Welcome to the new year! As always, now is a common time to consider the year gone by, what is ahead, and decide which road to take going forward. Many statistics point out how often people let go of their New Year’s resolutions. It is critical, therefore, to take time to decide sustainable ways to create the change you’d like to make in 2026.
The best way to start setting goals is to decide where you would like to end up. Having a vision for why the goal is important keeps you focused on the bigger picture. Believing in the ultimate mission is critical and offers a reason to keep working on each task even when it is difficult.
Equally, establishing manageable steps to achieve the ultimate goal is essential for success. Setting large goals to make significant changes immediately takes a lot of energy and more easily leads to burnout. Think of something that gets you out of your comfort zone and grows your knowledge and skill, but not something so difficult that it cannot be achieved in a reasonable amount of time.
These intermediate goals should be concrete. Give yourself reason to focus on your goal every day; that way, you can keep track of each goal as you go and congratulate yourself with various milestones.
How does this all apply to aviation? All have heard the saying that “a good pilot is always learning,” and even seasoned veterans will have something new to branch into. As a longtime pilot and flight instructor, I grow every time I train for proficiency in a new aircraft type. Flying a unique airplane–whether getting in a Light Sport aircraft for the first time or getting back into a high-performance Cessna after a few years–allows me to focus on different skills each time.
All pilots should be aware of an area in which to grow. How can you focus on that area to be a safer aviator? A desire to improve cockpit flows may call for a goal to use an ATD, like a cockpit mockup of your type, on a weekly basis; perhaps an informal discussion of procedures is warranted with a senior pilot over a meal.
Perhaps hand-flying for an additional ten minutes on departure and arrival each flight, or getting back in a light general aviation aircraft, would maintain an airline pilot’s hand-flying proficiency. A student looking to improve radio communications may strive to go into a towered airport every time they fly or get comfortable with flight following on the next cross-country.
As you work towards succeeding at each level of your goal, keep tabs on your progress. Do not be afraid to revise your goals as you fine-tune what you want to achieve. As one example, maybe you pick out specific towered airports with quirks such as parallel runways, higher traffic, or a complicated taxi layout.
Though the New Year affords a logical time to set and start goals, it is not an end-all-be-all. Adjusting the goal you make at the start of the year does not denote failure, but rather a valuable step for ensuring your actions still coincide with your long-term mission. In our example, perhaps a simple a cockpit poster is not as stimulating as you may need, whereas a trip to a local flight school could allow you to physically sit in a simulator.
Setting goals is essential for making positive change throughout a career, and New Years is as good a time as ever to set goals. Do not limit yourself to only evaluating yourself once a year. Go out, have fun, and never stop working toward making yourself a safer, more proficient pilot.
