One of my favorite takeaways from my time working at Facebook is the habit of writing an annual vision statement for what I’d like to be able to have accomplished by the end of the following year. Documenting my goals on this blog helps keep them top of mind for me. Sharing my goals with friends and family helps keep me accountable and more likely to finish.

In the past, I’ve been very achievement-oriented in my vision statements. That is not likely to change; I am a to-do list maker and box-checker-offer and I love setting and achieving goals.

But this year, I started creating my vision statement by thinking about what’s important to me. What are my values? Brene Brown has a great list of 100 values (scroll down the page, it’s on the lower right) to refer to and choose from, for deciding what is most important to honor in your life.

I narrowed mine down to 5: Family, Service, Freedom, Community and Joy. The goals I have in my vision statement this year reflect these values. They represent how I want to live my life and spend my time.

I don’t usually choose a “word of the year.” I did once, in 2018: “Fearless” and I liked it well enough. But one word has been coming to mind recently, and that is “Now.” I like it as a theme for 2020 for several reasons:
1 – It’s a reminder to stay present and in the moment. One of my Strengths is Futuristic, and while it’s great for envisioning the future and what could be, I sometimes feel anxious about what might happen. Similarly, I often rerun events of the past in my head to think about what I might have done differently, even though there’s no way to change what’s happened, and therefore, it’s mostly a waste of my time. Remembering the mantra “Now” keeps things in the moment and cues me to practice mindfulness.
2 – It’s a command for me: Do it now. I don’t want to wait any longer to start pursuing work that is meaningful for me. I left Facebook this past year, after writing my obituary as part of my yoga teacher training and realizing that I need to feel fulfilled in the work I do in order to be happy. Joy is important to me.
3 – It’s a reminder to be grateful for where I am now. My eldest departs the nest this year. He’s graduating from high school and enlisting in the Marine Corps. I couldn’t be prouder of him. I can’t believe the year 2020 is finally here and he is leaving to live his life as an adult. “Now” is a word to remind me that I should cherish every moment with him and his sister, as the time for us all living together is slipping away quickly.

I have a feeling 2020 will be a year of transformation for me. I am building my own business and reconnecting with my artistic roots. I’m mostly thrilled but slightly terrified; however, I’m pretty sure it’s going to be awesome.

 

For my 2020 Vision Statement, I am changing things up a little bit and taking advantage of the number of the year.

20 things I want to accomplish in 2020:

1. Cook meals from scratch for my family at least once a week.
2. Visit with my parents and brothers (and their families) at least twice this year.
3. Take the kids on a vacation.
4. Make my first book available as an eBook and print-on-demand.
5. Write a business book.
6. Launch a consulting business.
7. Sell 1,000 books.
8. Obtain my CPCC (Certified Professional Co-Active Coach) certification and build up my coaching business to 10 clients.
9. Get paid for public speaking.
10. Become conversant in Spanish.
11. Perform a one-woman show.
12. Be able to play a song on piano while singing the lyrics.
13. Increase my flexibility enough to do the splits.
14. Go on one date/month (a 4X increase over 2019, ha!).
15. Host a dinner party for friends.
16. Hike once a week.
17. Practice yoga daily.
18. Meditate daily.
19. Teach yoga classes for a) veterans at the VA and b) for girls through The Art of Yoga.
20. Travel to someplace I’ve never been before.

This might be the last year I do a big list. While I like the values-driven approach to the goals, I feel like it might be time to take one year and simplify…to focus on like, 3-5 things. Or maybe even one, like, “Choose joy.” I’m going to see how 2020 goes and consider whether 2021 might be a revisioning of my vision statement process.

How do you approach New Year’s resolutions and vision statements? I’m curious to hear about other methods.

Wishing all of you a joyful and fulfilling 2020.