My personal goal setting to crush this year!
It’s 2019 now! Time to reflect and set goals for successful year!
The New year already passed half month so this is time to make a reflection and setting goals for New Year.
Before going into a review for last year, some key action I want to take more in this year so I priority put them here:
- Smile and say “Thank You” with more people everyday;
- Carefully spend time with whom and where;
- Join at least 1 road marathon and 1 trail marathon event;
- Learn how to fishing: fishing and marathon is the best tool help me calm down, patient. You simply can’t get a fish FAST, right :)
- Wake up early. Best is 6 am.
- Schedule at least 1 day a month to do nothing!
- Write at least 1,000 words everyday. No matter it is private notes, hand note, blog post, Ads copywritting, sales pitch or Medium articles. 1,000 words each day sum of them. Starting with 500 words per day to make momentum.
- Listen more — Speak less;
Time to do a review
Hmmm. Last year I’m not do much but some changes I feel satisfied and feel more happy with it. To name a few:
- Run regularly: I ran almost every day. Join 2 big marathon event in my country.
- Consum less — Produce more: I opened a youtube channel, write blog posts (308 blog posts with total 256.000 words), run several affiliate marketing campaigns.
- Release 1 WordPress theme and 2 plugins in WordPress.org repository. <- these tasks I never did from entire my life. Just in nearly one year, I produced more than 30 years before.
One of the causes that I have more time to do these things because I decided to quit Facebook. Quit mindless surfing Facebook every single hour.
It made distractions, waste time and my energy but I so addicted so hard to quit but one important event happens and makes me rethink every aspect of my life so one thing I need to eliminate is Facebook.
Facebook is a curse. You post a photo. Wait for like comes. You post next photos and so on... It a vicious cycle for people’s mind. Facebook hire the best talents to make you spend time as long as possible to see their ads and make money for Mark Zuckerburg.
Of course, I am a marketer, an entrepreneur so I need to maintain my presence on the Facebook platform but I will schedule all my content there and carefully control time I use it, not like before I hang out all time on Facebook.
A Thing that I feel regret is not starting to make stuff sooner. I started in May — which is the middle of the year. If I started soon everything now maybe double or X3 result.
I write an article how I get on top 1 Google for the brand new domain (my running blog) in just 2 months (this blog I start in September.) You can read the case study here.
I made 26 Youtube videos, I start slow because I never did it and feel shy before camera but I learn how to get rid of it and just do it! with the flow, I make more 25 videos later.
I wrote 308 blog posts with total 256.000 words.
I ran 1,041 km in 2018. 115 hours I put in running. 12 PRs.
Release a WordPress theme to WordPress.org repository and 3 plugins.
My Strava stats last year. I used RunKeeper before but switch to Strava since 1st June 2018. So this is not complete stats but it reflected time I ran. If you also use Strava make friend with me here.
Last year also the year I ran my first ever official marathon race in my life. I start running in early 2014 but never serious about doing a marathon. I never follow a marathon training plan to the end. So it took 5 years from the first time I choose marathon is my sport I can achieve a marathon medal.
Go running make an empty space for me while running to think about everything. Nowadays It’s really hard to have empty time. Constant check notifications and email make people can’t slow down and have their own time.
December 2nd, 2018 is the day I became a marathoner. Awesome!
I’ve never imagined I can achieve that work! Number not lie. This world belongs to who produce stuff. Not consumer. That why Youtube pay you to create videos on their platform. Medium pay you to write more here.
And I try to grab this money from Medium despite their not accept my country now. See my journey make money with Medium here.
Tracking everything
When I said the word “everything” I mean EVERYTHING. From how much money you spend to how often you poop each day, how many waters you drunk, how you spend time, how often you exercise… everything.
If you can’t track you can’t analyze then improve nothing! People’s brain tends to forget everything but … number don’t. So track it.
Time to set goals
I want to set goals for these aspects of my life using the S.M.A.R.T method.
1. Finance
2. Health
3. Mental
4. Career
5. Network
6. Self Improvement
Finance
The first goal is to complete debt free until October 31, 2019. Right now I have a total $15,000 debt own by my family, my girlfriend and my friends.
So the plan is I find a full job that high pay in my country. I use weekend and night to do side hustle with Affiliate Marketing which I had little success here.
I try to systemize and triple its revenue.
I try my best to make debt free asap. Living under debt make you always feel crazy, stressful and have lower look from everybody around you. Included your family.
Besides that, I also set up a small e-commerce store and automate/outsource it 95%. This shop will make $200/month for me. Not bad for 95% automation biz. Just little bucks but … who doesn’t want more money :D
Note: debt from the bankrupt of my business last year. As an entrepreneur, you can’t ignore this situation. It’ll come sooner or later. We need to learn how to deal with it and move on. So now you understand my thumbnail of this post. :D
Also, try to save 100.000.000 VNĐ (~5,000 USD) to organize a wedding with my girlfriend by the end of 2019.
Health
Your health is the only things you need to take care. Not time. Not money. You can use the money to buy time of others but you can’t pay for health.
