It’s the time of year when people are setting goals for the upcoming year. I do it. I know others do it. We all set goals for our professional and personal life. But we all know that some of those goals can fall by the wayside as the year goes on.
For me I’ve had pretty good luck with setting big goals. This year I had a goal in mind for how GBW would do and we were able to hit that goal. So that was a positive, but it might have also been a little lucky. There were things I did throughout the year to achieve that goal, but I didn’t really look at how I could create habits to make sure those goals would happen.
Creating Habits
When we set goals I think the tendency is to set big goals. You want to earn more money or you want to lose a certain number of pounds. It’s good to have those big goals in mind, but thinking only about that big goal is usually a mistake. It’s difficult to stay motivated each day focusing on a big goal without a plan or without creating habits.
So this year my focus is on big goals, but also on creating habits. To do that I looked at things I wanted to accomplish in the New Year and then I looked at what it would take to get there. I started with the idea of reaching a certain sales goal for GBW, but then I realized that it would be better to have something actionable as the goal.
I had some success this year by appearing on podcasts and having listeners inquire about GBW. Let me tell you about how I framed my goal regarding podcasts for next year.
The Things I Control
I started by setting the goal to appear on a certain number of podcasts each month. But then I thought about it and realized that appearing on podcasts is not entirely in my control. It’s up to the podcast host to decide if they want me on the show or not.
So my goal is to reach out to a certain number of podcasts each month. I then added a recurring event on my calendar each month so that the item is there on my task list to take care of.
I will research podcasts that are relevant and that have GBW target clients as listeners. I’ll put together a good pitch for the email and I’ll reach out. I’ll also followup after a few days if I don’t hear back.
That’s in my control and it’s something I know I can accomplish. And I know that odds are good that at least a few will work out and it will lead to more sales for GBW.
Final Thought
I think this approach can work with professional and personal goals. Let’s say you want to lose weight. Well, setting a specific number of pounds to lose is a good big goal, but now break it down into things you can control. Put it on your calendar that you’ll go to the gym. Read the book Grain Brain in January. Then setup a schedule for what you’re going to eat for every meal every week. You’ll be creating habits each day that will allow you to achieve your goal.
I’ve got a few things I want to accomplish for GBW and for my personal life in the New Year. I’m excited because this year I’ve done it in a way that I think can lead to better results. I’m focused on creating habits and doing the little things each day to achieve the big goals.