Hey tribe!
We are officially in the second week of 2021 and it is already so stressful for me. There are days when I feel like there are four tons sitting on my shoulders and it can be really hard to be productive. Today was definitely one of those days, but you know what keeps me going? My goals are to keep me going.
No matter if it’s business or life goals in general. Goals serve many different purposes. At times like this, they help me to see just how far I’ve come. I look at last month’s goals, last year’s goals and they seem so small now that I’ve already achieved them.
There was a time when my goal was to get 100 followers on Instagram and now I have a little over 3K. This motivates me because that 100 follower goal seemed impossible when I had it written on my whiteboard, but I did and look where it got me! I am now in a stable position doing what I love and I have a platform to help all of you do the same.
You know, a lot of people just shrug off the planning stage and prefer to just “wing it”. They think that by doing so it makes them more creative or helps them to become a better business owner (by thinking on their feet all the time). But, not having goals is the equivalent to going to a grocery store without a list.
Here’s what I want you to do. Take a few minutes to see if you are making some of these mistakes in your goal-setting process.
1. Procrastinating. This is the most common mistake when making goals. The best example that I can think about is an apple. An apple is good and nutritious, but only when you actually eat it. The longer you procrastinate, the more mold appears and the less nutritious the apple becomes. A goal is great, but you reap the benefits when you actually accomplish it!
2. Not prioritizing. It’s really good to have lots of goals in life and they can range from very big to very small. However, if you don’t know how to properly prioritize them you can feel overwhelmed by everything on your plate.
3. Being too vague. This is a BIG one and I used to do it all the time. You see, with a goal, you can’t just say something like “get educated” or “make more money”. That is hard to obtain because you will never really know when the goal has been completed. Instead try more specific goals such as “finish my bachelor’s degree” or “make an extra $100 a month”.
4. Setting goals that are too lofty or ambitious. Now, let me start this by saying that you should always dream big and reach for greatness. However, if you make monthly goals about reaching six figures (when you currently only have 1) you are setting yourself up for failure. It’s much better to break down that big goal into smaller ones such as reaching 2 figures in a year and 6 figures in 3.
5. Not working on your goals daily. Every single day is a chance to get one step closer to your goal. If you are not working on your goals every day, there is something wrong. If you spend all of your day with admin tasks, then you should really look into hiring some help before you suffer from business burnout.
I’ve got one last piece of advice for you. You need to make the distinction on if this is a business or a side hustle. If you need help deciding on which it is, check out this post. Once you decide that this is your business, you need to act like it. Take steps every single day to get where you want to be because if you don’t you’re just dreaming.
If making goals for you is the hardest (or most boring) thing on your to-do list…I got you! All of January, I will be talking about goal-setting on the blog! For more help with your company, be sure to check out my Planning 2 Profit business coaching membership where I have FULL tutorials on the biggest questions from entrepreneurs just like you!