With January behind us, the chatter about New Year’s resolutions and “2020 clarity” has died down a bit. I was delayed in my annual goal setting this year – maybe because 2019 was a challenging year, so I needed more time to recover and refocus. When I did get my goals on paper recently, I realized it was my first year in this business that a goal of growing assets under management did not make the list. At first, I thought I should go back to add it – because I run a business and care about our continued growth. But I decided against it – because I’m really not striving for a dollar amount to benefit our balance sheet. The goals I’m pursuing this year are of much greater value than that.
Personally, my 2020 goals focus on the health and happiness of my family. On growing my influence in my kids’ lives. On prioritizing my marriage and modeling the values I want my boys to catch. But even for my business, I’m focused on goals with more meaning. Because our business is not about growing assets or gaining recognition. We exist to help as many families as possible use their money wisely – to make memories with their loved ones, to experience new things, to contribute to the world around them. At this stage in my career (and life), I’m keenly aware of the difference between success and significance, and I see much more value in what clients do with their money than how much they have.
Even with goals of great importance, however, it’s easy for motivation to wane, and it’s not uncommon for complacency to set in as February begins. With several months of winter still ahead of us, here are three ways I plan to keep striving toward my 2020 goals:
Reflect. I set aside time daily to reflect on where I came from and the values and behaviors that produced positive outcomes in my life. Where do I need to improve to reach the goals I’ve set for my family, my clients and myself?
Seek inspiration. Learning from books and podcasts usually sparks my drive. Surrounding myself with innovative peers and people of great integrity lifts my spirits. Traveling the world and seeing new places piques my creativity. These things help keep me motivated.
Focus on progress, not perfection. It’s easy to get discouraged when you aren’t knocking goals off your list as quickly as you’d like. But it’s important to realize that we often greatly overestimate what we can accomplish in the short term and greatly underestimate what we can accomplish in the long term. Be patient with yourself and focus on simply making progress toward each goal.
This year, be sure you’re striving toward goals that really matter, and pay attention to what reignites your purpose when motivation starts to fizzle.
Blog by Kyle Brownlee, Chief Executive Officer.
Category: Leaders
