It’s 2012 and the future feels bright. With January comes a clean slate, resolutions and a heightened sense of possibility. Last year, we wrote about re-igniting your goals once the New Year high wore off. We caught up with Katie, Matt, Laura and Carolyn to find out which 2011 goals they crushed and which goals need a little revising.
katie, design
2011 goal declaration
I attend Wanderlust by 2011
I enroll in a raw foods cooking course by November 2011
how it went down
In 2011 I did indeed get to shake my Shakti at Wanderlust. While I was thinking warm winds in Tahoe, I got sent to three days of downpour in Vermont. The rain didn't dampen my spirits though. I got to meet (and converse with) Bryan Kest - the first teacher who ever inspired me to do yoga via VHS tape so many years ago. (Who knew he was just a cool dude from Detroit?)
lesson learned this year
Sometimes your goals don’t always play out exactly the way you envisioned them. Goals are meant to be guidelines to help you achieve the things that are important to you. How it all goes down, well that’s up to life.
what’s next?
Alas, however, my goal of attending a raw foods workshop still remains unfulfilled and my food still fully cooked…but hey, that's what 2012 is for, right?
Matt, currently crushing his mba in denmark
2011 goal declaration
I complete 10 items off my 100 before 100 by Dec 2011
how it went down
This one got 40% complete. Paying for a random strangers meal, hot air ballooning, making chocolate by hand and bungee jumping made my summer completely awesome! Even though I didn’t fully achieve this one, I feel good about my progress and the other goals I did crush like:
• finish four running races by Nov 2011
• save $10,000 for my MBA by Sept 2011
lesson learned this year
Looking back, I definitely stuck with the 50/50 rule – having 50% of my goals BHAGs that would push me. Goals are intended to be both attainable and challenging. Failing to reach a goal doesn't make me a failure. It means I was pushing myself
what’s next?
Best part of looking back at these goals? It makes me more excited about my goals for this year. Bring it on 2012!
laura, recruiting
2011 goal declaration
I ride the GranFondo Whistler by September 2012
how it went down
This year, my coworker Ben looked at my goals and said, “you’ve got the Gran Fondo on your goals, sign up!” With do it now, do it now, do it now engrained in my brain, I signed on the dotted line to ride the Whistler Gran Fondo a year earlier than planned.
If you’ve ever driven up the Sea to Sky Highway you can appreciate that there are a few hills. Once you’ve ridden a bike up it you’ll know that it’s almost all hills - 2,400 meters of climbing for a total elevation gain of 650 meters. The support from the crowds and my team pushed me to the top and over the finish line for one of the proudest moments of my life. Editors note: I think it’s safe to say Laura crushed this one by completing her goal in 2011.
lesson learned this year
Just because you’ve told yourself you’re going to do something by a certain time doesn’t mean you can’t kill it sooner!
what’s next?
I take one hour off my 2011 GranFondo Whistler time.
carolyn, digital
2011 goal declaration
I sample wine from every winery in the Okanagan Valley by December 2011
how it went down
I set some seriously fun goals last year – and I achieved a lot of them. Through the first half of the year I was attacking them with gusto and crossing them off my list.
• Take my parents on a fishing vacation to Painter’s Lodge? Check!
• Cook Julia Child’s famous Boeuf Bourguignon. Check!
• Take three ski vacations - at different hills. Check!
I used to keep my goals written on a big chalkboard in both my living room and kitchen. Everyday I was confronted with them – my fiancé saw them, they sparked conversations with friends and they stayed top of mind due to the visible reminder.
In September I moved into a new apartment (another goal off the list) and I no longer had a big,visible space to display my goals. With the loss of the chalkboards I stopped achieving my goals and even started to forget what they were.
lesson learned this year
Keep your goals visible to hold yourself accountable to them and keep them top of mind.
what’s next?
I revised my Okanagan Valley wine goal as I realized early on it wasn't realistic. With hundreds of wineries in the Okanagan, it would take me years to complete this. I've revised the goal to: I have tasted wine from every winery south of Okanagan Falls by June 2012.
Now that we’ve shared some of our successes, failures and revisions, what big goals are you setting for 2012?
