There is no better time to define and refine long-term goals than the present. It also happens to be the first of January, making the current moment quite special.
My relationship with goal setting has ebbed and flowed over time. During my freshman year of college, for instance, I was adamant about the practice; I outlined my strategy for gaining admission into MD-PhD programs on a sheet of paper and taped it next to my bed. Recently, I have mainly focused on raw execution and output—without a clear vision.
Today, I want to marry purpose with execution. What do I want to accomplish? Why? What strategies and habits can I employ? Below is my attempt to do so.
Cultural Identity Exploration
I am Irish and South Indian, the latter a shocker to most. Exploring my Indian roots has not always been a priority—or easy to be fair; I don’t speak the language. However, how can I be the most actualized version of myself if I don’t understand half of my family tree? Perhaps, I am having a mini quarter-life identity crisis.
In years prior, I have recognized the need to connect with my Indian identity. In 2024 with the encouragement of my fiancée, I finally asked my dad to detail our lineage as intricately as possible. He grabbed a pen and paper, and an hour later, I had a fleshed out family tree. In December, I began learning Hindi on Duolingo, realizing the importance of language in connecting with one’s culture.
In 2025, I want to capitalize on this momentum through the following:
- Practice Hindi each day on Duolingo and maintain my streak.
- Become conversationally fluent.
- State aloud new vocabulary words and sentences.
- Listen to podcasts and watch movies in Hindi.
- Speak in Hindi with my dad and even co-workers.
- Read an intermediate-level novel or poem.
- Learn the alphabet.
- Practice writing and reading increasingly difficult words.
- Cook my Dadi’s recipes that my dad recently found.
#2 and #3 will be the hardest to accomplish but arguably the most rewarding. My hope is that I will feel more connected to my Indian identity and better understand my roots.
Choose Reading Over Scrolling
I am quite poor at reading to be honest. I read slowly and can’t stay focused on the plot.
This is partly because of my terrible eyesight and partly due to the books I choose. I often pick books I think I should read over books I want to read. For instance, my bookshelf is littered with the classics, such as “The Iliad” and “A Tale of Two Cities.” As you can guess, I have not read any of them.
When I find a book I like, though, I can’t put it down. I feel more satisfied reading a novel than mindlessly scrolling on my phone; getting engrossed in a book is exciting and stimulating. Thus, I want to spend more of my free time reading.
To this end, I am making a conscious effort to choose books I want to read. I will limit my judgement and not deem books unworthy to read because they aren’t highly intellectual or critically acclaimed.
This is a lighter, yet still meaningful, goal. It may not be that measurable, but I think it will be impactful.
Increase My Walking Distance
Being an ambulatory quadriplegic is not easy. I tire quickly, and walking long distances can be painful.
Living in New York the past year has naturally increased my strength and endurance due to its walking culture and layout. Going on a twenty-minute walk two or three years ago would have been inconceivable to me. Now, I do it nearly every day.
By the end of 2025, I want to walk a mile in one go without feeling extreme fatigue and discomfort. My underlying motivation stems from wanting to travel anywhere and increase my independence.
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In 2025, I have one large goal—learn Hindi—and two smaller goals—trade scrolling for reading and increase my walking endurance. Learning Hindi likely won’t be easy, so I don’t want to overwhelm myself with additional goals. My plan is to have a clear vision, which I’ve outlined here, and execute.
Best of luck with your aspirations. Have a blessed 2025.
—KH