This is that time of year that goals are part of a LOT of our business conversations.  We’re looking at if we HIT our yearly goals and we’re also looking at what we want to hit next year.  I have had so many thoughts about goals as a business owner and as I’ve dug in and learned how to hit my goals I realize something really important.  

I have, in the past,  used goals to beat myself up and I have used goals to guide me.  And the only thing that prevented my ability to hit my brave goals in the past was allowing my mind to use my goals against myself.   To look at where I missed instead of using goals for what they were intended:  a guide and motivation  for me!!!! I was ALWAYS spending a lot of time looking at the gap vs look at what was possible. 

How do you know if you’ve been using your goal against yourself vs FOR YOU?  You’re setting them because you should. You talk a lot about how you haven’t your goals in the past.  You think less of yourself for NOT hitting it.  (totally negating your growth altogether).  Another clue that you use your goals against yourself is you get excited about them for about 3 or 4 days and literally forget you set them.  You don’t take any time to invest believing in them.  

Today I’m going to focus on how to SHIFT your mind quickly and powerfully into using your goals FOR YOU.  Even for all of you consistent goal setters out there……This is all about creating a lot of genuine motivation and energy around your goals so you can have FUN hitting them this year.  And help you to recognize when you just might be thinking about them in a way that slows results vs staying on track or speeding up. 

Think about this past year?  How did you use your goal setting practice?  Did it make it fun?  Did it inspire you?   Are your goals a rudder (like a smooth sailing sailboat?) or even better yet a power boat or a weapon that chases after you judging you for not hitting them?

 The good news here, no matter how you’ve handled this issue in your business in the past, you can start right now shifting into a more powerful mindset. Your past behavior has nothing to do with today. 

This is all about THINKING in a way that creates a lot of inspirational and powerful emotion so it is inevitable and easier to take a lot of action.  Actions create results.  Inspired, courageous action helps you to create real growth personally and bottom line in your business. 

Think about your number, think about very specific goals you have for next year.  Get specific.  Is it a dollar amount?  Is it something new you’re creating in your business?  Something big that you’d love to accomplish.  

Now, 

***Picture yourself having hit those goals. You’re literally finishing the last work day of 2021 collecting your last invoice for the year in your business.   

Give yourself some time to visualize your future self, that part of you that knows how to get there and start asking:

How does that feel? No really, you’ve hit that Big Hairy Goal, what does THAT feel like for you?

What does your life look like?  Think about every detail, your house, your friends, how you spend your time.  Take some time to savor it.  

What do you focus on each day?  What are your priorities?

What does your work week look like? How do you block your days?  What are your working hours? 

What types of clients do you work with?  That ideal client you love now, how would it feel to have MANY of those.What types of relationships do you have with your clients? 

What would it feel like to be running that type of business?  

What does your team look like?  How do they show up in their roles, what does your time look like in investing in them?  How are you leading them?

With your colleagues?  Your mentors? People you collaborate with? 

With your family? Your friendships?  The people in your life that you care about?  How are you spending time together?  

How does this future life feel?

When you think in a way that you create these types of powerful emotions, excitement, joy, belief, motivation, clarity, pride…….you will take a LOT of action.  You will do new things. You will think of new ideas.  Doing more than you have done before will take something different, not more of the same but a new refreshed energy of believing really big for yourself and trusting yourself along the way.  

“Thinking on purpose NOW as if the goal was already completed is THE most powerful way to create it.  When you make decisions from this space you inevitably create more.  

Ask these questions and ask them often. Get as detailed as you can, get in this space when you make decisions, when you solve problems for your clients.  It’s expansive, it’s fun and it mind hops over a lot of the mental obstacles that stopped you in the past.  

This is how you create more and have a LOT of fun along the way.  

It takes a LOT of energy to run a business and when we deliberately create a powerful and motivational mindset around the work we want to be doing in the next year and frankly the next day, the next month, etc.  THIS type of mindset work, mental activity makes this work a LOT MORE FUN.  

Culturally we think that pushing hard, doing more, being intense and stressed out helps us to hit tough goals. However pushing yourself and creating that sense that you’re never going to get there?  That wears us out and is not sustainable.  

By asking these questions and getting really specific about the day to day, it helps our current actions and decisions to line up with our growth goals.

Like these decisions that you make in your business:

Do you worry about the client that is driving you nuts or focus on ideal ones?  

Do you play it safe with every decision or make decisions knowing it is going to work out?  

Do you boldly hire with your eyes on the future or just your needs today?

Do you try new things?  

Do you create proposals that are a reach, that even make you think ‘no way’ but do it anyway?

Goals as a powerful rudder (GLIDES, is POwerful, stays on course no matter what obstacles come your way……..sailboat

Or are you taking that rudder out of the water and hitting yourself with it? Each time you mess up or miss your mark each month?

Put your mind to work this year by investing time in your future vision, where it is already done, show yourself what is possible this year. It works and it is a lot more fun.

You are doing a great job, support your big dreams by leaning in on your future wisdom here!