Goals - What are yours?

I'm in the process of writing out my short term, mid, and long term goals and I'm curious to hear what kind of goals you guys have for yourselves.

For context, I'm 23 and I've noticed most of my goals are driven towards career and finances. I think this is because I feel like now is the time to pay your dues and make a mark/foundation for yourself, but I'm definitely going to try and balance this out with some fitness and personal 'life' goals.

 

Same age too. My short term goals revolve mostly around work and actually getting into a different industry, and I guess mid term goals are the progression of those (promotion, having a say in deals, making meaningful connections at work, stuff like that).

My long term goals are completely different and are more of dreams I've always had or recently thought about. For example: 1. Open a restaurant with some of my college dropout friends that ended up going to the CIA in New York 2. Becoming a college professor in economics or finance after a hopefully successful business career 3. Serve on a charity board or a nonprofit with a strong community mission.

I feel like in the end these long term goals are much more meaningful in life and provide the greatest satisfaction, especially if you can somehow help other people too in the process, that's even better.

Banging 10/10 sloots is a pretty good goal too.

Quant (ˈkwänt) n: An expert, someone who knows more and more about less and less until they know everything about nothing.
 

1) Become a trader. That is what I aspire to be. Every single person I have told this has advised me against it. Just because it is difficult does not mean one should not go after their goals. 2)Hopefully the start up I am currently working on succeeds. Have a great team and is backed by my school's venture capital. Fingers crossed. 3)Enter into a VC sometime in the future. More of a medium term goal or backup in case I do not fulfill my goal to be a trader.

Difficult goals? May be. But hey if things are important enough you do them despite the odds not being in your favor.

"The markets are always changing , and they are always the same."
 
Best Response

People generally say begin with the end in mind...

Retire to Monaco, drive a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Berlinetta, and have a constant rotation of olive skinned twenty-something year olds.

"A man can convince anyone he's somebody else, but never himself."
 

A friend recommended I do this a few months ago: 1) Win young alumnus recognition award from Alma Matter (long term) 2) Grow savings to $100,000 by December 2018 3) Become fluent on conversational French and Spanish by 25th birthday 4) Find a long-term charitable organization to associate with 5) Work internationally by 25th birthday

 

1) Invest people's money in an industry that fascinates me and where I am an expert. 2) Show my parents and friends the good life and finance their personal projects. 3) Build a loving, wealthy, beautiful, intelligent and well principled family that has everything it could ever want.

 

Goals:

  1. Qualify for the USASA National Championships again in snowboarding (boardercross)

  2. Win an official MMA cagefight at 185lbs

  3. Leave the world a better place

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

30 years old, so I suppose it's as good of a time as ever.

Short Term (1-2 Years):

Personal:

  • Propose to the girlfriend and get married. She's hung around for 4 years now. It's about time.
  • Lower my golf handicap. I'm no longer max, but I'm still not good.
  • Lose weight. I'm at my best at 170. Even 185 is respectable. Right now I'm at 225 and it needs to change.

Professional:

  • Learn as much as I can
  • Get to the point where I can manage projects myself
  • Continue to expand my network

Mid Term (3-7 Years):

Personal:

  • Eliminate student debt entirely. It's above six figures and it's the shittiest burden in the world.
  • Buy a townhouse or a condo. I don't need a house, but not renting apartments would be cool.
  • Have a kid or two.
  • Maintain a healthy weight. I regularly have an almost 60 pound swing every couple years as I fall off the wagon and hop back on. This cannot be healthy.

Professional:

  • Expand my asset type knowledge beyond multifamily and condo
  • Start formulating plans to start my own business and stop developing for others

Long Term (8-15 Years):

Personal:

  • Live a good life

Professional:

  • Open my own shop
Commercial Real Estate Developer
 

Here it goes:

Short term (6-12 months): - Conquer the GMAT - be accepted to an MBA business schools ">M7 / top European school - Find someone I can have a relationship with - this is quiet personal but I've slept with a large number of women. A lot were from tinder (I have over 2k matches) and let me just say it gets bitter and bitter the more you do it! - enjoy the time i have with my parents (father is hitting 80 next year!) - be more grateful for what I have in my life - better manage my personal finances

Medium (12-24 months) - finish an MBA, having made deep friendships and travelled along the way - grow more as a man, both professionally and personally - work overseas in the country of my MBA - move upstream in transactions and get exposure to deal strategy and finance (via route of an MBA) - continue to plan and manage my personal finances

Long-term: - Come back to Australia - obtain a senior role in my then profession - mentor younger professionals based on my experiences - Settle down and have a family

 

For context, I'm currently finishing up undergrad (semi-target, continental Europe)

Short term (within the next year)

  • Finish my Bachelor's thesis
  • Take the GMAT
  • Get in a top master's program (starting next fall)
  • In the meantime, one more internship (T2/BB)
  • Spend next summer drunk on some paradise-like island

Mid term (within the next 3-5 years)

  • Finish my master's degree
  • Get into a top BB/EB, preferably in London
  • Make money
  • Maybe get a girlfriend

Long-term

  • Either go into PE or start my own company
  • Eventually start my own company anyways
  • Make more money
  • At some point get married, get a family
  • Retire at 50 the latest / maybe open up a restaurant
 

I left my career goals few years ago. I was very work oriented untill my body and mind could n t take it anymore and I realized that what i really wanted was a family with the woman I love. So i got married and now we have a beautiful baby boy. All I want now is to start a little business to rpovide for my family. and get back in shape to compete muay thai as well...lol

 

Short term: Find a job, I have graduated almost 6 months ago with a degree in Finance, and I can not find a job. Mid Term: Career goals, find some good investment ideas, make some interesting friends and travel. Long term: So far ahead, I am not sure yet.

