- Published on March 28, 2016
Not too long ago, around New Year’s (seems like yesterday, yikes!), I wrote an article about setting goals for the year and why these goals are important to the success of not only your business, but yourself as an individual. Just to re-cap, a well-structured and defined goal layout is imperative to keeping you on track, for the year can get very hectic, as we all know. I also stated in the article that it is important to keep these resolutions active by sticking to them! For many people the motivation to maintain their goals slowly fades away as the year progresses…
Fast-forward to today, the end of March, the end of the 1st quarter. So what about those goals you wrote down in January? Would you say you have made your objectives, or are you slacking? I cannot stress the importance of this self-examination. As business owners, nobody is going to be analyzing our progress but us. No boss is going to be breathing down your neck, the decision to self-check is entirely up to you. It is important to take the time to sit down, compare side-by-side what you wanted to do with your current headway.
If you feel that you did not achieve as much as you could have, however, do not beat yourself up. The cool thing about your goal sheet, sticky notes, white board, or whatever you write your goals down on, is that it is a living document. You can change, modify, and improve your goals. They are not set in stone, but make sure they are challenging yet attainable. If an unexpected event, for good or bad, occurred in the 1st quarter, it is perfectly acceptable and encouraged to alter your goals to reflect that. What if you are ahead of schedule? That’s great! So stretch yourself even more.
Did you not make goals at the beginning of the year? Don’t worry, there is still time. Set them now, for the remaining three quarters. People who have written their goals down are 10 times more likely to achieve the desired results than those who don’t! Remind yourself of them every single day, write them down in the morning, very first thing. One great idea I heard is to write down your goals as if you have already accomplished them, for example: “I work out every single day for one hour.” Doing this trains the brain into accepting there is no other option. If you write “I will…” it can often lead us in believing it is okay to put the goal off for another day or another week, because it “will” be done. An old saying tells us that tomorrow is the day that is always coming but never gets here.
For more information on this topic, please see my January article:https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-new-years-resolutions-can-benefit-your-business-how-alloway?trk=prof-post
It is very important to fabricate a structured goal sheet with clear distinctions for personal and business goals. A business coach can help you in developing these goals and measuring your success rate.
Common Sense Business Solutions, Inc. has been working with small to medium sized businesses of all kinds for over 20 years. Business coaching can help you to avoid some serious pitfalls. Don't learn expensive lessons the hard way. Call today to set up coaching for your business.
For information, visit http://www.commonsensebizsolutions.com/