This Starts with Setting Goals
We’re coming to the end of another year already. It’s amazing how fast they go by. There are so many things that I wanted to get done and didn’t.
That is a good reason to have a plan for the coming year.
Even though I didn’t get everything done, I accomplished a lot more by having a plan.
For several years, I’ve tried to make time in the week between Christmas and New Year’s to focus on planning for the upcoming year. More often than not, it ends up being well into January before I actually get it done.
This year, I’m starting early and plan to begin working on it this weekend.
One of the first steps in the process is setting goals for the coming year.
A goal is the result or achievement of something toward which effort is directed. It is a desired outcome. It may be a one-and-done result, or it may be a series of successes that lead to a larger goal.
We all have multiple areas in our lives, and goals are about more than just work. That’s what makes goal setting hard.
I break goal setting into seven different areas—spiritual, family, vocation, financial, personal well-being, ministry, and social/community. I look at these from a builder’s perspective.
- Spiritual – BUILD my relationship with God
- Family – BUILD a family legacy
- Vocation – Help people BUILD their dreams
- Financial – BUILD wealth
- Personal Well-Being – BUILD the best me
- Ministry – Help others BUILD the best them
- Social / Community – Help BUILD a better world
It’s up to you to determine how you wany to divide the different areas of your life.
Most of us have a picture in our heads of what our dream life looks like. It can be frustrating and depressing when things don’t turn out as planned or when our expectations exceed our accomplishments.
Setting goals is easy. Staying the course for the long game is hard. When it gets difficult, it’s tempting to give up. Giving up causes goals to die. Don’t give up!
First and foremost, we have to choose to accomplish our goals. No one else can do it for us. One of the best ways to follow through is to break big goals into small steps. We’ve all heard the saying, “Eat an elephant one bite at a time.”
Another way to look at it is to Break Big Things Down into Small Pieces. It’s like constructing a building one brick at a time.
Start with DREAMS, turn dreams into VISIONS, and visions into GOALS.
Dreams are big ideas that start in our heads. They’re like imagining a construction project before anything is put on paper. If a dream is going to become reality, it has to come out of your head.
Vision is the next step. This is where big dreams begin to take shape. It’s the blueprint that shows how the pieces fit together to achieve your goals.
Goals come next. Once you’ve decided to build the dream, you need to set and define the goals. When do you want it completed? How long will it take? When do you need to start?
Nothing gets done without ACTION. Dreams are not accomplished without intentional action. If anything is going to get done … you have to DO SOMETHING.
Results are dreams becoming reality. This is where the planning and hard work come together. The result may not look exactly like the original dream, but a meaningful goal has been accomplished.
Big dreams can feel overwhelming, but if we do nothing … nothing is exactly what we will achieve.
We won’t accomplish everything that we plan to, and it can be frustrating to work hard and still fall short. Goals give us direction, tell us where to go, and what to focus on first.
Breaking big annual goals into quarterly, monthly and weekly segments makes them more manageable. It lets you focus on the first next thing.
Here is a list of questions that can help you get started:
- What things do I want to accomplish this year in each area of my life?
- Which of these goals are the highest priorities and non-negotiable?
- Why is achieving these goals important to me and my business?
- What are the biggest challenges holding me back?
- How can I schedule my time to be more productive this year?
Annual planning can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Like I said before, it’s all about breaking big things down into small pieces.
Breaking annual goals into quarterly, monthly, weekly, and daily actions helps you accomplish more and stay on track. We’re currently working on a planning journal designed to help break big goals down into smaller pieces and keep you moving forward. More information on that will be coming soon.
In the meantime, if you would like to know more, or have questions about building your best business and life, schedule a free 30-minute meeting.