Earl Nightingale said:
“ We are at our very best, and we are happiest, when we are fully engaged in work we enjoy on the journey toward the goal we’ve established for ourselves. It gives meaning to our time off and comfort to our sleep. It makes everything else in life so wonderful, so worthwhile.”
Do you believe that?
I do.
So, my question today is: “What is the ultimate goal you’ve established for yourself. What is it you want to achieve in life? In business?”
You can do it, you know.
The simple truth is: When you set the intention (the goal) both your conscious and subconscious mind start to work on action plans to achieve that goal.They start scanning your immediate environment for ideas, opportunities and tools to help you reach it and they continue with the process until you abandon that goal.
Your responsibility in this whole process is to believe in your goals, believe in yourself, recognize the opportunities that are put in front of you and take the necessary action to make your goal a reality.
I believe setting smart goals for your business is the vehicle to significantly enhance your business results in the next year!! It is how you get everything you want faster than you ever thought possible!
Goals can be used to:
- Increase something – your income, nr of clients, customer satisfaction, effectiveness
- Reduce something – risks, expenses, turnaround times, competition
- Improve something – website, marketing campaigns, business processes, your life
- Save something – time, money, space, energy
There are really many ways on how to set goals, but I personally prefer to set S.M.A.R.T. goals. They are…
- Specific (it is exactly what I want, written in precise detail)
- Measurable (I am able to tell when I reached my goal and how successful I was)
- Achievable (I know I will be able to reach it – even if it has a bit of a stretch)
- Realistic (It is something that can be done – if any other person has done it before, I can do it too)
- Timely (It has a timeline to keep me accountable towards my goals)
So, here’s my quick 6-step process of setting and achieving goals:
STEP 1: Decide exactly what you want
E.g. I wantto increase my income to take my family on a vacation at the end of the year.
STEP 2: Write it down as if it is already a reality. Be specific and give the goal a deadline
E.g. I earn $xx and is taking my family to Disney Land on 30th November 20xx
Now that’s a S.M.A.R.T. goal.
It’s specific (earn $xx). It also includes the motivator why I want to earn this amount (take my family to Disney Land). It’s measurable (I can measure if I actually reached that amount, earned more or less). It’s achievable (when I put my plans in place, I CAN achieve that). It’s realistic (others have achieved that in the past – I can too) and it’s timely (due date 30 November).
STEP 3: Break this goal down in smaller action steps and decide what you need to do / learn / acquire in order to achieve this goal
E.g. To earn $xx by 30th November 20xx, I need to
i. Get a coach to show me the way
ii. Get minimum 5 new clients
iii. Raise my rates to $xx
iv. Learn how to use Facebook Ads to send people to website
Each of these is a sub goal or smaller goal that will help me reach the overall goal of earning enough money to take the family to Disney land. These sub goals can also be broken down into further doable action steps that will make it practically possible to achieve.
STEP 4: Break each sub goal down into doable action steps. Create a plan.
E.g. The sub goal: “Get 5 new clients” in the above example can be broken down into:
a) Create a process for setting up personal discussions with prospects
b) Compile a database or name list of 100 possible people to contact
c) Personally reach out to minimum 10 people on this list each week
d) Convert at least 1 person a week into a new client at new rates
To put these steps into action, simply plan and schedule time in your calendar to do it.
STEP 5: Identify the people whose help and cooperation you’ll require to achieve your goal.
E.g. in our above example: Who already has a list of people you can partner with? Who is the coach that can help show you the way? Do you already know someone or do you need to do some research. Who can help you with making the decision?
To achieve big goals you will have to have the help and support of lots of people. One key person at a certain time and place in your life will make all the difference. So think about who are those key people that can help you and who you can help in return.
STEP 6: Share your goals.
One of the most effective ways to achieve a goal is to share it. When you tell others about the goal, it subconsciously motivates you to take the necessary action to achieve it. Plus, you’ll have a group of people who can help you stay accountable to do the things you want to do. It really works!
To Your Success
