It’s common at the end of the year/beginning of the next to look ahead at what you want to change and what you want to accomplish through the next year – both in personal life and business life. Setting achievable, measurable goals is crucial for any business owner. Setting goals will help you achieve a state of laser focus in moving towards what you want as the new year begins.
Here are some important ideas to keep in mind as you’re setting your goals for the coming year:
=> Set Goals That Can Be Tracked in Numbers
A goal like “I want to make $4,000 a month blogging by Dec 21, 2011” is a good goal.
A goal like “I want to be rich and feel successful” is not a good goal, because it’s not measurable.
With a measurable goal, you can divide it into a number of months and set monthly milestones to get you where you want to go.
A “feeling-based” goal is impossible to track until you either get there or don’t get there, which almost certainly means you won’t get there.
=> Set Realistic Goals
Goals should be realistic, meaning you can actually achieve it in the time you’ve set. You should be able to actually see a path to where you want to be, without the need for a miracle happening.
For example, don’t set a goal to be a millionaire next year if you’ve never made more than $3,000 in a month. If you’re making $2,000 a month this year, however, $4,000 a month – or even $6,000 a month – is quite realistic.
Make your goals ambitious enough to inspire you to strive for them, but not so ambitious that you don’t truly believe you can make them happen.
=> Know the Why As Well As the What
In addition to knowing what you want, you need to have a clear idea of why you want that as well. Keep your why at the forefront of your attention.
For example, if your desire to make money stems from the desire to provide for your family, never ever lose sight of that for the money.
=> Check Your Goals Daily
Are your goals still what you really want? Over the course of a few months or years, your goals may change. People often forget to update their goals when they do.
One way to be sure your goals are front and center as you work on your business is to get in the habit of spending just ten minutes a day going over your goals. This will help you keep on track as well as reinforce your desire to meet your goals, every single day. This creates a really powerful sense of momentum.
Many of the most successful people in the world have a consistent habit of reviewing their goals at the beginning of their day. Millionaires and even billionaires have often said that this first 10 to 30 minutes of the day is the most important period of time in their day.
Set trackable, realistic goals. Check them daily and recommit to them on an ongoing basis. Know why you want the goal as well as what you actually want. That why will help you maintain focus so that you can make your goals a reality in 2018!