January came and with that – the "big" new years’ resolutions. And we are reminded many times a day by emails, social media posts, etc… that this is a time of goal settings!
For entrepreneurs, besides usual and more personal goals, that also means setting goals for our business, and more specifically business growth, productivity, success, and more…
As I sat down with myself and started thinking about goals for the upcoming year, I reflected on previous years and the meaning of "goal settings". My analytical mind got hit with what felt like a wait a minute moment! I was diagnosed with what I call the "Not-Reaching-Goals Syndrome".
But why?
My first thought was:
"A goal without a roadmap is just a dream".
A dream becomes a goal when there is an objective.
Sadly for most, a dream remains a dream – without action.
As an entrepreneur, do we want dreams? Maybe, but more importantly, we want results. We want to achieve our dreams with objectives.
That’s when S.M.A.R.T. goals come into play. Goals that are S.M.A.R.T. are:
- Specific: What do I want to accomplish? Who and what is involved?
- Measurable: What data will measure the goal? (How much? How many? How will I know when it’s accomplished?)
- Achievable: How can I accomplish this goal? Is it realistic?
- Relevant: Is this the right time? Does the goal match my other efforts/needs? Am I the right person to reach this goal?
- Time bound: What’s the timeframe to accomplish the goal?
So, I continued down the path of goal settings and started thinking about what actually makes a difference between achieving them or not. In my opinion, it comes down to two reasons:
- Reason #1: Not setting S.M.A.R.T. goals
- Reason #2: Not implementing an action plan to achieve the S.M.A.R.T. goals
We should not just be setting goals in the new year, we should set S.M.A.R.T. goals, and we should create a roadmap (flight plan) to achieve them by implementing step-by-step.
This is actually a great and simple framework:
- Set S.M.A.R.T. goals
- Create a flight plan (roadmap, action plan, blueprint) to reach the goals
- Start implementing, following the plan step-by-step
When I realized what I needed wasn’t only goals but also an actual plan to implement those goals, my mind was satisfied. I was actually able to get to work.
Wondering what my "realistic" goals are for this upcoming year?
Looking back at previous years, my past goals were simply dreams without a plan to reach them. As a result, there was a big gap between what was on my mind (serving a bigger audience and making more of an impact) and how often I actually showed up with new opportunities for people to work with me.
It’s time to fix the gap.
I’m creating a flight plan (roadmap) for the entire year that includes:
- Exploring and testing new opportunities
- Showing up more often with new offers to serve, helping a bigger audience get results
- Collaborating with other coaches, entrepreneurs, creators… for more collective growth and impact
- Letting go of things that get in the way
If you have not created your own flight plan for this coming year, I invite you to do so. It feels so good to look at those S.M.A.R.T. goals knowing there is an actual plan to reach them.
Want to know what my actual flight-plan looks like?
Stay tuned and follow me this year as it unfolds!
Curious question: Are you consistently reaching your goals? If not, what gets in the way? Leave a comment below!
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Wonderful article. I appreciate the fact that you are talking about the road map to be able to get to the goal.
Last year I set some goals for the end of the year. I did not have a road map but I created a feeling, I focused on experiencing it “as if”. And then out of the blue my world changed and I was swimming, trying to stay above water. I kept up the daily experience of “as if” I started to realize that for me to achieve the goal, there needed to be some radical shifts. Staying the course mentally created the outer situations of change and the pathway to this goal.
This year I did create pathways for my goals and then came the evacuation. Being away from my home still and for at least another week, this pathway got already disrupted. But knowing my goal, I still mentally do my part of experiencing the feeling “as if” and trust that even this evacuation has its purpose.
It takes a Goal, a plan, keep on working the plan if things get tough the best we can and trust that whatever happens is for the Best – “The Universe is holding my back always”
Thank you Alina. However we call it, it’s important to map out a plan to get to our destination. The feeling you’re describing can be very powerful as well. Your pathway may have gotten disrupted but it is just the beginning of the year, I’m sure it is a temporary disruption and that you’ll be able to execute your plan and achieve your goals beautifully. Congratulations, you are an achiever 😁.