I started to write them based on the “Yale Study”… remember the one, where:

In 1953, researchers surveyed Yale’s graduating seniors to determine how many of them had specific, written goals for their future. The answer: 3%. Twenty years later, researchers polled the surviving members of the Class of 1953 — and found that the 3% with goals had accumulated more personal financial wealth than the other 97% of the class combined!

Well, that study has recently been debunked by Fast Company – if you don’t feel like reading the article, it says that the Yale “study” never existed, yet it was cited by many self-help gurus such as Tony Robbins and Zig Ziggler.

But that does not stop me. Setting goals is something that has helped me crystalize what I am doing and where I am heading. It also has an effect of reflecting on what you have learned in the past year, and not making the same mistakes again and again. I split them up into heart, body, mind and economic, just so the focus isn’t too narrow. LT is for more long-term goals.

Stefanie’s Goals

Heart

• Keep things going well with M.
• Choose who I do business with more wisely.

Body

• Work out four times a week (an absolute minimum of two).
• Develop flexibility.

Mind

• Strengthen strategic and communications skills.
• Build my business in the direction of the most interesting projects and people.
• Take Chinese lessons and improve Japanese.
• Write a book (1-2 years).

Economic

• Double my revenues.
• Look into partnership options.
• Develop my own product.
• Pay off credit cards monthly.
• Get health insurance.

Spiritual

• Meditate daily.
• Don’t sweat the small stuff.
• Volunteer my time for a more charitable cause.

"We are the creative force of our life, and through our own decisions rather than our conditions, if we carefully learn to do certain things, we can accomplish those goals." — Stephen Covey

Short Term (within the next 12 Months)

Mind
- Have a #1 focus on building my business in the next 12 months – and don’t be distracted by… well… everything.
- Read more of the academic press.
- Write every day.

Heart
- Give and receive love in any form from all the places it comes from .
- Have a positive impact on everyone that I come into contact with.
- Fully express myself honestly but have a calm and relaxed manner when things aren’t going my way.
- Put trust in the right people.
- Develop the characteristics of patience and sticking to a vision.

Spirit
- Raise $5,000 for charity this year.
- Meditate daily.
- Give 10% of the revenue from my business to charity.
.
Physical
- Complete a sprint triathlon in the fall.
- Keep the apt beautiful.

Professional
-  Have my own professional website and brand identity by the end of the summer.
- Build business according to the plan.

Economic
- Buy a condo this year (probably winter).
- Becoming a better book keeper

Long Term (Next 5 Years)

Mind
- Move into a profession that fully engages me intellectually by late 2007.
- Think big and use creativity to help people love, feel love and be inspired.
- Write and publish book and/or have a regular column some place by 2010.
- Focus on what is truly important instead of the obsession of the moment or the dramas of everyday life.

Heart
- Give and receive love in any form.
- Be honest with myself and others.
- Fully express myself honestly but have a calm and relaxed manner when things aren’t going my way.
- Have a positive impact on everyone who I come into contact with.
- Be able to spend more time physically with my family members.
- Develop the characteristics of patience and sticking to a vision.

Spirit
- Dedicate at least 25% of my life to helping people live healthier and more fulfilling lives (this can be through fund raising, professionally or through family) by 2008.
- Improve meditation skills.

Physical
- Maintain a healthy weight and work out 4 times a week.
- Get progressively better at sprint triathlons and 10k races..

Professional
- Be the manager that I want to be by mid 2008 (inspiring, effective, receiving feedback, standing up for self and others in an environment that encourages this style).
- Build some sort of creativity group or association.

Economic
- Keep increasing savings at current rate.

Here it goes – the colored writing is new since January;)

Short Term (within the next 12 Months)

Mind
- Continue to become a better writer by writing three times a week, and a better thinker by reading 50 books this year, interspersing more serious ones than last year, both classics and non-fiction.
- Focus on what is truly important instead of the obsession of the moment or the dramas of everyday life.
- Begin more serious writing in the fall + write some more fun stuff.
- Make the most of my current work role intellectually (grasp for the good stuff).

Heart
- Continue to give and receive love in any form.
- Fully express myself honestly.
- Connect with at least one of my family members at least once a week.
- Get out to see live music or lecture once a month.
- Stand up to people who are trying to hold me and others back.

Spirit
- Raise $5,000 for charity this year.
- Travel in the fall (hopefully to Vietnam).
- Don’t take office hierarchy/petty rivalries seriously (focus on own goals instead).
- Trust instincts more and keep fears in perspective (don’t be own worst enemy ) .

