We just got through the first month of the year, but it’s not too late to talk about goals. While many organizations put their goals in place prior to the start of the year to hit the ground running, others take January and February to look at the enterprise objectives and determine how they can do their part on their respective teams to contribute to the success of those goals.
Whether personal or professional, we can always put goals in place at any time of the year to get us to the next place on our journey. For my goals, I have an approach that I gained from different leaders and mentors to shape the direction I want to go in a particular year. One of the first things I do, which I’m getting back to this year after a brief hiatus, is pick a word of focus for the year. One of my past leaders brought this to our team to encourage us to identify a theme that our goals could tie to. This year, I picked the word enhance. As I took 2025 to decompress from my doctoral journey, I looked at my goals and determined that I wanted to take some things I had in place to the next level. Some goals needed to be refined while others needed to be replaced in the areas I center on each year.
For my goals, I put them into six categories, or buckets. This was something I adopted after hearing mentors refer to this concept and reading articles that further defined a great way to consider goals. Typically, you identify one – no more than two – goals for each of the buckets that you want to achieve that year. Here are the definitions of those buckets with hghlights of the goals I have in place for 2026.
Personal: This bucket can go hand in hand with the professional one that I’ll share about later. For me, I pick things that I want to do that are enjoyable for me and sometimes self-care related. For 2026 I’m getting back to reading more with a goal to finish at least nine books. I also aim to read a professional related article weekly and determine where I can tie it to other goals in my life.
Financial: This may seem like a straightforward bucket. It can be goals that improve your current financial situation or explore new financial opportunities. I have traditionally put goals in this bucket that tie to paying off debt and have done that again this year. It’s helped me get in a better place financially, and I’m grateful for that.
Relationship: This bucket can apply to friendship, family, workplace, dating, or any other relationship you’re looking to focus on. This year, I’m working on having better communication with my parents and finding one way to communicate with each of them on a weekly basis.
Professional: In this area, many look at goals that help with their career or professional organizations they are a part of. In 2026, I’m hoping to participate in a lean certification program and learn more about board budgets related to my role as treasurer on the national board I serve on.
Health: There are many goals that you can put in this bucket. Diet, exercise, stress management, and many more. These goals help you maintain and improve your overall well-being. My goals in this area are around weight loss and exercise. One of them is to participate in more virtual 5K walks. I invest in many of these events to keep myself accountable to walking. Because of my current limitations, I break each 5K up into a series of walks. Once I have completed enough walks that total 3.1 miles, that 5K is complete. This year, my goal is to complete at least one 5K in less individual walks than I ever have.
Spiritual: Goals in this bucket can vary for each person, depending on what spirituality looks like for them. For some, it could be more involvement or attendance at church. For others, it’s increased prayer. For another, it could be practicing mindfulness. With where I am in my life now, one of my spiritual goals this year is to spend an intentional 5 minutes of silent reflection each day. It allows me to pause, get away from screens and people, and refocus.
I have other goals that are continuations of my 2025 focus. But these six buckets are my primary focus as I look to enhance my learning and well-being to bring me to the next level of development, improved relationships, and better health in 2026. I encourage you to consider the six buckets if you’re looking for a new way to approach your goals. I’d also love to hear other approaches on your goals. What has helped? Where have you adjusted? Share in the comments!
The Secret Sauce 