Love it or hate it, goal setting is the theme of a new year.
It is an obvious time to re-set – to reflect; to plan and strategise, and then put into action.
I urge you to do this in a formal manner. All good intentions are nothing more than that, good intentions.
In order to be real and and to show your intent, formalize the process. The net is full of free goal setting guides, templates and worksheets.
Goal Setting Tip 1
To keep at it, you have to be enjoying what you do. According to a few studies reported on in the Harvard Business Review: What separates goals we achieve, from goals we don’t, it is really important to harness the benefits of immediate payoffs in order to foster your “stickability” for the long term goal success.
So presuming you started business with more goals than just ‘making money’, we assume that you actually have enjoyment for various aspects of your business. Be sure to set goals which will allow you to reap immediate satisfaction to keep you in the long term game.
I LOVE this tip as it actually gives you permission to focus on what you are good at and why you started your business in the first place.
Goal Setting Tip 2
I have always been told to share my goals to allow for accountability from those around me.
But in this great TedX video in another really wonderfully simple article on Educonnect: Set Realistic Goals, Derek Tivers reports on a study which shows that its more effective to be quietly determined and keep it to yourself.
It seems that once you have opened up to others about your goal, your mind is tricked into believing that you have already shared and therefore done the job! Wow! Your brain can not distinguish the difference between real and imagined success.
You get excited and feel a glow of success. Oops, endorphins have come too early! You have emotionally rewarded yourself too early.
So it really does pay to keep your mouth shut. Keep the fire burning in your belly, as this will foster your action.
Buy yourself a short window of opportunity by rather saying: “just watch this space!”
And so I say to you: “I love what I am doing, and just watch this space!”
