We are in goal setting season for 2018 both for business and personal growth!
Are you an action taker?
Did you know that most people do not take action on their dreams, because they are either afraid of failure or not sure what to do?
I know new year comes with more pressure, so just in case you begin to feel a bit fearful, I am giving you my formula for success, that has worked well for me over the years.
For a very long-time people have always recommended Stephen Covey book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, I have only read it two years ago and continue to revisit the concepts each year after. If you haven’t read or listen to this book, I highly recommend it because it is a significant helper in getting focused on important parts of business and life in order to make massive shifts to meet your goals in every aspect of your life.
What’s important now is to…
1. Decide to be proactive, this means taking charge and owning your script by which to live your life. You are in control of your outcome so own it!
2. After you decide, there are two types of goals that will determine your success, short-term and long-term goals. Your long-term is what the book calls “begin with the end in mind”, Covey says to use our imagination to develop a vision of what we want to become and use our conscience to decide what values will guide us. Then, you use your short-term goals, which are things you want to accomplish in 2018 as a way to accomplish your “end in mind”. An example of your short-term goal could be to increase your cash flow or profits, save on your taxes or travel Africa.
So, what is your vision for your life “your end game”?
And, what areas will you focus on this year “2018 goals”?
3. How will you accomplish it - you may need to research how other people have done it. If they have done it, so can you. There may be many different paths to get you to your destination, so choose one that works best for you. The book highlighted the concept of “putting first thing first”, which means prioritizing our day to day actions based on what is most important, not by what is urgent. If you focus your daily activities focusing on what is urgent then, you will not get a chance to work on the important things that will help you to reach your goals. After you decide on what you want to accomplish in 2018, then develop a plan to accomplish it. What has worked for me includes:
a. Develop a bird’s eye view of the entire year – when you think about it, one year can seem very long, but if you look at a calendar and try to map out the important things you need to work on for the year, then you will realize that it’s not really a long time.
b. Adding time blocks on my calendar to work on the important things in my business and life, so I don’t accept meetings or do anything else other than what I have to accomplish during this period of time.
c. Revisit long-term goals at least every quarter this will help you to prevent getting paralyzed and drained. You will be able to find the motivation to keep moving if you really want things that are listed in your life plan to be your reality.
4. Take action - Once you have your goals written, then there are several actions that you will need to take, these includes:
a. Getting help – everyone needs help to get the important things done in their life. Whether you need help to work on your finances and develop a wealth building strategy or help to outsource things in your business that you don’t like doing, or having a mentor or coach to provide guidance in areas of your life and business that you are determined to fix.
b. “Sharpen the saw”, the book teaches that to be effective, we must devote time to renewing ourselves. This can also include, surrounding your self with people that can help you achieve your goals and help to build you up instead of time wasters and energy-sucking demons.
Your decision to take action will determine if you are part of the 99% of people who stay stuck, or part of the 1% of people who take inspired action. You may also need a mentor, and an accountability partner to help you along the way. Go ahead, make a decision and stick to it.
How will you accomplish your short-term and long-term goals?
Who will be your mentor and accountability partner?
For 2018, take action and much prosperity will follow!