Tips for setting goals
Yep it’s that time of year and we tend to get really focused on what our goals are for the next year. They can be lofty, grand, easy to achieve, lame, plentiful, impossible BUT are you setting them the right way so that you can ensure success in achieving them is the question! I’ve grown my business and met my goals every year and helped a ton of business owners meet theirs, so let me share some secret tips on the RIGHT way to set goals for your business.
Setting Goals The Right Way
1 – Write down your goals and share it with someone – I believe in the motto that your thoughts become your words, become your actions, become your habits, become your destiny. First you must think it, speak it to someone, start your actions (which become habits when repeated) then voila – your goal is achieved. Don’t just ‘think’ up a goal but actually write it down and tell someone.
2 – Build in accountability – taking the above tip a step further, if you tell someone it helps make you accountable. This is one of the reasons I’m a firm believer in having a business coach or joining a mastermind. You have to answer to them and say if you DID the actions you said you would do and they help you push and motivate you to keep going so that you will increase your chance of success.
3– Targets vs goals – It’s great to set a goal like “I want to increase my revenue by 20%”, but you also need to set a target. Example – I want to increase my revenue by 20% by June 1st. You need to set a target date – a time frame to achieve it. If you don’t, the ‘goal’ can go on forever and before you know it you are old and grey sitting in a rocking chair on the porch!
4 – Plan, plan, plan – I bet you’ve heard the phrase – Failing to plan is planning to fail. You need to have a clear roadmap on how to achieve said goal by the given target. HOW are you going to increase your revenue by 20% by June 1st? What do you need to do DIFFERENTLY each week to make a difference in your revenue, to make more sales, to increase the sales of your current clients, to lessen your expenses? You need to know EXACTLY what you need to do on a regular basis to make your goal a success. Plus it’ll help you feel less overwhelmed.
5 – Focus on the actions – So many people that set goals are so focused on the actual goal itself that they get lost in the weeds or feel demotivated along the way. By not ‘achieving’ the goal in the first little while or seeing progress they feel like the plan is not working and give up. They don’t have that adrenaline rush yet and accolades for achieving the goal yet, so it’s easy to feel deflated and that lack of passion and motivation. This can be the ONE thing that kills a goals success. Brian Moran explains this process really well in his book the 12 Week Year. Instead, focus on the actions that are in your plan. When you check off an item on your list and complete that one small thing – honestly – it’s a mini victory! Congratulate THAT win, feel that accomplishment. If you keep doing that on a weekly, daily or monthly basis, it’ll give you that extra boost and motivate you to do more. This is what will push you to complete your goal and achieve that success.
6 – Schedule, schedule, schedule – So going back to the plan… if you don’t put those action steps that you wrote out in your plan INTO your schedule, trust me, it won’t get done. Those action steps you need to take on a weekly, daily basis or tasks that you need to do to make part of the plan happen – HAVE to go into your project management tool or calendar. Make those tasks an absolute priority. Do not treat them as a ‘nice to have’, ‘when you have time’. Treat them as an appointment with yourself. They are crucial to your success.
7 – Forgive yourself – None of us are perfect and we can easily fall off the wagon. I rave about batch tasking and checking your inbox periodically in the day vs first thing – but hey – I too get sucked in from time to time and before I know it half a day goes by and nothing feels ‘done’. I notice it and course correct. I don’t beat myself up and give up. Just notice, create an action that helps you course correct and get back on track and schedule those tasks and ‘get er done’.
There are so many great strategies, tips, secrets to setting goals and achieving them. Learning from the best is one of my favorite things. Not only are the tips useful but I find it inspiring and motivating. Brian Tracy is quite the guru when it comes to success tips along with Tim Ferris (yes I’m still reading Tools of Titans – that book is huge!). Check out these other tips from the super successful, feel inspired and make steps to crush your dreams!
Know that Smooth Business Growth is here for you every step of the way. If you want to map out your content marketing strategy to attract more clients faster, if you want to increase your social media engagement to extend your reach and boost your expert status, or maybe your goal is to create a podcast show or start video marketing. Reach out at captain@smoothbusinessgrowth.com today so that we can help you achieve success faster.
