Last week, I relished my 2025 successes, but 2025 also had non-successes. While there were lessons learned from the “failures,” the most critical lesson came from selecting and focusing on my highest priorities.
The Lowlights
For each failure, ask why and if the objective remains worthy of pursuit.
My marketing plan did not adequately promote the book. Effective marketing required much more knowledge and effort than anticipated. Of course, promoting the book’s message remains paramount. So, with newfound knowledge and more gumption, I plan to reach many more people this year (but not through more gratuitous mentions in this blog).
I did not meet my goal of reading one book per month. It wasn’t for a lack of books or an overly ambitious goal, but a lack of discipline. Reading long-form writings remains necessary for my intellectual growth and for improving my writing skills. Therefore, there will be more page-turning and less screen time this year.
I did not meet my revenue goal for my side-hustle litigation financing business because I did not take the required business development action. Before I “solve” the problem by putting forth more effort, I must evaluate whether the objective remains important.
Yes, more money is always welcome, but it is unnecessary to meet any of my needs. You could encourage motivation by suggesting that the additional income go to charity. That would be a risky bet on my generosity and integrity. I decided that devoting more time to the nonprofits I serve is a safer bet. For my side hustle, I will be opportunistic but not proactive.
The BIG Takeaway
As I write this, I feel like the last fourth grader in my class to discover that Santa Claus isn’t real. You would think that, given my life experience, I would know (actually accept) that a narrower focus yields better results.
However, choosing fewer goals is an admission that my capacity is limited. I also believed there was a direct correlation between my worth and the number of things I did. Look at the LinkedIn profiles with a litany of pursuits, far too many to execute effectively. I scoffed at them, but admittedly, I had too many of my own, even if unlisted.
In 2025, I put the “focus” principle to the test by setting only three priorities. I use “priorities” because we are not so fortunate as to be able to restrict our activities to only three things. For example, I still wrote this blog, worked out 5+ times each week, served on a non-profit board, read books, spent time with family, etc. The shift was that I acted on my priorities first, and when faced with a choice, I said no far more frequently in favor of them.
As for my fears of exposing my limitations or having diminished value? Since I did higher-value work and experienced higher-level accomplishments, I accepted the inevitable reduction in lower-value accomplishments without regret. Yes, I was less relevant to some (and gladly received fewer emails), but I was more valuable in the most important areas. On the scales of justice or accounting ledger, the balance tipped in my favor.
It is not that the items left off the priority list are bad; no, in fact, they are good, and that is the problem. Warren Buffett, known almost exclusively for being an incredibly successful investor in relatively few companies, advocates the 5/25 strategy. List the 25 things you wish to do in order of importance, and avoid, at all costs, working on 6-25 until you complete the top five. The issue with items 6-25 is that they are seductive enough to distract from the top five and delay progress on what truly counts.
_____________________________________________________
Choose to prioritize, stick to your choices, and reap more valuable achievements.