 

I'm 19 years old, I am a guy of few interests and my goals are those which I suppose the average Joe wants to accomplish in his life.

Short term - Find a cute girl who will love me for who I am and will make me happy. - Finish university with reasonably good grades. - Make it into trading and personally thank my mentor for helping me out. - Get fit. Mid Term - Succeed in trading. - Settle down with the cute girl I may find. - Become an entrepreneur of sorts. Long Term - Retire as young as possible. - Have kids. - Just do cool shit and be happy.

 

recruiting seasons has gotten me good so far, really been on my introspection game lately.

Short term: -get a job that I'm proud of -finish undergrad on good terms with everyone. Sounds cheesy but im so thankful for all of the friendships i've made so far, its more than I could ever ask for in a college experience -spend more time with my parents doing things they want to do

Medium term: -absolutely crush it in my first job out of undergrad -stay in touch with all of my close friends and try as hard as possible to prevent work from interfering with that -dont get absorbed by the financial world and maintain sight of what I have always valued

Long term -help out a desperate kid. This might sound fanciful but I swear if i'm ever in the position to I'm gonna get one of the collegiate cafeteria workers at my alma mater a banking job. I feel so fucking guilty ordering food from those kids everyday. They work their asses off and it must be pretty draining to have to serve food to a bunch of ungrateful pricks part time. I have the utmost respect for them, wish there was a way I could express my appreciation beyond the typical 'thank-you's' and 'have a nice night'.

-reciprocate all of the financial favors my parents did for me, just to a much more amplified degree in return. They drive hondas and never spend money on themselves so that I could attend private school and graduate debt-free. I always think about just how selfless they are, especially in that regard. Kids in my hometown's parents drive mercedes and go on extravagant vacations yet the kids spend their whole lives' in public school and drown in student debt for eternity.

-refrain from having kids until I can commit my undivided attention to them. So many of my buddies have parents that work in different states, you can honestly see the disparity between those who have great familial relationships and those who barely know their parents well.

 

dedline I'm not quite sure what you mean by this quote:

I'm in a strange paradigm where I want to help people in need, but I don't think I could handle the emotional expenditure.

I wouldn't take yourself out of the running for volunteer work just yet. Perhaps hearing about kids' struggles and working with them directly isn't a good fit for you. On the other hand, maybe pro bono consulting or event planning for nonprofits (things like Taproot and the America Needs You Benefit Dinner, respectively) would work better and allow you to give back. I'm big on volunteer work, but there are certain areas that would work terribly with my personality as well (anything medical, for instance), so I have to balance it out.

 

I was a fat fuck last Summer, maybe 30% body fat. Down to around 18%, built a decent amount of muscle and way stronger. I couldn't do a pull up now I can do 10, couldn't do one dip now I do them with plates. Can do anything as long as you work hard, smart and consistent. People see me now and ask for advice seeing how much muscle I built in a year but you just gotta hit the floor and quit being a bitch sometimes.

Array
 

Be sure to keep us posted, Eddie! I have a goal of doing some more writing next year as well--this novel idea has been kicking around my head for a while. I'm gonna try to attend more concerts and reconnect with some old friends whom I haven't spoken to in a while as well.

And of course, there's the Energy Rodeo coming up!

Metal. Music. Life. www.headofmetal.com
 
Therightcoast:
For weight loss, just eat less than you burn. So, say, your body needs 2500 calories to maintain weight then eat 2000 to lose a pound a week. (3500/ calsperpound). It does not matter the type of calories. NO diet can avoid that rule.

This is a 100% fucking bullshit. I laugh every time I see people quote this.

Let me explain what a calorie is for you non scientists. It is an archaic definition of energy, i.e. if you incinerated 1 calorie of your material entirely, it would produce the energy needed to increase the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 °C.

Your body does NOT incinerate food. Let me give an alternate explain first. How does your body know how to breathe? Well you can breathe consciously, but if you get knocked out your body will continue to breathe. Why? Because when your not breathing, the CO2 in your body will become more abundant, and in higher concentrations becomes soluble with water to form carboxylic acid. Your body keeps tabs on the carboxylic acid levels via the hypothalamus, and if it gets to high will force your diaphragm to contact and you will start breathing. Alas, it is a chemical safeguard.

Well, how does this relate to food? Think about how your body knows to turn certain foods into fat. When your glucose levels spike, you release insulin, which in turns helps your body's digestive system. Thats why we worry about the GI and GL (glycemic index and load), which tells us how certain foods effect the glucose level in your body. If you keep your blood's glucose levels constant, your body will not digest food nearly as effectively, and will not turn food into fat. Similar analogy to breathing-a chemical reactions tells our bodies what to do.

So eating say grains or an apple, both with a high GI, with a fatty steak, will cause a higher percentage of this steak to be turned into fat. You will gain more weight, even though the addition of a small amount of grains might not contain that many calories.

