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New Year’s Outlook
Where would you like to go?
Every year, people set new year’s resolutions for things to achieve in the year. I heard that 70% of people make these resolutions and only about 10% keep them. What could be the problem as to why people fall away from their goals? Could it be that they are aiming blindly into an outcome that haven’t fully determined that they actually desire?
Watch History
The Life You’d Like to Have
I came across this video from Jordan Peterson. In it, Peterson describes the importance of outlining your life - putting forth effort in life. He describes it as working on micro-habits that build industriousness - which we says is one of the key factors for success.
Notes on the video:
If you could have the life of your dreams in 3-5 years, what would it look like? What do your friendships look like? Your Family? Career? Your time outside of your job? Once you have your goal clearly defined, you can set up micro-processes that lead to that goal.
Specify Your Goals
People don’t like specifying goals because they don’t like outlining conditions for failure. Problem is that if you don’t know when you’re failing then you’ll only find out when the failure is major.
Once you have your goal, what does that life look like day to day, week to week, month to month?
Set a Schedule
A schedule is not a prison.
Set the schedule to be the day that you want to have.
A Day in the Life of Your Future Self
This is funny to me. A few months ago, the same idea so eloquently described by Jordan Peterson was also conveyed through a 38 second TikTok. The TikTok said this was a “Viral TikTok Trend”, which at this point, either everything is or nothing is. Seriously, everyone uses that term. Anyway.
The trend goes like this:
(to ChatGPT)
- Write Down Your goals for Your Future Life.
- Have ChatGPT write a ‘Day in the Life’ blog post from your future self.
- Then have it create a daily schedule for you that builds to that future life.
I thought it was a cool idea! I love utilizing AI for experiments like this just to see what it comes up with. I told it my future goals and aspirations and here’s what it wrote:
You wake up early, as the sun begins streaming through your bedroom window, filling the room with a warm glow. You quietly slip out of bed, leaving your spouse to rest a little longer, and take a few peaceful minutes for yourself with coffee in hand. You spend this time journaling and praying, reflecting on the goals you set for your family and your career, and giving thanks for the blessings and challenges that shape your journey.
Afterward, you head into your office to work on your book—a project that's been on your heart for years. It’s a manuscript about leadership, faith, and the journey God has taken you on. You’re deeply grateful for the chance to pour wisdom into the next generation, knowing that your experiences in ministry and leadership will resonate with others.
As the morning unfolds, your children begin to stir. You and your spouse get the day started with breakfast and a short family devotion. Instilling faith in your children’s hearts is a priority, so you make time for these daily moments of prayer and encouragement. You kiss them goodbye as they head off to school, knowing you’re laying the foundation for a life lived with Godly principles.
At the office, you now sit as part of the executive leadership team, guiding the church’s creative direction and mentoring emerging leaders. Today, you’re holding a meeting with the creative and production teams to discuss upcoming projects, and you’re also meeting with a few younger staff members who see you as a mentor.
Later, you meet with the senior leaders, strategizing on initiatives that deepen the church’s impact in the community. You find a profound sense of purpose in this work, knowing you’re playing a part in expanding God’s kingdom, using every ounce of experience and knowledge you’ve gained over the years. The seeds you planted in leadership training years ago are now bearing fruit as you help set the direction for the church’s mission and vision.
In the evening, you’re back at home, where you and your spouse have dinner with the family. Afterward, you share stories from the day, listen to your children’s dreams and challenges, and encourage them with reminders of God’s love and purpose for their lives.
As the day winds down, you reflect on all that God has done and where He is still leading you. You recognize that each day is a step toward His greater vision, and you rest in that assurance, knowing your faith and work are making a lasting impact for generations to come.
It’s beautiful; getting to see a dream written out before you. But you take it a step further and tell it to build you a daily schedule in light of this story that it wrote. Now, it first thought I wanted a schedule for the future me, but after I clarified:
Morning
5:30 AM – Wake-Up and Personal Devotion
Start with prayer, journaling, and reading the Bible or another faith-based book. This time will help you center your day around God’s guidance and start cultivating spiritual leadership in your personal life.
6:00 AM – Exercise
A short workout—like a 20-30 minute walk, run, or home exercise. Regular exercise improves mental clarity and resilience, both essential for leadership.
6:30 AM – Goal Review and Writing Practice
Spend a few minutes reviewing your goals and writing a paragraph or two on leadership, your faith journey, or another topic that might evolve into your future book. This habit strengthens writing skills and keeps you connected to your vision.
7:00 AM – Breakfast and Reflective Learning
Use this time to listen to a podcast or audiobook on leadership, faith, or personal development as you prepare for the day.
7:30 AM – Get Ready and Head to Work
Workday
8:00 AM – Start Work (High-Impact Tasks)
Begin with focused work on key projects, putting your energy into tasks that can demonstrate your value and leadership potential. This is where you can showcase initiative, creativity, and skill to help make a case for a leadership role.
10:00 AM – Collaboration and Team Building
Make time for check-ins with team members or offer support on projects. Building strong relationships and taking a mentoring attitude within your team, even informally, will help establish you as a trusted leader.
12:00 PM – Lunch and Reflection
Step away from your desk, even briefly, and review your progress on personal goals or projects. Use this time to stay mindful of your larger vision and recharge before the afternoon.
1:00 PM – Growth-Oriented Projects and Networking
Seek opportunities to support or initiate projects that show your leadership skills, such as contributing ideas for team improvement or taking charge of a task. Also, consider scheduling coffee chats with colleagues or mentors for relationship building and learning.
