I spent a good part of the weekend helping Nora write Valentine’s cards for everyone of her classmates. I watched her determined face and tiny hands grip the crayon as she traced over each letter and then she’d nudge me (hard) after each name was complete.
She was full of pride and I thought to myself, this is a memory I will never forget. My baby writing her own name all by herself and I get to see it happen versus hear about it later.
What was the last moment you experienced where you thought, “Yeah, this will definitely be a memory.”?
As I get older, time seems to be moving quicker and quicker. Heck, as I write this, I can’t believe it’s already mid-February and mid-Q1. So I’m wondering, does that give you anxiety? Are you on track to hit your goals? Or did that very question make you want to go back to bed on this Tuesday morning?
If you hang out with me on Instagram, you’ll see me sharing a lot on the topic of Goal Setting this week. To be honest, I’m not a big goal-setter myself because I find it hard to be “tied down” to a certain outcome. I’ve been burned by that before and I prefer to approach things from a broader perspective these days. Maybe it’s parenthood teaching me that I can’t be in control all of the time, or maybe it’s an excuse, but I figured I’d share some thoughts with you!
Thought #1: Your goals should align with your lifestyle (not just a monetary amount)
Maybe you’ve seen coaches online bragging about how their client mapped out a 6, 7, or 8 figure year. Maybe you were bothered by all of the annual recaps in December, or maybe it doesn’t bug you one bit! Either way, stick with me.
When you set goals, it's crucial that you consider your lifestyle
• How you spend your time
• How much you want to work
• The amount of money you need to earn
• Time you want to spend resting, on other passions, dreams, etc.
Next ask yourself what is realistic and then set your goal.
True story, I once had a coach “help me” map out a 500k year but I was working full-time, had two kids under 3, was still solidifying my offerings and didn’t have a ton of visibility. The problem was that goal did not honor my lifestyle and it was not realistic. I know that now, but at the time, I was so anxious about not being able to hit that number that I became narrow-focused and swayed by $$ signs versus how I actually wanted to feel in my business.
Thought #2: I've said it once and I'll say it again, YOU DEFINE YOU OWN SUCCESS.
The truth is that what you want out of life is different than what Jon, Jane, Jenny, or Josephine want! Many of my clients are less financially motivated as they are time-motivated. If they can work 20 hours a week and earn 50k, AWESOME! Not everyone needs to build an empire to be happy.
So I ask you, what do you want?
Next does your business model, product suite, and resources (ie systems, team talent, schedule, etc) support that goal? Do you have a plan in place to get there?
As I said earlier, I’m not a huge goal setter but I DO love vision casting and reverse engineering (aka, making a plan to implement your vision). Because a goal, vision, or dream is awesome to have but it’s even better if you know HOW you’re going to get there.
That’s why I believe it’s important to have a support system, accountability, and an experienced coach to guide you along the way (cough cough, I’d love to work with you!)