This is what the 4 hour body (what Ed was referring to) is all about. It tries to blunt spikes in your glucose levels. There are some cool ideas in there as well, such as taking cinnamon-what diabetics actually do to help with their glucose level problems.

Ok thats enough science WSO can handle for prob. the year lol. Hoped that cleared things up

 
Therightcoast:
For weight loss, just eat less than you burn. So, say, your body needs 2500 calories to maintain weight then eat 2000 to lose a pound a week. (3500/ calsperpound). It does not matter the type of calories. NO diet can avoid that rule.

That's all good if you don't mind being "skinny fat"

Not all calories are created equal!

"One should recognize reality even when one doesn't like it, indeed, especially when one doesn't like it." - Charlie Munger
 

My goal is to start my "side" business, and by starting I mean lay out a good business plan and bring in five figures in revenue, and see if it's something to move forward with. I'm not a finance guy but I read WSO because it's entrepreneurial (what else would I read, an accounting blog?) and there are a lot of good stories here. Anyway, my vision of telling The Man to pound sand isn't much different than many of yours.

I'd like to get into better shape and not feel my age. More running, fewer french fries.

 
Scott Irish:
My goal is to start my "side" business, and by starting I mean lay out a good business plan and bring in five figures in revenue, and see if it's something to move forward with. I'm not a finance guy but I read WSO because it's entrepreneurial (what else would I read, an accounting blog?) and there are a lot of good stories here. Anyway, my vision of telling The Man to pound sand isn't much different than many of yours.

I'd like to get into better shape and not feel my age. More running, fewer french fries.

I love em frenchies

 

Just an FYI Eddie, 5x5 will probably not help you lose weight due to the low volume. It is as you indicated, a strength building program, and will add mass under the right diet. You would be better off on a strict cutting program, something high intensity like:

http://abcbodybuilding.com/13weekfatburningworkout.pdf http://abcbodybuilding.com/fat_loss_workout.pdf

Despite what appear to be lengthy workouts, the goal is to complete them in approximately 30-45 minutes depending on your conditioning. If it takes much longer than that, you are resting too long in between sets. In the ideal case you'd get a cheap heart monitor from Polar and use that as a guide on how long to rest in between sets, rather than an arbitrary time.

 
Nuc:
Just an FYI Eddie, 5x5 will probably not help you lose weight due to the low volume. It is as you indicated, a strength building program, and will add mass under the right diet. You would be better off on a strict cutting program, something high intensity like:

http://abcbodybuilding.com/13weekfatburningworkout.pdf http://abcbodybuilding.com/fat_loss_workout.pdf

Despite what appear to be lengthy workouts, the goal is to complete them in approximately 30-45 minutes depending on your conditioning. If it takes much longer than that, you are resting too long in between sets. In the ideal case you'd get a cheap heart monitor from Polar and use that as a guide on how long to rest in between sets, rather than an arbitrary time.

Cool bro science, bro. Turning your weight lifting sessions into pure cardio isn't the way to go even if you're cutting.
 

By Java, do you mean JavaScript?

Java seems like an odd language for you to learn, since it is mostly used in Enterprise IT environments for large-scale projects. The code is bulky, and it isn't great for web-based projects, which is what you seem to be interested because you are learning HTML and CSS.

JavaScript seems like a better fit, since it is a front-end language like HTML or CSS. JS is used for dynamic content, such as sliders on the screen, calendars, form validation, and other widgets. JavaScript is the standard which powers HTML 5, since JS is used to access geolocation, audio/video, and the offline storage features of the HTML 5 standard. Not to mention, some JavaScript frameworks like Node or Backbone can be used for back-end features as well, allowing developers to build web applications which use the same language to on both the client-side and server-side.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JavaScript

looking for that pick-me-up to power through an all-nighter?
 

[quote=LIBOR]By Java, do you mean JavaScript?

Java seems like an odd language for you to learn, since it is mostly used in Enterprise IT environments for large-scale projects. The code is bulky, and it isn't great for web-based projects, which is what you seem to be interested because you are learning HTML and CSS.

JavaScript seems like a better fit, since it is a front-end language like HTML or CSS. JS is used for dynamic content, such as sliders on the screen, calendars, form validation, and other widgets. JavaScript is the standard which powers HTML 5, since JS is used to access geolocation, audio/video, and the offline storage features of the HTML 5 standard. Not to mention, some JavaScript frameworks like Node or Backbone can be used for back-end features as well, allowing developers to build web applications which use the same language to on both the client-side and server-side.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JavaScript[/quote]

backbone.js is absolutely awesome

My drinkin' problem left today, she packed up all her bags and walked away.
 

Great choice on the 5x5 program Eddie. You'll build some essential muscle for burning the extra calories. I warn you, take it slow and don't progress too fast on the addition of weight. Don't wanna tweak any tendons or muscles you haven't used in years.

 
Koho:
Eddie, how are you going to go about learning the new code? I've always wanted to do this as well, interested in what your approach will be.

Probably start with the free w3schools.com courses and then buy the appropriate books off Amazon for the more advanced stuff. Then just code your ass off. There are some really slick new features in HTML5 (best displayed by Chrome so far) that carry over into the mobile space, so I think it's going to be the most useful language for novice developers going forward. Just trying to get ahead of the curve.

