It’s that time of year when many people are focused on their New Year’s Resolutions and 2023 goals.

I’m not one of them.

I don’t set goals for myself.

People are surprised when I say that. They point towards some things I’ve done like getting my Master of Social Work, starting a second career as a therapist, and founding my coaching practice. They assume those endpoints began as goals, but they didn’t.

I never viewed those activities as goals. I saw them as necessary steps to arrive at my desired destination. That may sound like semantics, but I’ll explain the distinction.

It’s not that I’ve never set a goal. I have.

Six months after founding my coaching practice--in December of 2019--I decided I needed to implement a practice management system by the end of 2020. I don’t know why I set that date, but once I did, I committed to it.

Knee-deep in my research, I felt overwhelmed and ill-prepared to make an informed decision. That’s when I found a digital marketing consultant who explained I should develop my marketing strategy before choosing a system, so I set my goal aside. I set it so far aside that instead of getting it done in December of 2020, I implemented the system in the fall… of 2022.

That wouldn’t go over well if I had someone to answer to, but it’s okay because the only one who could judge me was me. I chose not to judge me. It was an arbitrary deadline, and when I learned I could make a smarter decision by waiting, I let it go.

I’m not trying to be contrarian or provocative. I appreciate there can be value in goal setting, but that doesn’t mean it’s for everyone. 

If you create New Year’s Resolutions, and they make you feel more train wreck than triumphant, maybe you should retire the practice. We do our best when we do things our own way. 

As a coach, I help my clients find what works for them. 

Want some support finding what works for you?

Book a complimentary coaching session here:

And happy 2023!