Bill and Melinda Gates Share the Unique Way They Set Goals and Resolutions for the New Year

Bill Gates doesn’t really make a habit of New Year's resolutions. However, what he does make a habit of is looking back at the year that has passed and reflecting on what were his biggest successes and where he could have done better.

Setting goals rather than resolutions

But for this year, he does have a

resolution. "Although I have never been one for New Year's resolutions, I

have always been committed to setting clear goals and making plans to achieve

them," wrote Gates in a blog posted

on Saturday. "As I get older, these two things look more and

more like the same exercise."

In

2019, Gates is focusing on studying how technology impacts a few areas of our

lives, as well as the social and ethical ramifications of this impact.  One area, wrote Gates, is trying to balance

privacy and innovation when it comes to education and health. He’s consider

aspects like how schools do the best job of teaching low-income students or

which doctors provide the best care for a reasonable price.  Gates is looking at all this and hoping to

find insight but also protect people's privacy.

Of

course, Gates, who made his fortune via technology is interesting in how

technology is used in education.  "I

think things are finally coming together in a way that will deliver on the

promises,” says Gates. In the blog post, Gates looked

back on last year and shared that some advancements he's been looking forward to

are not happening fast enough. One example is eradicating polio, for instance,

but polio cases actually increased in 2018.

He’s also looking at research to

eradicate Alzheimer's, and says that technological advancements to come make

him hopeful for the future.

"What

connects it all is my belief that innovation can save lives and improve

everyone's well-being," wrote Gates. "A lot of people underestimate

just how much innovation will make life better.

Choosing a word of the year

Meanwhile, Bill Gates’ wife, Melinda Gates, doesn’t herself believe in New Years resolutions, but rather a “word of the year.” In a LinkedIn post Wednesday, Gates shared that choosing a word of the year each year "encapsulates her aspirations for the year ahead."

In the past, her words have included "gentle," helping her fight perfectionism, and "spacious," prompting her to make room for the things in life that truly matter.

In 2018, she picked "grace," which to her means a transcendent or beautiful moment that shows we are part of something bigger than ourselves.

"It's

a word that has served me well. I've called on it during difficult

conversations, long days at the office, busy trips with our foundation—and

especially during a jam-packed December as we worked to close out the year at

home and at work," Gates said.

"It

even helped me find a beam of peace through the sadness of a friend's funeral.

When I was upset or distressed, I whispered it to myself: 'Grace.'"

Gates

has not yet chosen her word for 2019,  but is still using grace. "What I love

about grace, at least the way I define it, is that by pulling us up out of

ourselves and onto a higher plane, it makes us more open to the world, to new

experiences, to each other. It creates connections and encourages

empathy," she said.

"A broken heart gives me

urgency. A moment of grace gives me hope. And both are essential to being the

person I want to be and doing the work I believe in."

"That's the power of a

well-chosen word of the year. It makes the year better—and it helps me be better,

too," she added.