Anchor Your New Year’s Dreams and Desires in Goals

On December 31, 2024, I did what many people do: I sent a message to my friends and colleagues, expressing gratitude for our collaboration over the past year and wishing them a Happy New Year in 2025. To my surprise, many responded with warm wishes for my happiness and hopes that my deepest desires would come true. The word desire stood out to me, prompting reflection on January 1, 2025. I spent the day contemplating my dreams, desires, and wishes, realizing that these aspirations would remain abstract and unfulfilled without a clear structure or specific goals.

Dreams are visions or aspirations, often intangible and idealistic. Desires and wishes reflect our emotional wants, fuelled by the hope that they might one day manifest. But, as my mentor John C. Maxwell often says, "Hope is not a strategy." While dreams, desires, and wishes are inspiring, they alone cannot move us closer to achieving our goals. To transform them into reality, they must be supported by SMART goals—Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

For instance, if your dream is to be debt-free and you desire to save or earn more money, your goal might be to establish a specific number of additional income streams and save a set amount over a defined period.

As you consider your New Year’s resolutions or set personal goals, distinguish between your dreams, desires, and wishes. Anchor them with well-defined SMART goals to ensure they become actionable and achievable.

Wishing you a Happy New Year and success in all your endeavors!