If you guys only knew how much money was in knowing HTML in 1997. It was absolutely sick. Small businesses were paying $10,000 for a text-based home page with the company logo on it, because it was all a mystery to everyone still.

 
  1. Get closer to my 'Fuck you. I'm out of here'-number
  2. Pay off my credit card (I should be able to do this one in the first week. It's 50 dollars.)
  3. Fuck an asian girl/woman. Can't see if they are 15 or 50.
  4. Fuck a ginger.
  5. Travel to Argentina

I should be able to cross out all of them in 2012.

CNBC sucks "This financial crisis is worse than a divorce. I've lost all my money, but the wife is still here." - Client after getting blown up
 

Eddie: Do 5x5 while training for the marathon. When the volume gets to be too much, switch over to 3 x 5 (e.g, starting strength).

Of course, by now you know that losing weight is all about diet. For that, look into intermittent fasting with restricted feeding windows (8 hrs feeding, 16 off as an example). It will help with compliance (calories in > calories out).

As you get leaner, you can get into calorie partitioning and nutrient timing, but for now, just keep protein high, vegetables high, carbs lower.

For learning javascript, check out this article. Anki will help you retain things faster. I have an ankiweb account and just dump everything in there.

http://www.jackkinsella.ie/2011/12/05/janki-method.html

Also download a copy of Titanium studio. It's a great IDE for developing and is open source.

When I need to do something quick and dirty, editplus and topstyle are my go-to programs thought notepad++ is decent if you don't feel like shelling out for software.

 
  1. Get to 200 pounds (opposite problem as Eduardo, skinny kid in high school trying to put on mass) while maintaining a reasonably lean BF level...I'll worry about cutting more after I get the size
  2. Pass CFA Level II, then get +700 on the GMAT. Long story why I'm not going straight to Level III after
  3. Have more fun
  4. Get closer to one of my ultimate life goals...you know those Shuffle Master machines they use at some blackjack or poker tables to spit the cards out? I just want to be at least rich enough that I can get one of those machines, load it up with dollar bills, and then go to a strip club and BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM
 

Since you mentioned Javascript, you might as well take a look at what everybody is ACTUALLY using these days in regards to Javascript: http://www.w3schools.com/ajax/default.asp Pretty cool stuff, I remember when it was just getting started and now it practically dominates the web.

My goals:

1) Figure out what I want to do with my life and stop having existential crises every other day. 2) Complete my IBD internship successfully. 3) 4.0 GPA next semester to remedy my lackluster performances as of late.
4) Participate actively somehow in the first presidential race I'll be able to vote in. (Ron Paul 2012) 5) Work out regularly.
6) Do something incredible.

Hoping #6 comes to me spontaneously at some point over the course of the year.

 

Need to make your goals specific brah

  1. Finish backlog of 8 books
  2. Finish BiWS by end of Feb
  3. Learn Value investing for experience
  4. use 2 and 3 to secure new job
  5. drop body fat to 15% by end of april
  6. 1.5x body weight squat by end of summer
  7. Take 6 golf lessons
  8. finish "Drawing on the Right side of your Brain" by end of summer
  9. Get finances in check, i'm pretty much all cash right now which is retarded
 
  1. Grow my debt.
  2. Figure out what I really want in life.
  3. Figure out Brady's obession with HBS.
  4. Avoid getting tied down.
  5. Get IP to spend a little of his money.

Lofty goals I know.

Follow the shit your fellow monkeys say @shitWSOsays Life is hard, it's even harder when you're stupid - John Wayne
 
  1. Ditch the 130lbs of dead weight that is my girlfriend
  2. Bench 225 lbs 35 times
  3. Kill University
  4. Get my work-contract renewed
  5. Make some stronger connections in the Consulting Industry
  6. Play some pick up basketball with at least one Toronto Raptor (a few live in the building im moving to)

bonus buy a copy of eddie's book

Get it!
 
ConanDBull:
1. Ditch the 130lbs of dead weight that is my girlfriend 2. Bench 225 lbs 35 times 3. Kill University 4. Get my work-contract renewed 5. Make some stronger connections in the Consulting Industry 6. Play some pick up basketball with at least one Toronto Raptor (a few live in the building im moving to)

bonus buy a copy of eddie's book

Well boys #1 is scratched off the list thanks to last night... Cheers to 2012!

Get it!
 

All kidding aside, my goals are

  1. Ride a century
  2. Plop my ass down on a beach

Hell I might buy you all a round when I'm in the city again.

Follow the shit your fellow monkeys say @shitWSOsays Life is hard, it's even harder when you're stupid - John Wayne
 
  1. Break into IB
  2. Vacation in Iceland
  3. Pass CFA 3
"For I am a sinner in the hands of an angry God. Bloody Mary full of vodka, blessed are you among cocktails. Pray for me now and at the hour of my death, which I hope is soon. Amen."
 
  1. Better work / life balance, i.e. find a job in MM PE / Growth Equity / VC / Corp Dev - ANY of these as long as the hours are like 8-6 with minimal weekends. After 18 months in banking I have realized I have no desire to stay long term.

