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.”