My 2023 Goals

I know, I know. It has been a minute since I’ve sent a blog or a podcast to your emails. I’ve been a little swamped pursuing some awesome opportunities that have come my way, but rest assured all is well.

Before the end of 2022, I sat down and thought about some of my goals for 2023. It was around 9am on Dec 31st when I grabbed one of the notebooks I had lying around, picked up a pen and began to write. I ended up with 20+ goals, but I’ve listed 8 of them below, grouped into 4 main categories: Financial Goals, Personal Goals, Career Goals, and Health Goals.

Money Goals:

1. Save/Invest more money

2. Increase my giving

As someone who loves personal finance, I had to set some new money goals for 2023. From the time I was a young child my father ingrained in me the importance of doing 3 things with money before I spend it: saving for a rainy day, investing for the future, and giving to causes and organizations that make the world a better place. I’d like to continue that in 2023. Last year I made sure to invest 10% of my income and give 10%. This year, I’d like to increase both of those amounts.

My goal is to invest 15% of my income and give beyond that 10% amount (probably another 5% to family and friends as gifts, experiences, or business support). Along with giving and investing, I also want to save more. In 2022, I focused so much on investing that I didn’t have as much saved in cash as I needed. This became a problem when I moved across the country and had several expenses come my way that I didn’t expect. In 2023, I want to keep a little more in cash so that I can cover some of these unexpected expenses with less stress.

Personal Goals:

 3. Move back to Atlanta and spend more time with family and friends

4. Take 2 or 3 vacations

Last year, I moved away from my family and friends in Georgia to purse an incredible career opportunity for 1 year in California. I have no regrets and I am so glad I didn’t let fear stop me from having one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Despite this awesome career move, I’ve been reminded of the importance of family and how much joy they can bring to even the simplest of experiences. In 2023, I want to carve out more time for my family. I have a new niece and nephew and my parents are getting older. Being able to maximize the time I spend with them is of utmost importance to me. One of my goals is to move back to Atlanta.

Another goal of mine is to carve out time to refresh and recharge. As a physician-in-training who has been in some sort of school or training program for most of my life, there has always been something new to strive for, study for, and prepare for. While following this trajectory has been beneficial to my career, I also need to make sure I build in breaks and find fulfilling ways to enjoy my life outside of work. I’d like to go to Hawaii (ideally this spring) and my father wants to do a family vacation to Alaska in the summer. I’d also love to go to Lake Tahoe while it’s still ski season and visit New York City in the winter. Perhaps in 2024 when I’m not planning a cross-country move, I can do some international vacations like Greece, South Africa, and Paris/Italy.

Career Goals:

5. Finish fellowship and pass my sports medicine boards

6. Get an awesome sports medicine job with a flexible schedule and good pay

As many of you know, this is my last year of physician training. Thank God! After I finish this training, I will take (and hopefully pass) the test to become a board-certified primary care sports medicine physician. My goal is not only to get that certification, but to also secure a primary care sports medicine job that allows me to use the skills I’ve learned to treat a young adult population in a supportive environment. But that’s not all. I want to pursue opportunities in the world of physician finance. I’d also like a flexible work schedule with adequate compensation that allows me to have the personal life and fulfillment I desire.

Health Goals:

7. Eat healthier and exercise consistently

8. Drink more water and less alcohol

Although I’m still young and in decent shape, I’m getting older. I can no longer eat junk and consume endless mimosas at brunch without feeling the effects on my mood, my energy level, and my sleep. This year, I plan to make better choices. For me, that means making sure I eat 3 to 5 servings of fruits/vegetables daily. It means decreasing my consumption of processed foods and simple carbs by eating healthier snacks and cooking more meals at home. As a lover of wine and someone who used to drink a glass each night, I’m now cutting back on that too. I gave up alcohol for the month of January and plan to only drink a few nights per week going forward. My goal is to enjoy the experience without feeling like it’s something I need to have to enjoy my night.

Tell me, what goals have you set for 2023 to make your life better? Are you on track to meet them?  

Before you head into the new year, REFLECT

One of the best things we can do as we head into the new year is review and re-evaluate. 2020 is the start of a new decade if we want this one to be better than the last one, we must take some time out of our busy schedules to reflect. As we contemplate things that occurred in 2019 and prep for the new year, here are 4 key areas we should examine:

Look at things done well. When it comes to your career, your finances, and your personal life what are some things you feel you did well in 2019? For me, that could include a variety of things. In terms of my career, I interviewed at many amazing hospitals and accepted a job at my top choice in Atlanta. I learned quite a bit during my first 6 months as a physician and have done well on various tests and evaluations. In terms of my finances, there are many things I am proud of as well. I started living in an affordable apartment and paid off a significant amount of debt. I also created a monthly budget that allowed me to give money away to others, save for retirement, and teach me to live below my means. In terms of my personal life there are few things I’m proud of as well. I finally moved to the same city as my family and have cultivated some amazing friendships. What about you? What are some things you feel went well in2019?

Look at things that could have been done better. Although it’s nice to think back on our accomplishments, in order for us to keep progressing we must also reflect on our shortcomings. We must take a look at things that could have gone a bit better and determine where we can make improvements in the new year. For me, that includes several areas of my life. In my career, I’m happy I started working as a physician, but I need to do a better job continuing to learn new information by reading updated journals more frequently and researching the medical management of specific diagnoses more consistently. In terms of my finances, I need to do a better job tracking my spending. I have a general spending plan, but there are certain areas in my budget, mainly food and restaurant spending, that I could cut back on if I tracked it better. I also need to build up a larger emergency fund. What are some things you’d like to be better in your life in 2020?

Determine what you’d like to achieve this year. We should each have a few goals for 2020 in various areas of our lives. My 2020 goals in my career are to take and pass the last of a 3-part series of national board exams. I’d also like to publish and present research at a national conference, begin a quality-improvement project within my family medicine clinic, and be the team doctor for more athletic events. Within my finances, I’d like to pay off all credit card debt from my graduate school days, save and invest even more money toward retirement, continue to give to charities, and pay for a couple international vacations in cash. In my personal life, I’d like to prioritize more time with my family and continue to cultivate friendships with even more people who push me to be a better version of myself. What are some things you’d like to accomplish in your career, finances, and personal life this year?

Determine the actions, steps, or commitments you need to make to ensure this year is better than the last. In order to achieve the goals we set out in the previous step there are different action steps and character traits we must adopt in order to turn those dreams into a reality. For example, if I want to do well on my board exam, present research, and start a quality improvement project I need to stay organized and create deadlines to finish certain parts of my research. If I want to pay down the remaining credit card debt and save more for retirement, I must make sure I have some automatic payments coming out from my bank account and increase the percentage of my check that goes towards index mutual funds. If I’d like to make more time for the people I love, then I need to prioritize time each day that is free from other commitments. No meetings, no emails, no work projects, or blog writing, and instead having at least an hour each day of personal time. Tell me, what action steps and commitments are willing to make to ensure that you meet your goals for 2020?