  2. Fitness / Strength - Thinking of taking TRX and/or jiu jitsu classes, again tough with banking so may be once I get another job

  3. Streamline the administrative parts of my life - automate / spend less time on things like paying bills, loan payments etc etc and in general be better organized

  4. Drink / party / meet more girls / get the good times rolling again!! (most important)

 
  1. Transfer to a Target/Semi-Target school. Maintain my 4.0 GPA.
  2. Get in shape. I don't care about weight, I want to look better than the fat slob I am right now.
  3. Get a BO Internship for the summer.
  4. Get into a good state with my girlfriend. We have hit a rough patch lately. I want to get back to where we were when we started.
  5. Enjoy life, be happy and keep in touch with family and friends.
 

Get 200 community service hours Actually finish 10 books Get SAT score up to a 2300+ Get a 3 KDR in MW3 Find a ultimate Frisbee team Join a gym Get more hoes as Im slackin abit... Get GPA to a 3.9 GET A JOB...seriously(high school sophomore here)

Learn Programming, Lectures by Professor Mehran Sahami for the Stanford Computer Science Department http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkMDCCdjyW8
 

How close did I come to achieving my goals in 2011? - Dated / relationship with an awesome girl = achieved - Make my (I can retire now) number = almost achieved - Spend more time / travel with my family and friends = achieved, but could do better

Goals for 2012 - Spend more time / travel / celebrate with family & friends = 4 non-wedding trips at least - Sort out the Masters / MBA situation = Get accepted / make a decision - Do some charity work / give back = participate in community and/or set up a charity - Try to make my (I can retire now) number = self explanatory (then set new non-monetary goals) - Work on a few creative ideas / passion projects (i.e. writing, film, etc...) = shortlist ideas / start executing

 

What is "Best of Braverman"?

You know you've been working too hard when you stop dreaming about bottles of champagne and hordes of naked women, and start dreaming about conditional formatting and circular references.
 

Awesome Stuff!!!

Wisdom like that doesn't come around often. I appreciate you personally for sharing your experiences and perceptions. It takes a wise man/waman to publicize his/her weaknesses and reflect back. I do agree we tend to focus on the materials we see portrayed as success or happiness. As for myself, the more I've learned to stay away from the Media, the more I've been aware of my perception of the world. It is hard to formulate individuality in a world filled with relentless ambitions on autopilot. A rat race indeed.

As for myself, I'm in a grad school abroad and these are my goals (in order of priority.) 1. Make the most of my experience here. I will be an MBA grad exactly a year from now. 2. Lastly, I plan to lose 15-20 lbs. and build a habit of eating right (portion control.) 3. I hope to have secured a role in a place where my corp finance ambitions will be able to blossom. 4. Build a network of key individuals in europe and asia throughout the year left. 5. Although not sure about the timing, I plan on going through the investment banking training I purchased (self-study) to hone in my modeling skills. 6. Read one book every two month's (I know that's lame, but I feel it'll do with a full time work & school schedule.)

I hope all a very Happy New Year and good luck with your goals.

\ / & Love!

 

Great post Edmundo, I enjoyed reading it and the wisdom in it. I can recognize myself in the mentality of money=succes attitude that many youngsters have at my age. Though you are probably right in what you say about money and the level of satisfaction it eventually gives, you are even righter in your assertion that this is something each has to learn for him or herself. I wish you a happy new year, and keep these great posts coming!

 

Great post - thanks for the insights.

I have several resolutions, but the most notable one is to open my mind and expand my cultural awareness. I plan to start business school in the fall, and I plan to have at least a few months to travel abroad. I'm considering just backpacking for leisure, but ideally I can find a work internship or volunteer abroad program for 2-3 months in Europe, Asia, or Australia. If any of you have suggestions as to how I could find somethg like this, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks and happy new year!

​* http://www.linkedin.com/in/numicareerconsulting
 

Great post EB. A good way to toast to 2010, and leave '09 in the rear view with fond memories.

A few personal goals for 2010: 1) Within the next few weeks, I will become a father. My #1 resolution is to be the best father I can be. 2) Not trying to lose weight. Just trying not to put any more on. I am about 6'0" and 185, and I would like to stay under 190. If I work out more, great. 3) Make sure to take my family to Church. Maybe not every Sunday, but at least for the big holy days. 4) Pass level 2 of the CFA exam 5) Publish more often (I'm in research) 6) Be more of a team player in my group. Need to work better with other people. 7) Get a patio installed in the back yard ,and replace my refrigerator 8) Take my wife to the Carribean in the Fall, and the family to St. Moritz next winter 9) Recommend a great trade, and catch a credit blowup before it happens. 50bps in either direction 10) Worry less about making more money, and be more content with what I've achieved by age 25.

Looking forward to coming back to this with a black marker, one year from today! Happy New Year everyone.

~AG

Follow me on insta @FinancialDemigod
 

Seems like everyone wants to get back into shape!

1) Cut the fat by working out, controlling portion size, and not eating late at night (which we all know is so tempting) 2) Do whatever I can to help the fund I'm at really get rolling, even if it means bitch work, and not complaining about it 3) Go out more with friends/girlfriend... spent too many nights coming home from work and just vegging on the couch 4) Blow way too much money for a weekend somewhere exotic, just go, ball out and enjoy it... lots of years left in life to save away for retirement

Best of luck in the new year everyone, be safe tonight!

