Nearly anything can be accomplished if you’re clear about what you want, have a plan, consistently take action, and stay true to yourself. I share this approach with my clients when talking about their health and wellness goals and what it will take to reach them.
The same principles also are true for your business. They are the principles I have learned to rely on to achieve my dreams,
some of which are still in progress
Set Goals from Your Authentic Self
Ten years ago, I was fortunate to be selected for the Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program (HEMP). I was matched with a mentor, Bill Reisler, who turned out to be perfect for my business and for me. He certainly helped me with goal setting, being results-oriented, dreaming bigger and so on.
He also taught me to deeply analyze my goals down in my gut and ensure that what I was setting out to do was coming from my truest desires. It caused me to pause and assess the goals I was setting. Were they what I really wanted? Were they in alignment with my authentic self, my personal mission and purpose? Or were they just big business goals that would prove success to the outside world, and derived from what others expected of me? Take the time to examine if your goals are true to you and in alignment with the core of your business.
Set SMART Goals
Once you know what you want, you have to get very clear. Fuzzy goals are like trying to hit a target outside of the range. You’ll miss every time.
You’ve likely heard of SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound) so I won’t go into the details of each component here. SMART is a common approach for a reason—it works. It can be painful having to get that detailed and map out a plan, but the up-front work will pay off. You will achieve exactly what you set out to
do, faster, more easily and, well, smarter.
Chunk It Down and
Take Consistent Action
Head off overwhelm at the pass by chunking it down. I see it every day with clients. They have a wide variety of health concerns, one folding into another. I may tell them that to achieve their wellness goals it will take three years. They usually get frustrated and instantly overwhelmed at everything they will have to do to reach the outcome they desire.
I’ll tell you what I tell them: chunk it down. When you have a plan, start with the most critical thing that will move your plan forward. Identify the next best step, and then the next. Taking smaller steps also allows for tiny course corrections instead of finding yourself significantly off track if mistakes are made. Take action every day towards your goals. If you take consistent action in bite-size chunks, you can savor each win and build towards achieving your goal in a way that is palatable.
Goal setting is a worthless exercise if you set the wrong goals, don’t have a plan, get overwhelmed and never really take action. Take time to determine goals that are in alignment with your authentic self and business values and mission. Get clear and create a smart SMART plan. Beat overwhelm and its resulting paralysis by chunking down your plans into bite-sized pieces and taking consistent action every day. You will achieve your goals and get the results of which you dreamt.
