I see myself standing on my balcony. My tailored scarlet dress shirt fits tightly against my slim waist and strapping shoulders, thanks to finally losing those last 15 pounds. I’m smiling at a text from my loving girlfriend, excited about my new project at work, and my corgi named Genghis Khan leans against my leg, cute as ever.

None of that is real. Basically, that’s what I think my life would be like in 6 months if everything went perfectly. I don’t have the six-pack, or the girlfriend, or the good project at work, or the corgi. But the dream is exciting as hell. Daydreaming is a good thing sometimes because it helps us clarify our goals and then work backward to make a plan. For example, there are a few obvious changes I need to make for this daydream to be possible.

Stress Eating

The reason I don’t have a six-pack is because I’m a stress eater. All it takes is one bad meeting at work and I’m calling Uber Eats to come rescue me. That has to stop. I’ll need to actually use the meditation and journaling and other stress management tools I have if my health goals will pan out.

Better Projects at Work

I am an introvert. It’s hard for me to reach out to new people, hard for me to sell myself, and both of those are required for networking and career growth. There’s nothing wrong with being an introvert, but people can’t give you things you never asked for. I really want to enjoy my work more, and getting out of my networking comfort zone more often is the only way to get there.

Finding a Girlfriend

Similar to networking, it doesn’t matter how fish are in the sea if you never go fishing. That takes trial and error, cutting loose incompatible matches, and brutal self-honesty to end things when you hate being alone. Those are hard for me. But finding the right match means more searching and less time in relationships I know aren’t going anywhere.

Getting a Corgi

Okay that one is a little easier. Sometimes our goals are simple things we just have to stop procrastinating and get done. That doesn’t mean they’re easy, but deciding it is important to you is the first step towards committing and finishing.

I think this kind of “dream come true” exercise is a much more positive way to set goals than just “what do I hate about where I am now?” Dream up a future you really want. Imagine what will make you the happiest, then get specific about how to get there.

What does your best case scenario look like? What victories in your life would make you smile every day as you drifted off to sleep? Don’t hold back. Aiming low puts a low ceiling on your potential. Aiming high will do the opposite, even if it plays out a little differently than planned. All of those results are better than what we would get on autopilot. It’s a new year, let’s make it our best so far.

Also, thank you to those of you that have been readers up to this point. Writing these blogs is an important goal of mine and your support is the reason I’m still going. You’re the best!