Create Achievable Juicy Goals for Life and Business
Your goals, and how achievable they are, stems from the mindset that created them. Before you create goals, or go back to tweak them, try a new process for creating goals that will inspire and motivate you.
How important are goals?
In my work I typically work with business leaders around their mindset for success. I help them to identify the thoughts that are getting in the way of them growing their life and business or loving what they are invested in. My background is in psychology and I’m one of those people who, after spending 6 years working on my undergraduate and graduate degree, realized I didn’t like where my studies were taking me and so opted for something else.
I was really discouraged and disappointed with where my life had gone and when I took an entry level corporate position I decided I was not going to stay there for long. I thrived in that position and in the next 6 years I was promoted 5 times and it had everything to do with my mindset and my practice of setting goals. I use the one-two punch of mindset and action goals to help my clients achieve the results that they have been craving without having to white-knuckle their way through it. The tools and exercises I use to help my clients how to identify their own mindset and start zeroing in on the actions that are going to lead them to their ultimate goal.
After taking an assessment to identify the mindset they currently have, and giving them strategies for how to change their mindset to a more empowering one, we go through an exercise to identify “Critical Musts.”
Pull out a blank piece of paper or on your electronic device answer the following questions based on the prior year:
1. What were your successes and opportunities (personal and professional)?
Do not do this quickly. Really dig deep and look at every area of your life: health, finances, relationships, career, spirituality, personal development, etc. Ask others to help you with this one if you don’t have a good list going. We often dismiss our successes thinking they are no big deal. They are a big deal and they should be acknowledged.
2. What are the lessons you learned and the mistakes you made?
This may be easier to come up with if you are someone who tends to beat yourself up over mistakes. Think of the things that happened that prompted you to think, “I won’t be doing that again.”
3. What surprised you?
It’s the unexpected that helps us to make our blind spots a little smaller. What results, outcomes or consequences did you not expect – good, bad or neutral?
4. What from the list of answers above informs you how you can recreate or tweak any area in your personal or professional life? (Circle or highlight the one’s that stand out)
Of the items you circled or highlighted pick four or five. These are your critical musts. These are the things that you must focus on in 2013 and from these you will design your goals. You will also use your critical musts to weigh whether or not to let some things go or take advantage of a new opportunity.
Create your goals based on the critical musts. Goals are not the actions you must take, they are the end point. For example, make $5,000 more than last year, lose 20 pounds, or take an out of state vacation that doesn’t involve visiting family. With each goal create an action plan with milestones that will take you to your goal. Plug in celebrations and rewards for hitting the milestones and get an accountability partner. Having another person who will witness your challenges and successes will motivate you to stay on track.
The satisfaction you feel on achieving your goals is directly related to choosing the right goals for you, the ones that stretched you a bit, and how well you executed your plan. Give yourself the gift of choosing goals worthy of you, the ones that, upon reaching, will have you fist pumping and that feeling of joy washing over you.
Comment below and let us know what your Critical Musts are.
Resources
Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast.
Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn’t hurt to ask!
Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader.
Leadership Coaching: If you interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach, schedule a call with me.
Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.
The Women Taking the Lead Podcast
If you enjoyed this episode, follow in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio, Amazon Music or Pandora and never miss out!
