The One Thing: Selecting Your Goals

If you’ve been following along, I’ve introduced you to my favorite goal-setting tool (Dec 23), shared my yearly review process (Jan 1), and guided you through creating “yet” statements to identify areas for growth in 2025 (Jan 5). You can catch up on all of those posts in your inbox or at https://himareddy.com/blog/.

Now that you’ve had time to reflect, it’s time to take the next step.

Step 1: Bring Yet Statements to Present

Gather all of your “yet” statements. Whether they’re digital, on note cards, or written as a list, have them in front of you. 

Rephrase them as current, completed items, for example:

1. I can trade in bullish conditions, and I now know how to adapt my setups to bear markets so that I can have more trading opportunities to grow my account faster.
2. I know how to swing trade stocks, and I now know how to day trade options so that I can trade intraday and not have to worry about the market action overnight or on the weekend.
3. I understand how to wield momentum from Hima’s RSI Power Zones indicators and education, and I now know how to forecast directly on the chart the way she does with Lost Forecasting techniques so that I can exit and enter with more precision by using the time axis on my chart.
4. I now have a trading plan that I can follow for consistent results.
5. I now know how to manage my emotions in my trading to bridge the gap from learning to application.

Notice the use of “I now” and “so that I can”. This brings the statements into present tense, as if they’ve already become a reality, and made the benefit (so that I can) clear.

Step 2: Let “The One” Surface

Ask yourself this simple yet profound question:

“What is the ONE statement from this list such that by achieving it everything else would be easier or unnecessary?”

This concept is inspired by the book The One Thing. While the book dives deep into this philosophy, for now, this single question will help you identify your top priority. Don’t overthink it. Look at your list and see what naturally stands out.

It’s perfectly reasonable to begin the year with just one goal. We’re not calling it a resolution or a wish—it’s a focused objective. If you’re new to this type of planning, starting with one goal keeps it manageable and increases your chances of success.

Optional Step 2.5: Determine your Top Three

If you already have experience with goal-setting, you may want to choose a second or even a third statement to guide your goal creation. To do this, return to your list , removing the statement that bubbled up first. Then ask,

“What is the ONE statement from this remaining list such that by achieving it everything else would be easier or unnecessary?”

Repeat this process until you have a maximum of three goals. Do not exceed three. It’s tempting to tackle everything at once, but focusing on fewer goals leads to better results.

Step 3: Think 90 Days Out

Say from the sample list above you got down to 1, 3, and 4:

#1 I now know how to adapt my setups to bear markets so that I can have more trading opportunities to grow my account faster.

#2 I now know how to forecast directly on the chart the way she does with Lost Forecasting techniques so that I can exit and enter with more precision by using the time axis on my chart.

#3 I now have a trading plan that I can follow for consistent results.

Ideally, your goals that you derive from these statements should be achievable within a 90-day period. This timeframe strikes a balance between being long enough to make significant progress and short enough to maintain focus and momentum. Goals set for a shorter time frame risk missing key steps, while longer timelines often lead to distractions.

So now begin to think about what you can do in the next 90 days to make your 1-3 “One Thing” statements true sooner than later. 

What’s Next?

In the next phase, I’ll share how to transform these goals into into specific, actionable plans you can execute on. 

In case you were wondering, you’re just past the halfway mark in my process! I plan to have us rounded out with clear goals by the end of the week, and you can always catch up at your own pace. Stay tuned for more!