What do you consider to be your most important aims and tasks in the next year?

This is an important question, and one each of us would do well to consider. It's too easy to go through life without aims or objectives, and then to complain at the end of the year that we've done nothing with our time.

People often make the mistake of listing their objectives for the forthcoming year around January 1st, when they are feeling down about the end of the holidays, are short of money, the weather might be bad, and think they need to turn their life around in a week.

This means they set themselves unrealistic targets ("I've never been mountaineering, but I'm going to climb Everest this year!") and soon give up, like someone on a crash diet of bread and water.

I believe it is better to set yourself aims based on what have been doing in the previous year, and build on your accomplishments. For example, if you took up painting 12 months ago, then next you could aim to sell your first picture or take part in a local exhibition, instead of saying, "this year, my paintings will take New York by storm!" or whatever. Remember - slow and steady wins the race.

So, here are my 3 objectives for 2015:

1. Running - I can run 3 miles in 21 minutes, so I want to break the 20 minute barrier. Also, I can run 11 miles in one go, so I want to take that up to 13 and compete in my first half-marathon.
   
2. Writing & Reading - I want to build on my writing accomplishments this year in 2015 and so make writing a bigger part of my income, selling pieces in print as well as online. To continue expanding my portfolio and make myself 'attractive' to editors and commissioners. Also, I must get round to completing reading Austen and Woolf, and fit in another Dickens novel.
3. Art/Health - continue running and eating right, to improve chances of finding work as a life model for artists. I've never modelled before, so it would be a big achievement for me to do this next year.

To read about other Blurtit users' aims and objectives, check out What Do You Consider To Be Your Most Important Achievements Of The Past Year? and What Do You Consider To Be Your Most Important Achievements Of The Past Year?

We all have different ways of achieving our aims. Watch former football star Reggie Rivers give a TED talks on how he achieved his objectives: