Over six years ago, my book on goal-setting, Big Dreams, Daily Joys, was published! I recently found out that Chronicle Books will no longer be printing my book (it’s not sad; it’s a normal routine in the industry) and I was able to buy a bunch at a discounted rate before they are gone for good. I am passing on the savings and selling signed copies right here. One book is $11.25 or if you want to give them as gifts, I’m offering a bundle (5 copies for $50). While I cannot offer free shipping, I can beat the price Amazon is currently offering and I can promise you this: your purchase means much more to me than it does to Jeff Bezos.
I wrote the book in 2018. Since then we have moved twice. We endured a deployment during a pandemic. We got cats — something I swore we would never do! Our little kids turned into tweens! I launched dozens of products. I closed all my businesses. I picked up and put down countless hobbies. I went from a self-proclaimed “minimalist” with the whitest of white walls (2025 me struggles to relate with this photo) to a proud “collector of all the things” who cannot wallpaper enough surfaces. I got a lot done! I burned out spectacularly! I dramatically shifted my habits.
In many ways, I don’t feel like the same person who wrote the book! But to prep myself to sell the book for the last time, I went back and re-read a lot of it, including one of the early chapters which answers the question, Why set goals?
I have been actively setting and working towards various goals my entire adult life. Goal-setting enabled me quit my day job and start my own creative ventures. Goal-setting kept me upbeat and inspired during my husband's two deployments and helped me find my footing as an overwhelmed new mom. And it continues to keep me challenged and inspired. Goal-setting has been the common thread in my work for more than a decade.
When I bring up goal-setting, I often watch people’s eyes glaze over. They think either “boring” or that it’s just about hype and Pinterest ready-quotes about “following your dreams.” They reference an article about how New Year’s resolutions tend to fail or share how they wish goal-setting worked for them.
But personalized, well-developed goals are anything but boring and are so much more substantial than an inspirational poster. They can encourage and motivate you to try new things, help you move forward after setbacks, and give you larger purpose in your daily life.
I have set goals for many reasons over the years. I wanted to improve. I wanted to change direction. I wanted to recover. I wanted to avoid boredom or stop feeling overwhelmed. I wanted to save money or make money. I wanted to slow time or get through what felt like a long season. I wanted to learn something new or apply a skill I already had. Overall, I wanted a challenge. I was ready to add something extra to my life.
The act of setting a goal is important, but on its own it’s meaningless. You don't decide to try something and boom! your life is changed. But working towards a goal — even a goal that never gets fully realized — is where the magic happens. When you seriously commit and put forth effort, you will change and grow, regardless of whether you finish what you set out to do.
And that’s what this is about. We set goals to learn, expand, and find the joy that comes from getting uncomfortable and pushing ourselves outside the daily routine.
This all still tracks for me! I also will admit that reading it back makes me emotional. I often think of my past work as well… past. I am proud of it sure, but it’s done and I am on to the next thing. Re-visiting my old work is not something I do often and I certainly try not to dwell.
But I believe what I wrote above with my whole heart. There is no way I would be where I am right now (literally typing up this newsletter in my tree wallpapered den in Northern California near our families) without two decades of setting and working towards both tiny and huge goals.
Here’s the thing though: I didn’t set any of those goals to get to this place. And that’s what I would add to the essay above. You don’t set goals for future you. Goals are set for current you. Future you will reap some benefits, but current you? Current you gets the gift of a habit shift. Current you gets to try and fail and realize it’s not that big of a deal. Current you gets to string together one small win after another. Current you gets to say “this thing matters to me” and then gets to go after it.
My goal-setting practice has never been about having something great years from now. It’s about building something great into my everyday.
With that in mind, it makes sense that an honest assessment of where you currently are is the most important step in setting new goals. Reflection has always been a huge part of my work (The Get To Work Book included over a dozen reflection pages and in 2021, I added a reflection worksheet to the Daily Goal Tracker download).
Deep reflection can be difficult! While top-level feelings are often easy to articulate the “why” behind those feelings can be harder to suss out. This year, I created a single-page PDF to help me (and you!) do just that. It’s 20 things to consider, ranging from “The best part of my day is ___________.” to “If I had more time I would ____________.”
I printed mine out two weeks ago and have been slowly making my way through it (reminder, this is not a quiz; if you don’t have an answer, no worries!). My plan is to use whatever I uncover from this exercise to help me set realistic, meaningful things to work on in 2026.
Outside of goal-setting, I am also using it as a conversation starter at dinner. I love hearing my kids’ and Paul’s perspective on these prompts. Knowing where my family feels stuck or what they consider the best part of their day is illuminating! I can be extra sympathetic toward their sticking points. I can help make sure their “best parts” are treated like the valuable moments they are.
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