Goals: The REAL Secret To Business Success

Before I recognized the power of goal setting, I had no idea how to reach the pinnacle of success. I was at the whim of fate, and I spent more time doing things that merely felt good in the moment over activities that would ensure a better future and the ultimate success of my business. 

Maybe you know what this feels like. Or maybe you are feeling it right now as you read these words. If you are, you're probably asking yourself how the hell to start getting your business on track. When I was a new entrepreneur, it was a brutal struggle to keep my head above water because there were many days when I asked myself over and over again "why is this so hard?"

As entrepreneurs who lead purpose-driven businesses - we have a higher calling than merely making money. We want to solve problems for people. And helping others gives our lives and businesses meaning. But that doesn't mean we should take shortcuts or do things just for the sake of doing them. 

If you haven't found your success yet, it's possible that you've taken some (or all) of these steps incorrectly:

You Never Set Goals

I know. This seems like a silly one, right? But just about every person I work with has already had this discussion. And you'd be surprised how many smart people are willing to spend countless hours working on a business without any time allocated for goal setting and planning. This is the fastest way to mediocrity. You're doing things that feel good in the flashing moment and not spending time on what's important - achieving your goals.

Why do so many people fail to set goals? Why is this such a difficult thing for some of us to do? It's probably because we don't understand how important it is. But the second you commit your goals to paper (yes, put them in writing), you've given yourself an opportunity to be more successful than ever before. I had no idea that repeated goal setting would yield continuous results until I tried it myself and found out.

You Lack A Plan For Success

Think about the most powerful goal-setting exercise you've ever been through. How broken down were the steps? For example: Making $10,000 per week will require an influx of new clients. I must speak to 20 people per day about my business - which means I should set aside 2 hours every day for networking at local networking events. I've found that the goals we set in life that are broken into smaller pieces are easier to achieve than when we go after huge "goals" without taking a step back and finding out exactly what it takes to get there. 

You Quit Easily

You might have had some success with setting goals in the past but then something happened (you got distracted, you lost interest) and now they're just sitting on a shelf collecting dust... or worse - you threw them out! I've done this more times than I care to admit. It's completely okay to let go of goals that you no longer want or need, but the problem is when we do this repeatedly without much thought and then wonder why we are failing. Remember, having a plan is planning for success.

You Set Vague Or Poorly Formed Goals

Your problem isn't that you're lazy or stupid either. It can be really tough to figure out where we should even start when it comes to goal setting because there is so much information out there on how to achieve success as an entrepreneur. As if that isn't enough, now there are a flood of articles that say we should set S.M.A.R.T goals, and then others say those goals will not work for you because you need to write them "your way" instead. 

Now you're probably thinking: If I can't do it the "right way," maybe I shouldn't even bother trying at all! So, what's the right answer? The truth is that when you're just starting out as an entrepreneur, SMART goals are going to be your best friend. Why? Because they are simple to understand and easy to adapt so that they will work for your business regardless of what stage you're in or how experienced you are as an entrepreneur.

You Don't Take Action

You've got your goals in place now, and you've decided exactly what it takes to achieve those goals, so... why aren't you taking any action on them? I'm sure talent and smarts play a part here, but more than likely it's because you're too scared to fail. But at the end of the day, if you never even try to make things happen then nothing will ever change. So, get up and start making things happen. You will fail. We all do, but it's the learning from this failure that truly makes us great entrepreneurs. So, get moving. And remember - if you stumble, fall and lose focus then get up again. If you're going to be beaten down, do it fighting and not cowering in a corner.

Are you taking action to look for new opportunities to grow your business, or do you only take action when it comes time to pay bills? You. Are. A. Human! Even the smartest of entrepreneurs have days when they slouch in their chair and wish for a way out - "Why am I doing this?" They might not tell you that but trust me - everyone has those days. That's why it's important to focus on your WHY. Why are YOU doing what you're doing? How will it make you feel? The more positive your experience as an entrepreneur is, the easier it will be to power through any negative experiences.

You Lack Self-Discipline

The truth is, some of us want to change our lives and be successful but we just can't seem to buckle down for long enough to achieve what we truly want. Why? Because it's HARD. 

Here's a tip: Hire someone who has already figured out what you want (a business mentor, coach or trainer) and let them help you map out your goals for the next 6 - 12 months. Then make sure that once those goals are set, you tell everyone about your plan. This means setting up weekly meetings with yourself where you review how many steps it is taking to achieve each goal. It also means that other people in your life will be asking how things are coming along and whether there have been any obstacles that have popped up in your way lately. Keep these conversations going because they don't just happen by themselves. Your job, from now on, is to make this process as easy as possible for yourself so that you can focus

You Avoid Feedback

Do you believe that your feelings are facts? Most people do. You might not believe this yourself (and hopefully not!), but when we feel afraid or vulnerable sometimes our brains think they need protection from anything that might go wrong. So instead of gathering as much information as possible - good or bad - you avoid it altogether. You're in a rut. Sometimes we get stuck in the traditional ideas of what is right or wrong. Maybe your idea for growing your business would've worked 5 years ago, but now that has changed, and YOU need to change with it.

No matter where you are in your entrepreneurial journey, goal setting is the game changer you've been waiting for. 

What are your business goals for this year? It’s time to stop dreaming about business success and start making it happen. If you've been struggling to figure out how to make this happen, we can help you with our amazing program The Dimensions Of Goal Setting. Whatever your goal, this will help you figure out exactly what it takes to make that dream come true.