Setting Business Goals: Will You Have A Fulfilling Year?

Fulfilling (v.): to accomplish; to carry out
By its very definition, to have a fulfilling experience you need to have goals. That is, something to accomplish. Most of us would recognize the importance of goals yet it can be difficult to know where to start in getting those goals set. The following article takes you through 6 easy steps to getting some powerful goals in place.

A lot of the business owners we work with find it difficult to write personal goals. Their attention seems to divert to what the family, business or others need. Take this opportunity to focus on setting some personal goals for you. We are not saying your entire life has to be solely about you and you alone, just 2 or 3 goals. Achieving personal goals will help you thrive as a person, which in turn will help your business and family thrive. So for the duration of this exercise, the focus is on you.

Step 1: Keep It Simple
What do you want?

It’s a simple question and deserves a simple answer. In your first draft just write down whatever comes into your head. Don’t edit it & don’t rationalize it. Let your creativity have a free reign for a few minutes.

Now from the information you have written down, circle those ‘wants’ that are highly important to you personally. You may decide to choose only one. The impact of achieving that goal will feed your motivation, enthusiasm and confidence on many different levels.

Step 2: Make Your Goals Clear and Specific
A goal commonly held by business owners is “I want to spend more time with the kids”. The lack of specific detail makes this goal incredibly difficult to accomplish. More specific detail needs to be added. For instance, how do you want to “spend” time with your kids? How much time do you want to spend? For instance, say instead your goal was “I want to take my kids to play in the park for two hours, twice a week”. Do you think you could come up with a solution to achieve that?

When you get clear and specific about your goals your mind can immediately get to work coming up with solutions. A lot of perceived barriers disappear into thin air. It also makes it easier for you to visualize what you want to achieve and to recognize when you have achieved your goal. Then, shazzam! You start feeling more fulfilled!

Step 3: Write It Down
Writing your goals down is a simple act yet it has a profound impact on your cognition and your ability to achieve the goal.

It turns your goals from being intangible thoughts into something tangible. By reading what you have written your goals are kept top-of-mind. ‘Externalizing’ your goals means you can step back from them and think more objectively about their achievement. Goal acquisition becomes more of an exercise in logistics rather than an emotional wish list. Instead of using your brainpower to remember your goals all the time, you can free it up to focus on finding a solution.

Make sure the layout is clean, simple, easy to read and preferably done in your favorite color.

Step 4: Think it through
Now come up with some ways to achieve your goal. Brainstorm some options and ideas.

The impact of this can be explained using an analogy from an Indiana Jones movie. To achieve his goal, Indiana needed to negotiate a treacherous cave system. At one point the cave opens onto a bottomless abyss, certain death is eminent! Indiana is one side of the abyss and his holy grail on the other. What should he do? Our hero picks up a hand full of dirt and casts it in front of him. The dirt reveals what was previously an invisible bridge. Where first progress seemed impossible, now Indiana has a clear path to his goal.

When you think through how you are going to achieve your goal and brainstorm options, you are essentially achieving the same outcome. Those ideas may not be the actual solution but in time they will reveal the solution to you.

Step 5: Make a Decision
Is your goal vitally important to you personally? Be honest with yourself. Is this something you want or is it something other people want for you? If the goal is vitally important to you personally; then as a person of sound mind and body, are you willing to do what it takes to achieve your goal?

For a lot of people, that’s a big question to ask. Often the most obstructive barriers to our goals are our own beliefs about ourselves and what is possible.

If you are prepared to make the commitment, write down why the goal is vitally important to you. Then also write down the contract that you have made with yourself, that you are willing to do what it takes to achieve the goal.

Step 6: Get On With It!

Enough said really. We look forward to seeing you achieve great things in this year.

Kirrily Dear is the Founder and Development Director of Eyes Wide Open. Kirrily has worked in the field of strategy and research for the last 13 years. Her experience extends internationally to include North America, UK, Europe and New Zealand. She is a widely published writer in the field of business development. http://www.eyeswideopen.com.au

Tags: business coach, business consultant, business plan, goal, goal setting, small business