Goal Setting

There are many ways people suggest you set goals and make things happen but many of them are far from productive… !

First of all you have the advice that is more like a set of affirmations such as…

…don’t use the words “I can’t”.

Or saying “make sure you enjoy what you do”.

But living in the real world, where results count, because that’s how we entrepreneurs profit…

…I always want people to be, not just realistic and positive, but also very clear on what goals are, why they have them and when the are most valuable.

Let’s start out with the main reasons that people don’t get things done or take their ideas and make something happen for themselves…

…fear, distractions, procrastination and fundamentally and aversion to risk.

But I don’t want to dwell on reasons why things are not happening when…

…just setting goals can solve most of this for you.

There are some specific details that relate to you that are imperative when it comes to goal setting, these are…

What you want, why and how you are going to get there. !

There’s no secret to those but there are a few techniques you can apply to make goal setting easy and the results you get…

…far more likely to be realised, so let me share these with you.

First of all, be very specific on goals, the more specific the better which means…

…setting targets, for example the number of leads you want to attract per day, the number of sales you want to make a week, the profitability of the average sale.

And this doesn’t just apply to business because if you were looking to get fit and loose weight, you should be having a specific weight loss goal in a specific timescale…

…this is why people who have an end goal, like running a marathon, stay focused and are more likely to get there.

So apply the same logic to your entrepreneurial activities too.

Here’s the other point.

When you have a goal, share it with others because this makes you, what I call, accountable because…

…if there’s one thing we humans hate to do, it’s fail publicly and have to explain whey we failed.

The reality is pain is a better motivation than opportunity…

… another tactic that can be used all across your entrepreneurial journey in areas like marketing too.

So let’s get on with the steps you can use to set the goals you need.

First I want you to think in general terms about what you want, this is big picture stuff and I like to be clear on a timescale for this.

And when it comes to time there is no right or wrong answer because some goals are longer term, however…

I find that goals actually need to be realistically achieved within about 90 days, this will give you clarity and structure.

So if you have visions of a certain lifestyle then think about what component of this, which will move you towards that…

…you can do in 90 days, as some people say chunk the big goal down in to smaller ones.

Next comes making the goal or goals what people call “SMART”, smart stands for…

Specific, as I mentioned before.

Measurable, again as mentioned…

…but I like to add to this visible and appreciable because I want others, not just you, to see the changes because…

…when they do it will motivate you even more, as sometimes we can be our own worst critic and…

…third party support and acknowledgement is a powerful thing to have in your strategy.

So in terms of business you can do things like publish results…

…this could be on a simple chart for all to see, so showing the number of leads per day.

A great example of public disclosure is something like the income report that John Lee Dumas, creator of the podcast and website…

…Entrepreneur On Fire does, where right at the top he shows his earnings for the month…

…if that doesn’t motivate him and make him set goals, I don’t know what will.

So following on from this we come to…

Attainable – and here’s the thing the best way I’ve found to know if something’s attainable is…

…to look for somebody else who’s achieved something and model that, whether it’s income, leads, work–life balance or weight loss…

…why do you think those TV infomercials for things like P90X, Insanity and T25 are all showing before and after results, in a given time with specific measurable and importantly visible results!

And just to follow on from the last point, John Lee Dumas and his income statement could be a great motivation for you when…

…he generates $10,000s a month, in fact some times $100,000s in profit each month.

Ok so now on to Relevant.

And this is a key one for entrepreneurs.

You need to have the right goals and not be distracted by goals that are not moving you towards where you need to be.

People I work with, and I’ve on more than one occasion been guilty of this too, can…

…be busy on things that are actually not relevant, or are less relevant than other more pressing issues, so…

…be clear with your Specific, Measurable and Attainable goals and what specific actions you should have as goals that will give you the best results.

And here’s a tip on knowing what to do first…

The things you do first are those that are simple to do and that are your priorities.

So this doesn’t mean answering emails, this means…

…sorting out your supply chain, minimising waste so maximising profitability, systemising regular tasks and things that will allow you to work…

…as they say “on you business not in your business”.

And lastly, as mentioned before we need to have a Timeline.

So as I mentioned before about chunking things down, chunk lets say the 90 day goal in to daily activities…

…just as you would do if you were working out, this way you can monitor and adapt to things fast because there will be times when…

…you go off track and if you do this only in a small way, you can correct things and compensate sooner rather than later.

Now I’m going to leave you with a couple more suggestions here.

The first is to have your goals, not just written down, but as part of your environment so this means…

…having motivational images or a mood board, search out things like websites, podcasts and even…

…groups of people you can interact with in real life or virtually, because their energy, focus and goals will strengthen yours.

And second, I highly recommend that you do what you need to tick off your daily requirements first thing in the morning…

…before getting side-tracked by other things, this way you start the day off correctly, in a positive way and…

…you will be surprised that when you do this, other things through the day fall in to place and stress levels are reduced too.

And one last thing to be aware of…

…people who are best when it comes to goal setting are future based; by this I mean they see a more positive future ahead of them.

Many people are focused on historical events and the way they used to be, others live in the moment…

…but even though you may be naturally inclined to favour one of those…

…think about your future as something you can determine and shape and how these goals will make this all happen, or as Tony Robbins says…

“The past doesn’t equal the future.”