What did you set out to achieve?
What happened so far compared to your plan?
As for me...
I failed and I'm MORE than happy about it!
Setting goals for yourself is often regarded as a very good idea. The process of progress is infinitely easier to monitor when we set goals for ourselves. By making a list of what tasks need to be accomplished, it is much easier to stay focused on the job at hand and know that once completed, you are one step closer to your objective.
Goals allow us to plan out our days, weeks and months in order to take constructive action on our desired priorities.
But it is also important that you revisit these goals on a regular basis and make any necessary adjustments so your work is aligned with these objectives. It's also important to determine if they are still relevant and you're maintaining the right track toward achieving them.
When I did a review of my goals for the first quarter, I discovered that I FAILED in many of them! And at the moment of writing these lines, I'm still not on track (my new store, I'm looking at you right now!).
Yep, you read that right. Despite my best efforts, I failed to achieve half of my goals.
I didn't set a clear direction, and no surprise that overwhelm got the best of my days with questions like "What should I be doing right now?" or "Is what I'm doing relevant?", which actually results in hindering productivity and slowing down progress in my biz-building efforts...
But do you know what?
I'm done blaming myself with what's not YET done!
I am a great believer in the glass being half full, so as far as I was concerned, I had SUCCESSFULLY achieved some of my goals (yay for getting my taxes done in time)…
…and the work I had done towards achieving my failed goals had still left me in a better position than if I hadn’t set those targets in the first place (almost done setting up aMember and this training is really helpful).
In a world full of distraction, the key to success is to practice the art of setting goals and make achieving those goals an enjoyable process.
It is therefore important to know how to balance learning and action.
Learning is a process that requires curiosity. However, life provides us with so many distractions that it becomes easy to veer off course or even forget what we are working towards in the first place.
Is this feasible long-term? Definitely not- if you do not learn how to improve your focus and satisfaction while learning, you will cease to advance in any way or form.
It bothers me when people focus on negative resolution goals (like quitting smoking/drinking/eating)...
…because in my opinion, it is far better to set targets/goals/objectives (call them what you want) that move you forward rather than merely stop you from doing something.
But few people actually love to set real goals, because it is often followed by a disconnect - the dream-setter starts to dislike the very process. I am here to say that this does not need to be the case.
Sitting down and setting measurable goals for their businesses is often not enough for small business to flourish and thrive. With proper reflection, persistence, and encouragement from others, small businesses are making strides like never before. (If you are determined to bring your biz to the next level but need some personalize guidance, I highly recommend you check this.)
Successful goal setting takes time and patience - there’s no question about that. But despite what we have heard before - it is not an inability to set goals in general. It’s an inability to persevere through achieving them in our work life or personal life that really causes problems in a person’s well-being or business’s financial growth.
Set these goals and have them visible (vision boards work great for me).
Whether or not you are able to achieve any of the goals you set for yourself, I can guarantee that you will be much closer than if you hadn't even set them in the first place!
I hope that you have enjoyed my thoughts on the importance of setting goals and feel better about failing forward. I know that setting a target can be a bit daunting so I hope that this article has helped ease some of that stress and will help you get those projects done, one objective at a time.
I would love to hear your own thoughts on the topic. Feel free to share bellow or reach out to me in private via email at Hello @ StephieTheHappyMom(dot)com
Thank you for your time and have a great day!