Physical
- Get  back into a size 6 (from the current by June (now half-way there ) through exercise and healthier eating (cutting back on white sugar, white flour, creamy Starbucks drinks) and exercising 4 times a week.
- Complete a sprint triathlon in the spring.
- Keep being neat.

Professional
- Work on the competencies discussed with my group manager (use numbers proactively, engage in discussions even if they do not benefit me, look calm but responsive under pressure, evangelize technology).
- Move forward with business plan + have my own professional website by the end of the summer.
- Make more connections within industry.

Economic
- Buy a condo this year.
- Waste less money by eating in more and keep spending less on lattes.
- Procrastinate less on admin stuff.
- (?) x savings from last year.

Long Term (Next 5 Years)

Mind
- Move into a profession that fully engages me intellectually by late 2007.
- Think big and use creativity to help people love, feel love and be inspired
- Write and publish book and/or have a regular column some place by 2010.
- Focus on what is truly important instead of the obsession of the moment or the dramas of everyday life.
- Use business skills to the maximum (make sure every role is as interesting as possible and delegate the rest!).

Heart
- Continue giving and receiving love in any form .
- Have a positive impact on everyone who I come into contact with, remembering that "positive impact" does not mean simply pleasing them.
- Be able to spend more time physically with my family members.
- Stand up to people who are trying to hold me and others back.

Spirit
- Dedicate at least 25% of my life to helping people live healthier and more fulfilling lives (this can be through fund raising, professionally or through family) by 2008.
- Improve meditation skills and keep an easy and relaxed manner even when things aren’t going my way.
- Remember about the illusory and transitory nature of hopes and fears (don’t be own worst enemy!)

Physical
- Maintain a healthy weight and work out 4 times a week.
- Get progressively better at sprint triathlons and 10k races.
- Continue to be neat.

Professional
- Have my own business full time OR an autonomous and high-profile role by late 2007.
- Move into a more intellectually stimulating and fulfilling career and don’t work around people who waste my and the company’s time.
- Be the manager that I want to be by mid 2008 (inspiring, effective, receiving feedback, standing up for self and others in an environment that encourages this style).

Economic
- Keep increasing savings at current rate.

Okay, that’s it. I will revisit again in June .

Here it goes:

Short Term (within the next 12 Months)

Mind
- Continue to become a better writer by writing every day, and a better thinker by reading 50 books this year, interspersing more serious ones than last year.
- Focus on what is truly important instead of the obsession of the moment or the dramas of everyday life.

Heart
- Be open to receiving love in any form.
- Fully express myself honestly (not Alanis Morissette confessional style).
- Connect with all of my family members at least once a week.
- Get out to see live music or lecture once a month.

Spirit
- Raise $5,000 for charity this year.

Physical
- Get  back into a size 6 (from the current through exercise and healthier eating (cutting back on white sugar, white flour, creamy Starbucks drinks) and exercising 4 times a week.
- Complete a sprint triathalon in the spring.
- Get back into being as neat as I was last year.

Professional
- Work on the competencies discussed with my group manager this week (use numbers proactively, engage in discussions even if they do not benefit me, look calm but responsive under pressure, evangelize technology).
- Build a prototype for the entrepreneurial venture by spring.

Economic
- Buy some real estate this year.
- Waste less money by eating in more.

Long Term (Next 5 Years)

Mind
- Move into a profession that fully engages me intellectually by mid 2007.
- Think big and use creativity to help people love, feel love and be inspired
- Write and publish book and/or have a regular column some place.
- Focus on what is truly important instead of the obsession of the moment or the dramas of everyday life.

Heart
- Always be open to receiving love in any form (hopefully in the form of my own loving partner/family but this is not exactly something that can be predicted so the other kinds of love are cool too).
- Have a positive impact on everyone who I come into contact with, remembering that "positive impact" does not mean simply pleasing them.
- Be able to spend more time physically with my family members.

Spirit
- Dedicate at least 25% of my life to helping people live healthier and more fulfilling lives (this can be through fund raising, professionally or through family) by 2008.

Physical
- Maintain a healthy weight and work out 4 times a week.
- Get progressively better at sprint triathlons and 10k races.
- Continue to be neat.

Professional
- Have my own business OR an autonomous and high-profile role by 2008.
- Move into a more intellectually stimulating and fulfilling career.
- Work in a leadership role with creatives.

Economic
- Double long-term investments for the next 3 years.

Okay, that’s it. I will revisit again in March .