 

hadn't really thought about specific goals but why not:

  1. Get WSO to 50,000 registered users, 3 million pageviews/month and 400,000 uniques/month by the end of 2010 (currently at 26k, 1.6million and 200k uniques) and don't starve. :-)

  2. Get the guides licensed at 20 universities

  3. Move to Buenos Aires for 6 months+ in July or August at the latest once I graduate. Perfect my spanish again and travel through at least 3 other countries in S. America.

  4. Keep going on trips abroad with friends and family to see the world.

 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 

Thank you Edmundo for writing down the thoughts of many of us in the forum, especially about the fact that we all have to learn that money is not everything through our own experiences.

My goals for 2010

  • Lose 10 pounds and stay fit
  • Pass CFA
  • Plan my backpacking trip and go through with it
  • Read a book every month
  • Treat people around me better, and spend more time with people who MATTER
 

Great post Edmundo - really brought me back to earth for the beginning of the new year.

My goals for 2010:

1) Lose 15lbs and maintain it 2) Get a 750+ on my GMAT in March 3) Really enjoy my last semester in college and spend time with friends I won't get to see once I start work 4) Make sure I always put family above all else 5) Enhance my modeling skills and do what I can to become a technical finance whiz 6) Don't be a dick

 

Great post. I don't really do resolutions but I maintain a list of goals to strive towards day to day:

  1. Get a summer internship in S&T preferably in energy. Need to continue building my knowledge and reaching out to professionals. This is likely going to provide the most utility out of the rest of the 4 goals I have for the year.

  2. Successfully shift my business so that it can operate on just a 5 hours work week (half of that on weekends) while generating >70% of the cash flow it does now. 2009 was a great year for the business but there are a number of my functions that I can hire full-time outsourced help for. Already put this in motion by training a person this winter break who will free up 4-5 hrs a week.

  3. Gain 10lbs of lean mass. Currently sitting at 160 after losing 13lbs of fat and gaining 8lbs of muscle over the last year. Should be able to accomplish this as long as I maintain my workout plan.

  4. Have fun. Only 1.5 years of college left and I want every minute to be awesome.

 

Thanks for prompting me to think about this.

Like you, security is a driving motivation for me--father died when I was younger, and it wasn't until a bit later that I realized how tight money was for most of my youth. In addition, I want to have the freedom to a.) travel all over the world and b.) not have to worry about money when choosing what to do with my life. Presumably b.) will require some short term sacrifice, though I suppose the question is how much weight I put on future comfort vs. current enjoyment. Really enjoy my job and the way things are going for now, though.

Some more concrete goals:

  1. Pass the CFA level 2
  2. Continue on with exercising regularly/eating healthy and mostly vegetarian...I've been making small changes over the past couple of years and am pretty happy with the steps I've been taking, it's now a question of staying consistent.
  3. Be better at staying in touch with people and being more proactive when getting together with friends--I will admit that I tend to be more reactive when it comes to going out with a group of people.
 

On a similar theme as most of the other posters, I too want to maximize my free time.

  1. Make every weekend count in my last semester at college. More than just partying, but rather be more spontaneous and adventurous. I would like to go on more trips and spend more time outdoors and really expand my experiences and horizons before I become intimately familiar with my cubicle.

  2. Get in better shape. This has a two-fold purpose. For starters, just to have an increased energy level and boost my self-confidence. Secondly, is to be fit before I start work and lose the motivation to run in the mornings.

  3. Take the GMAT. I want to take this while still in "academic mode" and hopefully do well. I plan on taking a light semester and really focus on studying as another class. If anybody has any preparation tips that would be greatly appreciated.

  4. Show dedication to a non-profit I have become intimately involved with and eventually end up on their board.

I wish everyone the best of luck and I am truly impressed to see a number of noble goals and lots of goals outside of make more money. Best wishes.

 

Great post. My goals have changed quite a bit over the years, but my "high criteria" remains the same.

High Criteria

  1. Personal Growth

For as long as I can remember, I always wanted to be renaissance man. My hero as a kid was MacGyver, because he was resourceful, intelligent, and had the broad knowledge to get out of anything. Consequently,

2010 Goal: I try to set a goal where I learn something new and contributes to my personal growth. This year it's fashion photography.

  1. Be Influential

Most people I know want to be "King" (i.e. CEO/BSD), but I always wanted to be the world's greatest #2. Being in the spotlight or popular doesn't drive me. What drives me is being respected by the "decision-makers". I'd rather be Sun Tzu/Machiavelli than royalty.

2010 Goal: Help positively influence the direction of at least 1 public company and 1 non-profit organization. Help at least 4 people break out of the rat race and follow their dreams.

  1. Innovate

I love coming up with creative solutions to improve the status quo. I really don't like the phrase: "It is what it is."

2010 Goal: Start a social entreprise and generate $500k in value.

 
  1. Double my income working half as many hours. (In 2010, I increased income 55% while taking off most Fridays and making three major adventure trips.)
  2. Keep in better contact with my family and friends. (I'm lazy.)
  3. Go to church at least once a month.
  4. Lose 40 pounds of fat , gain 10 pounds of muscle. (i'm very lazy!)
  5. Tell everyone so they can help hold me accountable!

It's been a great year for me. All the best to you in 2011, Eddie!

A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...but a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn...that was fun!"
 

You forgot to add trying Four Loko to your list, now that you are back in the states.

