The Dawn Of A New Year!

Here we are on the first day of the first workweek of 2023 and it is time to look ahead and set goals for the new year.

I have had a good Christmas Break, and while I am technically not back to work yet, that is tomorrow, I am back at blogging.

As I look to this year and set goals I have three categories of goals:

1. Short Term (1 – 4 weeks)

2. Medium-Term (2 – 6 Months)

3. Long-Term (7 Months +)

This is a general gauge but you get the idea. Typically my Short-Term Goals are for this payday or the next one. 

These are goals that I can have a good certainty that I can get them done (baring the unknown).

My Medium-Term Goals are the ones that I am focussed on and striving hard to get done, as these ones are also within the realm of possibility of getting done.

They take more than a few paydays to achieve, so the level of uncertainty increases with them. 

When you meet a Short-Term Goal, set a new one that will move you towards achieving your Mid-Term Goal.

When you meet a Mid-Term Goal, set a new one that will move you towards achieving your Long-Term Goal.

One thing to keep in mind is that the longer that you go into the future with your Goal Setting, the greater the uncertainty.

My Long-Term Goals are goals that are more aspirational in nature. They are goals that I am working towards and certainly want, but achieving those goals are uncertain.

These goals are so far out into the future that so many things could get in the way of my achieving them, or just plain, my goals may change.

It is important to have those Long-Term, Aspirational Goals, as those are your dreams that you want to have happen, those keep you motivated to keep going through the hard times, when you want to quit.

You need to focus on the here and now, this week, this payday, your Short-Term Goals as you move towards achieving your Medium-Term Goals while you keep your Long-Term Goals in mind.

As for me, with all of the uncertainty that I see this year, my Long-Term Goal of having some place by next winter remains foggy at best. 

I still want it, but with housing prices still elevated and rent in the stupid and ludicrous range, this all remains to be seen.

Add to that the economic uncertainty and if you have been paying attention, you have an inkling, a fear of how bad things might get, and getting a mortgage in the midst of all this might now be wise.

So, I will focus on my Medium-Term Goal of paying off my last credit card by April 7.

That date has changed as I have bought more tools for my Homestead Supplies. There is always more that I want to get, but I am resisting buying more just yet.

With uncertainty on the horizon this year, I want to face it debt-free and with a modest amount of cash in the bank. 

I really have no idea what this year will bring, but every fibre in my being tells me that something wicked this way comes. 

I will continue to work towards some sort of happy future as I prepare for the worst, hedging my bets as it were.

I will also do my best to resist the urge to purchase ever more tools and supplies for the ever growing Homestead Supplies.

So, Dream for the Long-Term, plan for the Mid-Term but work on the now.