Goal-setting for 2026

As a family, we have implemented some good practices in the last few years. A daily gratitude ritual, monthly meetings, and annual goal-setting exercises - all of these got some good traction, and we were able to persevere for a year or two, but they have all been discontinued now. I tend to be hopeful that we will start doing some of these again, and I am not despondent that we stopped. Given the busyness of work and home, misaligned schedules, and differing priorities, it's a testament to our teamwork that we managed to do these as long as we did. I am happy that S and I continue to follow these rituals for ourselves, if not as a group.

For a few years now, I have set annual goals for myself. In the past few years, I have distilled them into 6 "buckets" or areas that I would like to focus on. These buckets are-

• Wellness- mental and physical. If I were spiritual/religious, this bucket would cover body, mind and soul :) 
• Career
• Family - immediate and extended family 
• Relationships - friends and non-familial social connections 
• Community - how I give back/philanthropy
• Creative - music, painting, writing, etc 

I find these distinctions to be very useful in striking a balance between different aspects of my life and personality. It gives me control over where I spend my time. Since these are annual goals, I might over-invest in one area at one point in the year and under-invest in others, but the idea is to balance it all out over the year. The biggest challenge, of course, has been what goals to set. I want to challenge myself, but not at the expense of overextending and failing. For example, the "wellness" bucket gives me pause every year. My goals in this area are things that have become such an integral part of my routine over the years that it feels disingenuous to even call them goals. Since I don't aim to become an Ironman or run a marathon ever, these goals are more about consistency than being better year on year. I guess, consistency is its own goal and reward!

I also set an intention for the year. Last year, being a year of many milestones, was "Connect & Celebrate". My intention for 2026 is "Build". Will not elaborate on it other than to say that setting an intention, corny as it sounds, serves to anchor me in what I think is really important for this year. Almost every goal flows from that intention and is connected to it in some way. 

Setting annual goals like this was a little intimidating to me at first. But now I look forward so much to reflecting on the year past, and the year ahead, and thinking about what I can do better, both for myself and those around me. Otherwise, it's so easy to get caught up in a mindless treadmill and lose sight of what is truly important.

My report card for 2025 was pretty good and hope to continue this winning streak in 2026 as well.