8 Tips to Setting and Achieving Goals for the New Year
You started your business with dreams.
Maybe you became CEO to regain control over your own time.
Maybe you wanted to make a difference in the world in a way you weren’t able to previously.
Maybe you aspired to make a whole lot more money and support your family.
Whatever the case, you likely set out with big visions and goals. As you should! Dreaming is the first step towards transforming a vision into reality.
When you reflect on those original goals, how are you performing? Have those goals changed since you first dreamed them up? Are the impact and income you’re making what you hoped they would be?
While we’re wrapping up the decade and 2019 shortly, I want to share with you eight tips to setting and achieving goals for the new year to help you make 2020 your best year yet!
TIP #1 : CREATE GOALS FOR ALL AREAS OF YOUR LIFE
Business goals only work if they’re aligned with the other aspects of your life and take into account the reality of everything you have going on. It’s the only way to perform to your potential.
What is it that you really want and are so committed to making happen this year?
This question really converges into the topic of self-care (an area where I and most female entrepreneurs struggle to “walk the walk”) — yet it’s really of utmost importance that we incorporate it into the goal-setting process — along with other YOU-focused objectives.
Don’t forget to start from a place of dreaming!
TIP #2 : REFLECT ON 2019
Many of the most successful people visualize their dreams in an attempt to manifest what they want to achieve. But you can’t turn a dream into a vision without first contemplating why this is so important to you, or what you’ve done in the journey thus far.
How often do you build in time to reflect on your original vision and measure it against the impact you’re making?
Counting successes, assessing the challenges you faced (including how you overcame them or didn’t), and noting what needs to change in order to move closer to that vision is a critical step in setting and achieving goals for the new year that stick.
Mull over those dreams to consider how your past has prepared you and why this dream is so important to you. It will be the fuel that drives your vision.
TIP #3 : IDENTIFY THE KEY STRATEGIES
Once you reflect on the past and visualize your future, you’ll have the perspective you need to move forward. This is when you shift your focus to the present.
I once read: A goal without a plan is just a wish. Let’s take that a step further.
A dream is a visual embodiment of a possible future you’ve passionately imagined. A vision is that dream fueled by real meaning and purpose that drives you. A goal is a strategic course of action to achieve that vision.
So, a wish is just a hope that something good will happen to you; it’s devoid of the motivation conjured by your vision or the strategic action provided by a goal. Don’t let your big dreams and vision for 2020 become just another wish.
Instead, create the plan by identifying the top 3-5 strategies you need to prioritize to move closer to that bigger vision.
TIP #4 : FIND AN ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER
There is so much power in sharing your goals with others. In this blog, I outline five ways an accountability partner will transform your business, help motivate you and keep you moving in the right direction.
When you share your dream, vision, and goals with a trusted partner (and they reciprocate), you’re putting your greatest desires out into the world.
An accountability partner can help you articulate your goals, provide tremendously valuable ideas, and structure your approach in the most effective way.
TIP #5 : CLEAR OUT THE CLUTTER
Saying ‘no’ is one of the hardest things we’re tasked with doing, but if you’re serious about setting and achieving goals for the new year, you’re going to have to do it.
We’re all invited to participate in yet another networking event, join a friend at her cousin’s sister’s retail store opening, or sponsor a local organization that needs more funds.
The thing is, we have to use our resources strategically — and that means time, money, and energy. If something doesn’t serve one of your goals or get you closer to it, you have to own and create boundaries for your resources.
This is why you can’t create goals in a vacuum; your goals should be made in conjunction with the rest of your life.
TIP #6 : SYSTEMS! SYSTEMS! SYSTEMS!
Create systems for each of your business activities so you can maximize your time, work more efficiently, and be poised for growth.
Use the key strategies you identified in step 3 to lead the charge on this one. Those strategies should serve as the key areas where you’ll be spending your resources, so build out systems to support each one.
There is no one-size-fits-all system solution (unfortunately), but you can start by mapping out your workflow and the steps of the process to find opportunities to automate or optimize.
TIP #7 : MAKE YOUR GOALS FOR THE NEW YEAR MEASURABLE
Goals aren’t goals without a strategic course of action, and the most effective goal-setting strategy I’ve ever found is S.M.A.R.T. Goals.
I could devote an entire blog post to how to set S.M.A.R.T Goals — so I did.
Follow each step of the process, and don’t forget to review your goals quarterly (at least!).
TIP #8: THINK POSITIVELY
You know the saying: “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't – you're right.” (Henry Ford)
And this one: “Positive self-talk is to emotional pain as pain pill is to physical pain.”
The point is that positive, nurturing self-talk puts you in the right state of mind to conquer fears and doubt. And transforming a dream into a vision with strategic goals will naturally put us outside of our comfort zones.
Whatever it is you think you can do, you’ll be right. So be optimistic, think positively and remind yourself that you’ve got this. Because you do.
I created a goal-setting and planning guide to help you map out your 2020 goals, and I'll be leading a workshop online (and in Denver) to guide you through the process! So if you're looking to make 2020 your very best yet,