It may sound cliché, but I like to set professional goals every January. I try to set a few short-term goals and a long-term one. I also write them down and focus on one at a time until they are complete. Having short-term goals makes it feel more manageable and keeps me motivated each time I am able to cross one off the list.

—Meg Hyatt, Executive Director, National Elder Law Foundation, Tucson, Arizona

I’m driven by basic intellectual curiosity, and I like to ask questions: What can our association be doing better? What best practices can we learn from others? Where do our programs and services need to be in the 2020s? Which elements of our product line should receive more or fewer resources? The drive to ask questions and find better solutions—knowing they are out there somewhere—provides me with more than enough professional motivation.

—John D. Clark Jr., CAE, Executive Director and CEO, Building Industry Consulting Service International, Tampa, Florida

I stay motivated by celebrating small steps to a big goal, particularly at the beginning of a new project. Just like when you run a marathon, the first mile is as important as mile 13 or mile 26. Breaking down big projects into small, manageable chunks allows my team and I to notice progress and celebrate victories along the way.

—Nabil El-Ghoroury, CAE, Executive Director, California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, San Diego

My chief goals are to be more present and choose happiness. How we spend our time and how we dedicate our attention demonstrate what we value most. I also believe that happiness is a choice. Each morning I select a daily affirmation that helps me to embrace happiness as my truth.

—Tamela Blalock, CAE, Executive Director, Section on Women’s Health–American Physical Therapy Association, Washington, DC