I find that most people embrace one of two mindsets when it comes to setting goals. “Why Bother?” or “Where the heck do I even start?” How do you set goals for business success? For work-life balance success?
If you are in the “where do I start group” I can help. Goals can be daunting, especially if you have big scary plans for your business or life.
I have a few controversial beliefs when it comes to goal setting.
SMART goals drive me nuts and they set people up to fail. #sorrynotsorry
My biggest issue with SMART goals is the “realistic” part. If your mindset is limited, your goal setting will be too. Many people set wimpy goals because they were told to set attainable and realistic goals.
The 5-Year plan also makes me laugh out loud, am I’m sure God laughs too. Five years is a long time. If your goal is a good one, why on earth would you wait five years to attain it? And you can’t possibly account for all the unexpected detours that will undoubtedly arrive.
How to Set Goals and Achieve Them
I’m a huge fan of the 90-Day plan. Unlike the other two, 90-days allows you to commit and buckle down in ways that the other two just don’t.
We’re on the verge of starting a new quarter in my business and I’ve learned some important goal setting rules of thumb:
- Only set goals that light YOU up. Do not set goals based on other people’s expectations of you.
- Focus on fewer goals, but ones that really mean something to you. It’s easier to get the necessary energy behind something you REALLY desire.
- Forget what you’ve learned or what anyone in your past has told you about setting goals, especially financial ones.
Setting goals can be a scary and intimidating process. But it doesn’t have to be. I want to help you define your top goals and give you an action plan to help you achieve them…for real!
Why You Should Set Goals
I had friends who set New Year’s Resolutions every year, or started diets every other Monday. I’ve never figured out why people think that a certain day of the week or the start of a new calendar month or year will help them actually reach a goal.
If you’re serious about any goal in life the best time to start is today. Why?
Because the answer to reaching any goal is in our daily routine and our mindset. So if you have to wait for a magical day on the calendar, you aren’t all that willing to switch up your routine or your mindset-meaning your goal is already starting out in last place.
It’s like entering a race. The coach fires the gun at 11:00 but you wait until 11:11 to take off because that’s your lucky number. In the meantime, everyone else just got an eleven second lead on you.
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second-best time is RIGHT NOW. (said by someone I don’t know) Stop waiting for ridiculous superstitions. If your goal is worthy, then it’s worth doing immediately.
We always find time for the things that truly matter to us. ALWAYS. So make sure what matters to you actually adds value to your time and your life.
How to Set Your Goals for Business Success
It’s easy to get trapped into the mundane day-to-day tasks.
And people have become very good at fooling themselves with the “I don’t have enough time.” lie.
TOUGH LOVE TRUTH BOMB
When I started my business I was working one full-time job, one part-time job, working out 3 days per week, raising 4 kids completely on my own, taking them to and from sports, church, tutoring, music lessons, etc.
I’m still raising my kids and running all the errands. But you bet your booty I made time for the business that would allow me to stop working for crap pay and begging for time off.
You bet your booty I made time for a business that would allow me to give generously, be debt-free, and live a less stressful life!
There are so many distractions in our daily grind. Which ones would you be willing to give up in order to make a true difference in your business and financial success?
We could all improve our lives if we focused on what truly matters to us (family, time, travel, choices, etc). That’s why it’s so important to set goals that encourage you to step away from the distractions and noise that prevent us from living intentional and meaningful lives.
How to Set Intentional and Actionable Goals
When I take on a new client we often go into something called blueprinting. When life is going amazing, we are usually very aligned with our blueprint. But when we are struggling, it means we are not in line with our blueprint.
Everyone has different standards they have set for themselves in every area of their life.
I’ve had people come to me with amazing business goals but because they are suffering in another area of their life, their business goals are eluding them.
So to be more intentional I suggest they go into detail about what lights them up? Why are they fired up about this goal? If they can’t come up with a reason, it’s likely a goal not worth pursuing.
Some people just have far too many goals or they have one giant goal that feels way too far away. So we break it down or narrow down the choices to the one that would feel the best to achieve or have the greatest impact on their life or family.
And this is the most important part. I walk them through a process that shreds everything they were ever taught about money, goal setting, or success.
Because most people have been unintentionally taught lies their entire lives when it comes to success.
How to Stick to Your Goals
Once I’ve helped clients work through the steps above, it becomes much easier to stick to their goals and achieve them much quicker.
If you’ve browsed my site, you’ll see a tagline: “Let’s Turn Your Five-Year Plan Into One”
Five-year plans often involve a lot of procrastination and perfectionism. You need to dump both like the cheating losers they are.
I’d bet if you ignored that five-year plan and focused on a 90-day plan like I teach, in one year you’d have already achieved that goal and then some.
The best tip I can offer for sticking to any goal is to pick two things that will add to your goal and do them first thing every single day before you allow yourself to do anything else. No exceptions.
So if you were trying to lose 20 lbs this might mean exercising for 20 mins and making a healthy home-cooked breakfast BEFORE picking up your phone or making coffee.
Again, it’s about dumping procrastination and short-term satisfaction for real results.
Your daily habits should be adding to your goals, not postponing or detouring you yet again. Those distractions are everywhere. Are you determined enough to seek them out and set them aside for the greater good? If you defined what really matters the answer will be a resounding yes.
How to Reach Your Business Goals Quicker
If you’re really deep-down, truly serious about reaching your business goals and financial goals faster you should send me a message at Deanna@LuckyLoveLife.com or fill out an application and ask about getting on the waitlist for the CWC program. In three months, your life and your business could be completely different.
When we’re sick and tired of being sick and tired, when we’re tired of the same results, we become willing to do something different to attain a new outcome!
xoxo-Deanna