We’ve done this twice already, you and I. There are about three weeks left in December. What were your goals for this year? Are there any you can knock out in the next three weeks?
It is ludicrous to think that we need a calendar or a date like January 1 to get control of ourselves, our lives, our habits, and our thoughts.
What are you goals? Again: can you get any of them in the next three weeks? If so, do it!
These were my projects and results for 2009:
- Deadlift 400 (got 450)
- Bend the Ironmind yellow nail (bent a grade 5 bolt, much, much harder)
- Press the 48 kilo kettlebell (in the next two weeks, it will happen)
- Pass the RKC certification (check)
- Completely rehabilitate shoulders (check)
- Blog every day (did this since April 9 at the launch of the blog)
- Get 1000 subscribers (happened yesterday)
How about it? What are you working on? What will you be working on? Are you underestimating yourself? Probably. Shoot high, grind your teeth, and go. Forget dates, forget New Years, forget resolutions.
Decide now.
Josh
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I was thinking about this just earlier today, Josh! What a timely post for me.
I am hoping to get the basic configuration of my blog back together tomorrow and write down some goals there for myself. I have two of them, in fact, but both were lost in recent configuration disasters (purely my own fault, but unsalvageable).
Congratulations on meeting your goals for 2009! I’m looking forward to setting mine for 2010.
I’ll be there to check on those goals on your blog.
I have two, so I’ll make sure to get you the right address. One’s the more personal blog, the other is a marriage blog. I’ll make sure you get the right address! Thanks Josh!
Congrats on the 1,000 subscribers and having awesome goals! I’m trying to figure out what my goals were… oh yeah. At the beginning of the year I was still making a living doing something else that I did not really enjoy anymore, so my goal was to make $500/month from my websites, which I got to. I usually have very simple goals and I set them as I go.
It’s something that has always worked well for me. In 2010 my goal will be to connect and help as many people as possible. Something shifted in me this year getting me from “make more money” to “connect and help”. Feels a lot better it does.
That’s a fantastic goal, Henri, and there may very well prove to be some overlap between helping and earning. Good for you.
Congratulations to the milestone of 1000 subscribers!
Thanks Stefan. It’s hard to believe, but it’s pretty cool.
Congrats on the 1000 subscribers, I am guessing this is just the beginning.
Thanks again for the inspiration, I am still on cloud 9 after bending the “big” nail yesterday.
It was “big!” Don’t knock it. And yes, this is just the beginning, for both of us. Soon you will be bending shotgun barrels between two fingers.
Wow JOsh…Congrats on completing your goals…and they were tall goals for sure…just like you
I like how you say decide and do it NOW! Why wait for new years..when everyday can be a new day
I am aiming for 1000 subscribers myself…among losing some weight ….on my way ..getting there…half way through…..
This post has motivated me further
Time goes by either way. Might as well spend the next six months accomplishing things versus merely getting older.
These are all great goals. I know you aren’t trying to impress anyone, but the one that impresses me the most is your ability to blog every day. This is no easy task, it takes a lot of dedication and creativity. Combine that with work, family, and kettle bells, and I imagine it to be a very challenging, yet rewarding goal. Congrats on that and all your other goal successes.
Thanks Eric. After 8 months, blogging every day is still something I really get a kick out of. I don’t think that will ever change.
450 DL. Nice work. Especially for a very tall guy. what’s been your training plan on that? My pie in the sky DL goal is 405 (for reps); immediate, realistic goal is is 315 for reps. I’ve got some work to do.
Referring to a former blog post, I might agree with you on the deadlift as the only exercise on the desert island. But out of curiousity, how’d you pick that rather than snatches or something?
Laurie, I picked it because there’s nothing I’d rather do than deadlift. I think about it all the time. It’s brutal, it’s fun, and it’s impossible to fake. I can’t snatch 450 lbs, so snatching wouldn’t make me feel quite as rugged on the island:) As far as my deadlift training, that’s been a fascinating experiment. I put 70 lbs on my deadlift in the last year barely touching anything heavier than 185. I did light, high rep dl sets, sometimes just with two kettlbells, 2-3 times a week for the last 4 months. Also, some heavy double kettlebell swings. And suddenly I could deadlift heavier.
Hey Josh,
Congrats on reaching the 1k subscribers milestone. That is an accomplishment, and inspiring to see a unique site that doesn’t cater to the typical topics (making money, blogging, motivational fluff, etc.) reach that.
I myself am shooting for a 100 subscribers milepebble, then off to the 1k. Then 10k, 50k, 100k, and beyond. Then, Engadget/TechCrunch subscriber numbers
I’m also focusing on beginning to generate income from my site by offering optional, no-hype paid products beginning of 2010. Going to do the Tim Ferriss/Shopify $100,000 challenge to kick myself in the butt – even if I don’t win the prize, the next few months will have motivated me to speed up and achieve my goal faster.
Another important goal is to get out my first music release. I’ve been making a lot of exciting, melodic, emotional, souful electronic dance tunes this year, and the audience-testing has been awesome. I’m excited to share my tunes with more people and provide them with energizing value starting 2010.
Thanks for sharing all of your online and offline goals,
Oleg
Sounds good all around Oleg. You will excel at anything you really commit to, because you’re that guy.
Hey Josh,
It’s interesting that you are writing about goals because I have been going through a goal setting exercise every morning for my top 10 goals and I’m finding that the more I review them on a daily basis the more ideas I’m coming up with for accomplishing them. For example one idea I had was 5000 dollars in income by April 2010. Obviously that means running a blog like a business. I found this job description and looked at the duties and decided to use that description as a business plan for my blog. As far as 2009 goes I guess I didn’t write down specific goals which was a mistake, but one mine is to get to 500 Readers by the end of December. IT might be a stretch, but I figure why not.
