1: Getting better at getting better is what RiseWithDrew is all about.
Monday through Thursday, we explore ideas from authors, thought leaders, and exemplary organizations. On Friday, I share something about myself or what we’re working on at PCI.
Last month, I shared my proven annual goal-setting process. For the past seven years, I have selected ten annual goals. Which I call “The 10.”
I select my goals from seven facets of my life—the ‘7 F’s:’ Faith, Fitness, First Relationship (marriage), Family, Function (work), Finances, and Fun & Adventure.
Here’s an update: Seven years in, this was my best year yet for achieving my goals. We truly learn as we go.
I had three professional or “Function” goals. Historically, PCI’s primary market has been the alumni associations of colleges and universities. In 2025, we expanded our focus to include the development and fundraising offices.
Two of my goals focused on this new initiative for 2025. First, I aimed to launch our new “Next 10 percent” fundraising service offering, which I accomplished in February 2025.
Next, I set out to meet and build relationships with 12 Vice Presidents of Development at major colleges and universities. I ended up meeting with 15 Vice Presidents, which I consider a big success.
My third professional goal was to improve the profitability of our consumer marketing. We made good progress on this initiative throughout the year, and in Q4, we successfully released new technology that allows us to measure profitability by decile. Â This was a significant achievement and sets us up for success in 2026.
Two of my goals came from my “Faith” category. First, in 2025, I set out to make Sunday a day of Sabbath—no phone, no work, no writing RiseWithDrew. This was a big focus of mine in 2024 and one of my biggest wins. While I wasn’t perfect, I was able to experience many Sunday Sabbaths and intend to continue this practice into 2026.
Another faith-centered goal involved two organizations I am fortunate to be part of: Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and Christ Led Communities (CLC).
For the past two-and-a-half years, I’ve been attending a weekly Bible Study with 10 friends using the CLC curriculum. I’ve had a great experience. I thought other YPO members might also want to create their own Bible Studies. I connected with CLC leadership and YPO’s Christian Fellowship Group and arranged a conference call for interested YPOers. Over the past month, I’ve been following up and hoping to launch several pilots in 2026.
My favorite goal of the year came from the Fun & Adventure and First Relationship categories: planning a backpacking trip to Glacier National Park for my wife, Carey, and me.
The idea came to me after reading a book (imagine that!) called The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter. Michael shares research showing that three days in the wilderness, or “off the grid,” increases creativity and reduces stress by a significant margin. Neither Carey nor I is an experienced backpacker or camper, but off we went. Like I said, a real highlight of the year.
My ‘Family’ goal was to find an activity or connection point for me with all six kids. This fall, I decided to have coffee or hot chocolate with one of them each Saturday morning, on a rotating basis. It took a while to come up with the idea, but this tradition has already been lots of fun.
On the “Fitness” front, I set a goal to be in bed by 10:30pm 96 times during 2025. I did this 86 times, or 90% of the goal, showing progress over 39 in 2024 and 16 in 2023.
Also on the “Fitness, Health, and Well Being” front, I set a goal to do 45 minutes of mindfulness a week, including one Loving-Kindness meditation. My tracking of this goal wasn’t great, nor was my overall performance. I estimate I achieved this goal about half of the weeks during the year.
Finally, I set a goal to develop a simple family budgeting process, which I completed in November 2025. I am happy with the process I created and plan to continue this practice into 2026.
Those were “The 10” for 2025. These examples underscore the power of annual goal setting. As we turn the page toward 2026, I encourage you to give it a try!
Onward! More next week!
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Reflection: Did I set any annual goals for 2025? What is my plan to set annual goals for 2026?
Action: Take stock of how I did on my 2025 goals. Set aside time this month to set my annual goals for 2026.
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