"Do whatever it takes to keep the legend of Wall Street as it was truly intended live on. When you think back on investment banking of the early 21st century, remember the heat—remember the passion. But mostly, remember the titans. " - LSO
 

1.) Go to the gym or on a run at least 4 times a week. (Ideally, get and stay under 190 pounds (currently at 202).) 2.) Kick the GMAT's ass. 3.) Visit Montréal and/or Ville de Québec at least once. 4.) Replace/update my laptop or just get an iPad. 5.) Become a Neanderthal on WSO.

“Millionaires don't use astrology, billionaires do”
 
Edmundo Braverman:
@kryptic - I saw that Derek Sivers TED talk a while back and you're right, it is definitely worth watching and he has a point. I embedded the video in your comment so maybe some others will watch it.

@Soul_Reaper - I'm making Four Loko acquisition my goal for the day today. I know they have to have it somewhere in this town.

If you're still in New Orleans I know the liquor store on Decatur near Central Grocery carries em. Those seem to be pretty popular with the bums in the Quarter these days.

 

Get under 200 pounds - This absolutely has to be my priority in 2011. I'm going to be 42 this year, I'm tipping the scales around 235, and it gets so much harder the older we get. I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to do it, but I know it's going to involve modifying my diet, getting regular exercise, and throttling way back on the sauce. I'm working on a crazy idea right now that involves my going from couch potato to marathon runner in three months, but I'm not committed to it just yet. To that end, I'm reading The Four Hour Body, and one of the chapters is how to go from running 5k to 50k in 12 weeks. The Paris Marathon is April 10, so I'm trying to decide if I'm going to take a run at it. I'd love to hear your input on this one, especially if you are (or have been) an endurance athlete.

that was your goal last year and mine too. Lets do it this time for Spain

 
monty09:
Get under 200 pounds - This absolutely has to be my priority in 2011. I'm going to be 42 this year, I'm tipping the scales around 235, and it gets so much harder the older we get. I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to do it, but I know it's going to involve modifying my diet, getting regular exercise, and throttling way back on the sauce. I'm working on a crazy idea right now that involves my going from couch potato to marathon runner in three months, but I'm not committed to it just yet. To that end, I'm reading The Four Hour Body, and one of the chapters is how to go from running 5k to 50k in 12 weeks. The Paris Marathon is April 10, so I'm trying to decide if I'm going to take a run at it. I'd love to hear your input on this one, especially if you are (or have been) an endurance athlete.

that was your goal last year and mine too. Lets do it this time for Spain

I would take anything that Tim Ferris says with a HUGE grain of salt. Sure, he backs things up with studies, but his interpretations of them are dubious at best. For example, he has this example where he supposedly put 34 lbs of muscle in 4 weeks. That's extremely hard to do even with steroids. The general consensus is that he depleted his body before the 'experiment' to artificially lower his numbers and then build them up again (if you have a ton of muscle and lose it, it's way easier to build it up again).

He does have some good common sense points in his book though as you've no doubt discovered.

Some food for thought:

1) 6 meals a day vs 3 meals a day vs 1 meal a day - makes absolutely no difference to your body from a metabolic point of view. Go with whatever you can adhere with. Your body will adapt to either one.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9155494 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19943985

Personally, I find less meals easier because it feels better to be full sometimes instead of always hungry.

2) Boost your protein levels up. By extension, your carbs may go down, but low carb isn't really the point of it all. You want to lose weight, you eat less. You eat less by being satiated. Protein has the highest levels of satiating power followed by fat followed by carbs. Aim for 1g protein/lb of body weight.

At this point, people are going to jump on me because it's supposedly bad for your kidneys. You won't. If you are a reasonably healthy person with no medical conditions, you will be fine.

3) Train fasted. By doing so, you're decreasing your insulin resistance and thus making it easier for your body to use carbs properly instead of converting them into fat.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/15/phys-ed-the-benefits-of-exerci… http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20837645

4) Look into intermittent fasting. There are a bunch of different protocols out there, but some common ones are 18 h fast/6 hr feeding (leangains, warrior diet, etc) where you eat only during a 6 hr span during the day and where you take two 24 hr breaks during the week (eat stop eat).

Either will work for caloric restriction and is something you can maintain for a long time. No your body won't waste away and no it will not cause your muscles to waste away (you need to be starving for 36 hr+ for that to happen).

5) Hit the gym. Build muscle. Adding a lb of muscle wont boost your base metabolic rate to any degree of significance, but there are other benefits:

  • if you're in a caloric deficit and you recruit your muscles under load, your body will be more inclined to spare protein.
  • From a psychological perspective, it helps seeing your results as you continue to load up weights and progress more
  • It'll help prevent injuries from running
  • Would you rather look like a sprinter (muscle) or a marathon runner (bag of bones and lungs)?
  • Being able to do a 2x body weight deadlift, a 1.5x BW squat and a 1x BW clean and jerk is just awesome

To get started there, stronglifts.com or starting strength. Either program will do you good.

Any questions, let me know.

 

Rumor has it Four Loco is sold at the gas station around the corner from my office...what flavor do you want?

A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...but a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn...that was fun!"
 

2011 Goals:

1) Fitness: Get to 215 lbs and under 10% bodyfat (Currently at 200 and 12%). Final year in college so tricky part is to keep this up once i start working. Ive always ate right and lifted but starting 2011 i want to track and plan everything i put in my body as well as my lifts. Just take the commitment to the next level.