That $$ goal is doable. You’ll see.
Said you would get it by Dec. 1 was off by ten days. Looks like you got your goal on my birthday instead of yours.
Whoops. I meant your birthday.
Injury set back my lifting goals, and most of my others changed. My goal is to keep progressing on my main lifts w/o stalling until at least the new year.
What are your main lifts, Craig?
1. Clean up my diet to REALLY flatten my stomach!
2. Get stronger and get back into kettlebells—these dumbbells are ok, but they aren’t quite doing it.
3. FINISH MY MASTERS IN SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA AND TECH (2 more classes—I NEVER should have saved the worst for last—and yet. . . . and yet. . . .. )
I’m sure there are more, I just haven’t quite gotten to them yet. Sometimes for me compulsive list-making is a bigger distraction to the actual goal than MEETING THE GOAL. OK, now I gotta go find that Dan John post and stop stalling already. . . . thanks, Josh, this was just the kick I needed!
Heather, those classes sound horrible. What have you done to deserve this? There must be something…
Way to go, Josh!! Your accomplishments are awesome! Congrats especially on the 1000 subscribers (by the way, I switched over to the feed yesterday, I wonder if I was the 1000th??? I hope so!!) that is such an amazing feat! Best to you in 2010!!
Thanks Jodi. I’m sure it was you. It’s just too poetic to think otherwise.
My goals were to keep publishing on my blog, which I am doing. Wish I was making more money off it, but it’s alright as long as it feels like a hobby rather than work.
Also, published my book and found a publisher for my new book. That’s something I didn’t even have goals for until maybe next year so I kinda feel ahead of schedule.
Other than that everything is great and on track. Self-discipline needs some work though.
Congrats on all your success and thanks for being part of the process of having read my book, greatly appreciate it!! Glad to have gotten to know you over the months.
Congrats on the book!!
Terrence, there’s no book yet, not officially. Just in the works. Keep your fingers crossed.
My main goal for 2010, Is to get some eyes on my blog!! I am doing research on blogging and trying new things, but nothing seems to be working!! I will not give up though, because I know that I have something to say that people want to hear ( at least in my niche) I also plan to learn to play blues rock guitar!! I have the materals gathered, I just have to finish up some old project and then I’ll say , “Hey. Hey, The Blues is Alright!!”
Terrence, blog traffic is simple. I’ve started working with a couple of people on their blogs to help them get more traffic. If you’d like to talk about doing some work together, send me an email any time you like.
You did have some mighty impressive goals for 2009, Josh. Wow. Good for you.
2009 was not my most ambitious year ever, I have to admit. I am a special education reading and writing teacher (middle school, which means we probably have similar stories to tell:). My goal was to leave that job because it became mostly about evaluations and mountains and mountains of paperwork and very little time to teach the kids. It was so stressful for me because I felt like it was such a disservice to the kids and it took WA-A-Y too much time away from my own family of 5 pets, 3 kids, and 1 husband. Special education is broken in this country, I am telling you.
My basement resembles a library. You would not believe how many books I have down there. This year I am changing my focus from the classroom to the virtual world. One of my goals is to have 2010 people get 10 books out of their basement or off their bookshelves and into the hands of kids that need them. I met so many kids that didn’t have books, and most everyone I know has books that their kids have outgrown, but they don’t know what to do with (or, like me, they just can’t part with.)
I am in the beginning of this, having just started my blog, but it will be my goal for 2010. That, and to make a gajillion dollars.
Peace Dude,
Debbie Ferm
Debbie, I came THIS close to doing a master’s degree in Special Education instead of library school. I’d worked in the field for a year, loved it, but for all of broken pieces, I couldn’t go into it. Sounds like you get it.
I, for one, do not use January to make resolutions or update goals. I use to do it, but about 15 years ago came to the realization that it was just cliche.
That’s what I like to hear!
I like setting goals, I like even more reaching them!
Didn’t set myself many goals this year however. My main goals were monetary related. I had been working in my first full-time job for 6 months and I was pretty content at the time with where I was at.
I reached my goals I set monetary wise and have now resigned from full-time work to pursue a career online and trying to maintain the lifestyle I desire. I’ve got a year to make it happen!
Sarge | BeginnerBlogger.com
josh, what did you do to make your shoulders better? What was wrong with them.W
I heard everything from “rotator cuff” problems to vague suggestions about “shoulder instability.” To fix them, it was a combination of Turkish get ups, mobility work (mostly ankles, of all things), and armbars with a light kettlebell.
thats great, i was doing online training with adam, and i saw that you post over on his blog. Adam is a great guy and awesome trainer, and i see that your trained with him , you have made great progress. He told me about the ankle work too and it makes a huge difference, i still need alot of work, but its coming along. h
how long did it take until all the work finally stuck. I do mine and it feels better for alittle bit then it goes back to like it was. I need more overhead rom, its good to hear that you can change your body like you did. I saw that you are playing around with the biofeed back, hows it going. I have been using it since i had talked to adam, and it works great.Thanks for the help.
frank
Congratulations on reaching 1,000 subscribers, Josh!! You deserve this.
Like you, I’m pretty goal-driven. My goal over the next three weeks is to continue writing my book proposal, be the best mother I can be, and to work out at least three times a week. I also need to set up physical therapy, which is the one I’m procrastinating on. But I’m trying to make my goals attainable.