltry 2 'Financial Goals' (..avoiding weaknesses) and WHY I could spend my precious time abroad exercising but couldn't write a simple email to mentors asking for help..
Best,
Billy