Assuming you didn’t grow up in a bunker, you’ve likely heard quite a few opinions about goal setting. 5 year plans are all the rage when you finally finish school and make your way into adulthood, and as you transition into new careers, new relationships, and new experiences, you’ll probably find yourself being asked the magic question, “where do you see yourself in five years?” While I believe goal setting is SO important, I think most people get the whole five year plan thing all wrong. Are you ready to learn how to set goals in a way that breeds success, cuts overwhelm, and makes you feel GOOD? Let’s get started!
So many business owners I talk with crash and burn when it comes to goal setting, because they fail to create an actionable plan, with small goals they can check off, while they work towards their bigger goals. Their goals look something like this:
“I want to book 2o clients by the end of the year.”
“I want to open a floral business within three years.”
“I want to buy a house in five years.”
Having big, long term goals is great. It’s important to have an idea of where you want to go, so the whole five year plan isn’t a completely bogus idea.
The problem is that for many people, that is where the goal setting ends.
If you’re not breaking your big goals into small goals that you can check off of your to do list, you’re seriously lowering the chances that you’ll ever achieve your big goals!
I’ll be honest here- I’m not big on long term goals. Mainly, because I believe that my goals are always evolving, and my reality is that the further ahead I look, the more overwhelmed I feel. That’s just how I roll! So, I make general long term goals, and lots of super specific small ones.
Everyone is different, and if making specific long term goals works for you, that’s great! But, I encourage you to begin breaking those big goals into smaller ones, so that you’re constantly working towards your big goal in strategic ways, PLUS you’re able to pat yourself on the back for lots of small wins as you go!
Most importantly, you need to find a middle ground between the now, and the future. You need to get real about your long term goals, and I like to do that by making it about feelings.
So, for me, when it comes to my business, my goals are more about how I will feel in five years. I know that I want to feel financially secure. I want to feel like I am making the difference in the lives of other female business owners. I want to be running a thriving community where women can get help with their businesses, while feeling uplifted and understood. I want to feel energized because I’m working on something I’m passionate about.
If your five year plan is filled with fancy cars, the nicest house on the block, and a business that is profitable, I urge you to dig a little deeper. Why are those things important to you? What feelings would those material things satisfy?
Once you’ve figured out how you want to feel in the long term (write those things down!), you can start making a detailed, actionable plan that will help you achieve those feelings!
What do you need to do, in order to feel the way you want to feel?
I think breaking goals into monthly goals, and then weekly ones, makes making things happen SO much easier.
If your goal for the month is to add a new service or product to your business, so that you can generate more income, so you can feel financially secure down the road, sit down and figure out HOW you’re going to do it!
Give yourself daily tasks, that will push you along so that when the month comes to a close, you’re ready to launch that new product or service to the world! Perhaps one week your main focus is to brainstorm the guts of what it is you’re creating. Another week your main focus is reaching out to strategic partners that will help you spread the word.
Each day, aim to do two things that will help move you towards the feelings you long for. Your day to day business as usual doesn’t count!
If something isn’t moving you in the direction you want to go, make a change, or eliminate it completely. It’s all about being strategic, and efficient!
This takes a whole lot of hustle, and just as much heart. Check in with yourself regularly, and take stock of the state of your business. Are you filling your schedule with things that are moving you forward, or are you stuck in a never-ending circle of just doing what you need to do to get by in the now?
By far, the biggest thing that prevents business owners from achieving their goals is time. Meaning, they believe there just isn’t enough of it!
Only, we have as much time as we make. We each have the same 24 hours in a day.
One of my absolute, biggest pet peeves is when I hear people complaining that there simply isn’t enough time in a day. I get it. There are plenty of times I wish I had more time. But fact is, if I don’t have enough time in the day, it’s likely because I didn’t hustle hard enough.
When I started my first business, sleep was a luxury I often did not get to experience. My family is important to me, as is my business, as are my friends, and I don’t want any of those areas to lack. So, I made Pinterest worthy snacks for my daughter to bring to preschool, rocked playdates in a way that would make Martha Stewart proud, and almost always had dinner on the table at 5:30. I did that while starting a business from scratch, and having the wickedly amazing problem of being busier than I could handle. My friends and clients often asked how I got everything done so easily.
But the thing was, it wasn’t easy! Not even a little bit. In fact, my life was insane. I am an in bed at 9PM kind of girl. My first year of business, I pulled all nighters a few times a week. I worked tirelessly to be sure I achieved my goals, and while I often found myself wishing for more hours in the day to sleep, you never heard me complaining that there weren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish my goals.
I’m not saying this to toot my own horn, I’m saying it to show you that being successful takes hard work. Remember that the next time you see someone living a life you’re envious of. Often, you have no idea what is going on behind the scenes, and the people who are successful, likely put in a lot of work to get there!
You have the same number of hours in the day as Madonna, Oprah, Richard Branson, and that friend of yours that you secretly hate a little, that juggles a zillion things effortlessly.
Be a hustler! If you’re relentlessly committed to reaching your goals, you will. It’s all about how badly you want things, and what you’re willing to do (or sometimes, not do!) to make them happen.
Regardless of what your goals are, remember that you’re capable of achieving them. It’s a lot harder to move mountains when you’re questioning your strength! We all have obstacles and struggles, it’s what we do about them, and in spite of them, that defines us. You can do this!
Want more help with goal setting? I love this video!
How do you feel about goal setting? If you’re struggling to create an actionable plan that will help you reach your long term goals, leave a comment or drop me a line here, and we’ll brainstorm together!
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