5 Tips to Help You Reach New Heights
As 2024 comes to a close and we turn the page to a new year, many seize the opportunity for a timely, positive change. Whether you use the word resolutions, goals, change or simply call it a fresh start, this time of year is the perfect chance for reinvention.
An ageist culture leads us to believe that our later years are a time to sit back, withdraw from anything risky or challenging, and just accept where we currently are in life. This couldn’t be further from the truth. It is never too late to make a change. No matter your age, life situation, or the goals you have in mind, we can all reach new heights in the new year.
There’s a famous proverb that states, “Potential can only materialize into achievement when you allow it to.” Start by changing your mindset and believing that more is possible as you age, and then consider these five tips to target new achievements, seize your potential,l and reach new heights in 2025.
1. Define Your Basecamp
It’s hard to know where you’re going if you don’t first identify where you’re starting from. Take a moment for self-reflection and answer some questions about your journey to this point:
What are a few memorable moments in your life when you successfully tried something for the first time?
What were a few opportunities to achieve something that you missed in your life, whether by intention or indecision?
What personal qualities give you belief in your ability to raise the bar on your accomplishments? By establishing a basecamp, it will be easier to build towards your goals and lean on valuable past experiences and knowledge along the way.
2. Take Aim at Where You’d Like to Reach
Reaching new heights can mean something different for everybody. Some may take it literally and want to climb a mountain or go skydiving. Others might want to take the leap towards a lifelong goal, like starting a business, writing a book, or learning a new skill. Focusing on a specific goal is the key. Rather than saying something vague such as “I’d like to be more adventurous,” hone in on a specific target like “I want to learn to scuba dive and take an excursion next year.”
If you need help taking aim at a specific goal, consider the following:
Make a list of the dreams you had when you were younger that you may not have reflected on recently
Write down the things you are passionate about that bring you joy today
Observe those around you, such as friends, family, and colleagues. What things do you see others doing that inspire you or even make you feel envious at times?
When we choose a focused, realistic goal, we can begin to map out a tangible game plan to reach this new benchmark.
3. Read About Others Who Have Reached This Goal
Chances are, whatever goal you have in mind has been accomplished by someone else who was once in a similar beginner’s position as you are right now. Seek out the stories of other adults who have achieved similar goals to you and learn from their experience. Check out our friends at GrowingBolder.com, where you will find countless stories of adults who have started a business for the first time, explored the world, gone back to school, learned a new instrument and so much more. Absorb the successes and failures of others to help form your own strategy.
4. Set Smaller Milestones
By this point, you’ve taken aim at the ultimate goal you’d like to reach. While keeping that in mind, jot down a few smaller milestones you expect to hit along the way, with specific deadlines to reach them.
For example, if your intention is to write and publish your first book, break the goal into smaller bites of the apple. Set an early ideas meeting with a friend you can bounce your writing ideas off of. Mark a date when the first three chapters of your book need to be written. Circle a day on the calendar where you will spend a few hours researching and contacting publishers.
With each of these milestones, take a moment to reflect on the journey thus far. It’s an opportunity to see how far you’ve soared already, and also to identify the lessons you may have learned from obstacles and failures.
5. Share Your Journey
Most experts point to having a community as the key to reaching new heights and maximizing potential. Tell supportive friends and family about your goal and your plan to reach it. Don’t be surprised when some of them may even want to join in on the goal themselves.
Not only will you gain additional motivation to achieve your goal and a source of support to communicate with along the way, but you may inspire a loved one to soar in their own way too.