So I focus on process and make it a part of my lifestyle.
- run: at least 3 times a week, 30 min per session;
- eat: slow, chew slowly to enjoy the meal, eat less after 9pm, eat less BBQ;
- sleep early wake up early: from 10h30 pm to 6h am;
- walk and ride a bicycle when appropriate;
- learn: how to swim properly to do an Ironman in the next 3 years;
- less time on the smartphone screen, limit to 1,5 hours/day;
do a health check once a year;
Mental Health
Practice more meditate to more calm. Slow down when need to make an important decision. Practice feeling happy inside myself. Control my emotion.
Twice a week. 5 minutes per session.
Enjoy the process to not stress yourself so much.
Career
Do fulltime job for 6 months then get promoted before July 1st, 2019. I am interested in the Travel industry or Fitness company. Long time I don’t work for anybody so need to start again and do my best to get used with 9to5 life.
As a marathon vlogger: produce more videos on my Youtube channel here. 2 videos per month are good for maintenance.
As a blogger: write 3 articles/month for kimirunner.com, other sites are 1 a month.
As an Affiliate Marketer, achieve 500 visitor/day with KimiRunner.com and get $10/day (~ $300/month) income via affiliate. Before September 1st, 2019.
Network
Choose wisely whom I hang out with. Eliminate almost toxic friend that slow me down.
Connect more with people who interested in a healthy lifestyle, do business and online marketing.
Self Improve
Learning how to cook a basic meal to ready for marriage. I live with my mom, she didn’t let me do anything related to the household. I knew because she loves me but this is not a good education mindset.
I need to do everything by myself to learn and teach my baby later. :D
Read at least 3 books at the end of October.
For Medium: write 1 article/month about my point of view, online marketing and SEO tips. Sometime about my country street food (Vietnam). Writing help me a lot on improving writing English skill so definitely I’ll keep writing more on this awesome platform.
Final Thoughts
Phew, a lot of goals and targets I set above. I know it not easy to do but I strongly believe I can do it with a solid plan and consistency day by day.
Like training for a marathon race. You’re not run a marathon by just jump in and run 26,2 miles. No, that’s not the way marathoner do.
You’ll conquer a marathon by running 5km every day in 6 months.
Finally, a few key experiences I got by last year:
just do it: whatever you want to do. Just do it. Don’t wait to perfect time. Don’t wait to have enough device to support. Don’t try to read all articles about how to do it perfectly. Because you never ever can make it perfect especially something you just do it the 1st time. Agree? Deliver better than perfect!
You always can change it/edit it later. Right? Like this article you’re reading, I don’t feel have emotion to write it. I put it on and off many times. But finally, I decide: OK, let’s start, just 1 minute. 1 minute in my life to get this f*cking task done. If I die tomorrow this sh*t is the one thing I want to finish today.
…
45 minutes later: End up with 2,059 words article — the longest English article I’ve written in my life. LOL.
If you’re still feeling super hard to start, use Pomodoro method to make it easier. Google Pomodoro (a.k.a Tomato technique) you will see many articles about it.
By just do it I made 28 videos, ran 1,041 km with 115 hours I put in running. 12 PRs, wrote 308 articles for my blogs. Get approved for 1 WordPress theme and 3 WordPress plugins on WordPress official directory.
What a result!
So, whatever you want to do. Do it NOW!
Understand YOURSELF: know what you can do, what you can’t. What the god damn purpose you live in this life. Know how many actual people you want to meet.
If you want a better life, don’t try to change others. Change YOURSELF. Review your activities and habits. Eliminate bad habits and acquire a good one. Habits and Process are super important in your progress. Both life, health, physical and career.
I thought I knew about habit but I so wrong until I read this book.
Slow down: sometimes slow make fast. To success FAST you need to slow down. Find out what is wrong what is work and eliminate wrong stuff. Find ways to triple stuff working good.
BE HAPPY.NOW: you don’t need fancy stuff like newest iPhone, MacBook or car, wear brand fashion to happy. You can happy now. Period. Laugh more with people, even people you don’t know. Say thank you more. Feel present in everything you do.
I am a hot-tempered person, I am not calm all the time. I can’t patient. BUT I realized it. I find method, tactic to make it less affect my life. Training for a marathon race is one thing works best for me. It helps me calmer, more empty space to think after a stressful day. you can’t FAST if want to run a 42,195km.
You need to patient, consistent and try your best.
Thanks, Marathon! This sport helps me much, both physical and metal. Run a marathon like doing business. You can’t win without the patient and have a good plan in long run.
I took last year to recover my health so this year I will get a full-time job and make a passive income in the weekend with my blogs. With Affiliate Marketing I expect to make a bonus $2000/month by working on a weekend (15 hours).
Money that I will pay the debt, feed goals I listed above and invest into knowledge, travel and more online resources.
That’s the plan! Follow me to see how it going on. How many money I will make this year with these mindsets, reflection I did and habit I acquired!
How do you think about my goals setting? Share your thought below!
See you soon!
Kimi Runner