3:00 PM – Skill-Building Time
Spend time learning something new relevant to leadership, such as team management techniques, creative skills, or production processes. This continual improvement keeps you sharp and forward-looking.
4:30 PM – End-of-Day Review and Planning
Wrap up your day by reviewing what went well, what you learned, and what needs attention tomorrow. Use this reflection time to track your growth and prepare for tomorrow’s priorities.
5:00 PM – Head Home
Evening
5:30 PM – Relaxation and Dinner
Use this time to unwind. If you’re with loved ones or friends, focus on meaningful conversations to foster relationships.
7:00 PM – Professional Development or Personal Project Time
Dedicate some time to work on your book, learn new skills, or work on a small creative project. Regularly progressing on personal goals reinforces discipline and momentum.
8:00 PM – Connection Time
Spend time with your partner, friends, or family. Evenings are a great time to cultivate meaningful relationships and unwind from the day.
8:30 PM – Personal Development Reading or Study
Read a book or article on leadership, faith, or personal development. This habit builds your knowledge base and develops your voice for future leadership roles.
9:30 PM – Evening Reflection and Prayer
Reflect on the day’s experiences, focusing on moments of growth, gratitude, and things you learned. Spend time in prayer, asking for wisdom and guidance for your goals and relationships.
10:00 PM – Bedtime
Prioritize sleep for the energy and resilience you’ll need to stay consistent with your commitments.
Now, it’s not that you should now follow this perfectly - I mean, it told me to exercise at 6am, are you crazy? But it doesn’t hurt to take what it says into consideration.
Waking up early is a theme among productivity and self-help books. So could there be value in working that into my routine? Potentially. Depends on what I want to achieve. That’s the crux of all of this. The thoughts on New Years Resolutions, Peterson’s video, this TikTok; it’s all about starting with the end in mind.
Where are you trying to go?
I think the beauty of this time of year is that everyone begins to reflect on what they want. Sometimes it’s shallow, yes, but sometimes the goals are a reflection of the future you want to have.
You have a goal to lose 30 lbs. Cool.
You hope for a healthy future version of yourself.
You want to read 20 books this year. Cool.
You hope for a more knowledgeable future version of yourself.
The teachings of James Clear in Atomic Habits come into play because instead of you just having a goal, you define the future you want and then build backwards from there developing the habits necessary to reach that future. He even mentions a couple practices that come into play here called the 2 Minute Rule and Habit Shaping.
Two Minute Rule
Very Easy | Easy | Moderate | Hard | Very Hard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Put on Your Running Shoes | Walk Ten Minutes | Walk Ten Thousand Steps | Run a 5K | Run a Marathon |
Write One Sentence | Write One Paragraph | Write One Thousand Words | Write a Five Thousand Word Article | Write a Book |
Open Your Notes | Study for Ten Minutes | Study for Three Hours | Get Straight A’s | Earn a PhD |
Habit Shaping
Habit | Becoming an Early Riser | Becoming Vegan | Starting to Exercise |
|---|---|---|---|
Phase 1 | Be home by 10pm every night | Start eating vegetables at each meal | Change into workout clothes |
Phase 2 | Have all devices (TV, phone, etc.) turned off by 10pm every night | Stop eating animals with four legs (cow, pig, lamb, etc.) | Step out the door (try taking a walk) |
Phase 3 | Be in bed by 10pm every night (reading a book, talking with your partner) | Stop eating animals with two legs (chicken, turkey, etc.) | Drive to the gym, exercise for five minutes, and leave |
Phase 4 | Lights off by 10pm every night | Stop eating animals with no legs (fish, clams, scallops, etc.) | Exercise for fifteen minutes at least once per week |
Phase 5 | Wake up at 6am every day | Stop eating all animal products (eggs, milk, cheese) | Exercise three times per week |
Notice how the habits scale. The trick is to make the habit easy to start. Use the two minute rule by applying yourself to the habit only for two minutes. Devote those two minutes for the task and over time you’ll want to do it more and more. Then use Habit Shaping by starting small and then building it to be the full habit over time.
Imagine if your New Years Resolution was to write a book but you haven’t written anything since High School English class. If you try to write the book from the get-go, you’ll burn yourself out because of how daunting the task is. But let’s say that instead you begin with just writing in a journal one sentence each week in January. Then you move on writing a paragraph each week. Then maybe by the summer, you’re writing articles as to reach a couple pages each week. Perhaps by the end of the year you will have built up the habit of writing so that you can begin to actually write the book.
Closing thoughts
As we start off this year, I want to encourage all of us - as we are all on a growth journey of our own - to reflect on what life we want to live. Not just what we want to do by the end of the year, but who we want to be in 3 years, 5 years, 10 years. Then build out that life from today. With the Future You as the destination, what milestones do you need to reach? What steps can be taken to reach those milestones? Build today the habits that achieve the goals that develop the person you want to be and the life you want to live.
Add to Watch Later:
Psst. I made a Playlist on YouTube for the videos I’ve mentioned here so that you can always refer back to it!
Reading List
13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do by Amy Morin
I’m about to finish up this book and it has been such a good read! Morin goes through each trait breaking down attributes of the mindset in a very easy to understand way. I’ve found the traits to be both encouraging and challenging. Encouraging when I feel like I don’t struggle with it, but challenging because what if there’s a sub-attribute that I do struggle with? How do I take steps to be stronger mentally?
As always, highly recommend!
The Growth Log Library
I’ve compiled a list of the books that I mention in case you want to pick any of it up. Full disclosure, these are affiliate links. Doesn’t cost anything extra on your end, I just get a kickback if you use my link to make a purchase.
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