How to Set and Accomplish Goals

We are jumping into a topic that I love.

How to set and accomplish goals!

This blog post is super special for so many reasons:  

1) It is the first blog post that I am writing as a full-time entrepreneur (i.e. before this, the actual writing usually happened at about 6 am on a Saturday morning.) My first day as a full-time entrepreneur was earlier this week and if I a being honest, I can’t wait to write episodes in the daylight :)

2) It is my favorite time of year for goal setting. So I thought I would share how goal setting looks this year in hopes that you feel inspired and can implement some of these steps as well. 

Start with the Big Picture

First, we are starting (and I say we because it is a family planning process) with the BIG picture. I have a HUGE wall calendar on my office wall that maps out all of 2022. And then my husband and I write down all the important dates. It starts with family and personal goals. Think vacations, school breaks, time off, etc. Then we build our business goals around it. If you do ONE thing next year, do this. Do not let your business goals dictate your entire life or you will 100% burn out. Instead, flip the model.

Plan what you want first and then work in your business goals alongside of it. 

Once we have our family milestones down, I start mapping out the business goals and then content. As an example, think about what you want to launch in the first quarter of 2022. What do you need to be successful?

We have a new resource coming for you in February (as in brand spanking new) plus another launch planned in March so my process right now is to map out everything we need to launch those. You can do it too by asking  yourself these questions:

• Is the product/service complete? 
• Do I have what I need to market it? 
• Does my schedule allow me the time to complete it? 

This is where I start to think about what I want to outsource and what I can and want to do myself. In the past, I would probably outsource some of the webpage development BUT since I have a little more time coming in January, I am going to do it myself. 

SO now, in less than a few minutes into this blog post, you can 1) Create a business around your personal goals and 2) Map out your Q1 launch or goals by doing some brainstorming with 3 really simple questions. 

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So often people think goal setting in the new year is this long complicated process. But instead, I like to think of it as something that happens every quarter. You don’t have to put all the pressure on having the perfect plan on January 1st. Instead, set aside time to work through these two steps, and then as a final step, block off your calendar when you’re going to plan for the next quarter. 

Going into 2022 I have a full “planning day” each quarter. It is on the calendar like a date with myself. I am planning to spend the ENTIRE day planning for the following quarter. And if your schedule isn’t as flexible, take an hour or two to do it. You will be amazed at what you will accomplish. This is going to take the pressure off planning everything right now and help you focus on the best next step. 

P.s. This is why we created a quarterly planner (there are still just a handful left). It will prompt you through this entire process each quarter so you don’t have to remember each of these steps. It is mapped out for you. It was intentionally created for this process.

The last thing I want to touch on is not the actual tactical planning tips but some advice. I encourage you to think about what you really want. What is the BIG picture? It isn’t what is happening today or tomorrow, but what you are working towards in the next 3-5 years? 

For me, it is showing up intentionally to everything. When I am with my kids and family, they are the focus. When I am with my clients, they are the focus. I ask myself these questions a lot. How can I be more present? How can I create a schedule that aligns with exactly where we want to go? It is not a straightforward answer, but it does include saying NO more. No doesn’t have to mean no forever, but it means no, not right now. 

I know as we pivot into a year of growing this business without my corporate salary, there are a lot of things we will say “no, not right now” to. And that is OK. Because that bigger picture dream is coming to life, one year at a time. 

One of my favorite sayings is saying yes to something means you are saying no to something else. So be really intentional about what you are saying yes to. And make sure it aligns with your big picture.

I also am allowing myself to trust my intuition. I say this because going into 2022 is going to be different than any other year in my adult working life. For the first time ever, I am the only one in charge of my schedule. And if I am being honest the fact that I am my own boss makes me a little nervous, but also inspires the heck out of me. I worked SO hard for this and I never want to forget where I started. I am sure you can relate to that too because the first days when you are working towards a big goal are not always glamorous. And that mountain you are going to climb seems really high. It takes some time to create some momentum.

I know there are going to be decisions that make me nervous, that there will be challenges that I don’t expect and I am sure there will be some bumps in the road. All of us will have that and you will too. But I am a huge believer that your initiation drives everything. So listen to your gut. You know what to do next. 

I hope this inspires you to slow down a bit the remainder of this holiday season and take time to map out your future. Whatever process you use, your dreams and desires are worth your time. Give them the fuel they need. You got this. 

Looking for more on this topic and your High-Level Action items? Check out the Strategy Lab in the Crush the Rush Club!