If you ask ten people what the “best” way to set and accomplish a goal is, you will most likely get at least half a dozen different answers.
There are so many different ways to approach goals. Depending on what you want to accomplish, a 90-day, one-year, or five-year goal might be appropriate.
One thing I have realized over my thirty years in business is that decades are also key for setting goals. This month, I had a birthday, and every time I have one of those “zero” birthdays…you know, the ‘biggies’...I make a 10-year goal.
Looking back, my goals the first decade I was in business were all about building and growing. The next decade was about doing things with enjoyment. The third decade is about shifting, adjusting, and branching out to new and interesting things.
Ten-year goals are important. What they have taught me is that, no matter what happens, by keeping those longer-term goals on my radar, the things I had envisioned for myself are always there. When we have that vision hanging out in the future, we continue to move towards it, no matter what else gets in the way. It’s when we don’t have a longer-term direction at all that we do the same mundane tasks without a purpose, day after day, month after month, year after year. It also tends to keep us exactly where we are and makes it easy to get distracted or pulled in directions that have nothing to do with our goals and visions.
Whichever time frame your goal takes on, making sure your goal has these three parts will make it easier to accomplish:
- The purpose (why)
- The task (what)
- The plan (daily actions)
Start with the purpose. Why do you want what you say you want? Next, get clear on exactly what you want. Is it to make $20,000? To get three new customers? To create a workbook that you can have ready for sale by the date of an upcoming conference? Get specific and detailed. What exactly is it you want? Then, break it down (annually, quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily). Get crystal clear on what you need to do TODAY in order to reach your goal at some point in the future. These daily action steps are the key because, if you make the actions small and do-able, you will do them, and if you do them, you will reach your goals.
What this does is helps you to not get lost in the bigger goal. You might get ahead or you might get behind, but you will always know what to do next. That is the thing that will always keep you moving in the right direction.
Not thinking through these three parts is often the reason people give up too quickly on goals; there wasn’t a lot of clarity or purpose behind it, and they didn’t know where to start or what to do next. A perfect example are new year resolutions; they are often made without a lot of planning or substance behind them and there rarely is a step by step plan of action. They are basically wishes and hopes, not goals. That’s ok, but know that doing that will never get you where you want to go. Having a written out series of actions helps you to cross things off as you accomplish them on a daily basis. This in itself is motivating because you see continuous progress, even if it’s small. You see movement, and that’s exciting. Remember, what gets tracked, grows.
Make this a year of growth. It will be big for you if you start making your plan right now. Sit down and ask yourself what this year looks like for you. What would you like to celebrate in January of 2023? What is it you actually want and why? Then, work backwards from there. The little tasks done consistently are what get you to the big goals. Big goals don’t magically happen, they happen a little bit at a time, every single day.
If you want to get weekly inspiration all year long, subscribe to my Work From Your Happy Place podcast and listen to my Tuesday Tips! They will help you accomplish whatever you want to accomplish this year.