2) Follow the markets and by the time I start on the desk in July have the theoretical aspects of derivatives down cold, to the point where the greeks/theory come as naturally as breathing. Also improve mental math. THis is part of the reason im starting a blog where i can post as ive found its the best way to keep on things and not get lazy.

3) By the end of the calendar year, actually be trading (helping an MD with a book etc). Don't know how ambitious this goal is but ive seen guys do this in less so I think its possible if I put the work in.

Im gonna go Dwight Howard and print out these goals and put them on the wall by my bed. Seemed to have worked for him.

 

My goal this year is to get a job.

For those of you who want to lose weight, one thing you might try is to go vegetarian. I did for 3 months on a dare and it worked out surprisingly well. Unless I'm mistaken, protein that doesn't turn to muscle is usually metabolized as fat so even cutting back a little bit might be good for you. Plus going vegetarian might encourage you to eat all sorts of green stuff that you might not otherwise get into.

Just food for thought. :D

 
monkeysama:

For those of you who want to lose weight, one thing you might try is to go vegetarian. I did for 3 months on a dare and it worked out surprisingly well. Unless I'm mistaken, protein that doesn't turn to muscle is usually metabolized as fat so even cutting back a little bit might be good for you. Plus going vegetarian might encourage you to eat all sorts of green stuff that you might not otherwise get into.

Just food for thought. :D

I'm sure that's an effective strategy, however I'm opposed to not eating meat on moral grounds.

“Millionaires don't use astrology, billionaires do”
 

my goals: 1) Exercise more-I'm the same weight as when I graduated three years ago but I am in significantly worse shape. 2) Get back in practice with my Chinese 3) Pass my CFA test in June

There have been many great comebacks throughout history. Jesus was dead but then came back as an all-powerful God-Zombie.
 
monkeysama:
Unless I'm mistaken, protein that doesn't turn to muscle is usually metabolized as fat so even cutting back a little bit might be good for you.
You are mistaken. Protein doesn't just "turn into muscle," it is simply more effective as a source of energy in synthesizing muscle tissue and repairing muscles. Any excess calories in your diet (i.e. those that you do not burn at your base rate plus whatever activity you do) will contribute to weight gain.

While an Atkins style high-fat, high-protein, low-carb diet isn't necessarily best, there have been recent studies that do show a high protein (1-1.5x bodyweight), low fat (less than 65g) and moderate carb (think 90-110g carbs) diet is most effective for weight loss. It's really mostly about calories in, calories out, though you will feel better if you eat healthier, imo. Check out fitday.com for a free calorie counter.

 

Uncle Eddie...I ran cross-country in college, so I know a bit about endurance sports. Couch potato to marathon is doable, as long as you're realistic about your goals...finishing in 3 hours probably isn't going to happen.

If you're serious, ease into the running (start with a few times a week) but make sure you're doing other endurance stuff. I'd recommend swimming. Less impact on the joints, and it burns way more calories than biking.

Life, liberty and the pursuit of Starwood Points
 

For all you guys with fitness goals, you might want to check out Arthur De Vany's "Evolutionary Fitness" program. The guy is 73 years old, but he's probably in better shape than all of us. He has a website and a book coming out tomorrow titled "The New Evolution Diet." Some say it's really radical and crazy, but I actually like the logic, and definitely think it's worth a try. Within the next year, I want to test it out for several months and just see what the results are.

My goals for next year: 1) Get a job. 2) Start a little side business (mainly just as a learning opportunity). 3) Get in better shape (probably by implementing a few things from the fitness program above).

 
econ:
For all you guys with fitness goals, you might want to check out Arthur De Vany's "Evolutionary Fitness" program. The guy is 73 years old, but he's probably in better shape than all of us. He has a website and a book coming out tomorrow titled "The New Evolution Diet." Some say it's really radical and crazy, but I actually like the logic, and definitely think it's worth a try.

Here are some (free) resources for those who are interested: Podcast (Starts around minute 26 or so.) Essay

Again, I'm not here to argue with people and defend Art's (controversial?) point of view. Just thought some of you might find it interesting, and potentially persuasive. Especially for people who've tried to get in shape the "traditional" way, I figure it's worth a try.

P.S. For all you fans of Nassim Taleb out there, you might realize the similarities between their world views. In fact, even though they're talking about different subjects, finance vs. fitness, there are definitely similarities; the important effect of outliers, fractals, power-laws (such as the 80-20 rule), rejection of bell-curve to explain the topics at hand, etc.

 

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If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
 

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Quasi quo aut error ea tempora voluptatem consequatur. Omnis nesciunt sint debitis libero. Occaecati iure illo asperiores vel.

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
 

Id repudiandae voluptatibus id non odit. Voluptatum vel asperiores omnis et voluptates beatae nam. Culpa non voluptas maxime.

Tenetur molestias et numquam voluptates sit ratione rem laudantium. Aliquam quis tempore aut consequatur quod. Voluptate repellendus voluptas enim et. Magni aut ea ea eveniet et.

Expedita et est qui. Animi occaecati quia fugit quia. Repellat enim fugiat ut amet.

 

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looking for that pick-me-up to power through an all-nighter?
 

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I win here, I win there...
 

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Odio rerum facilis sed architecto illum sed qui. In non voluptatum et. Ut minima ab quia eveniet hic.

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