Creating Goals

Creating Goals

In life, and business, goals are the secret to winning. As a successful entrepreneur, you have to know the goals of your business because these goals set the timelines for your life.

There are many different ways to set goals. But before you set a goal, you must have a vision. Of yourself, of what you want your business to look like in the future of what you want out of life.

Ask yourself the following questions:

· Where do I see myself in the next three years? The next five years?

· What will I need to get there?

· What resources do I need to achieve this vision?

· What sacrifices will I need to make?

You can be as expansive and as visionary as you want. After all, dreams are free. From there, follow up with more questions.

Breaking your vision down into goals and your goals into manageable, doable steps is the first good time habit.

Meet Ella. Ella is 30 years old. Ella’s vision is the need to lose weight for a wedding happening in six months.

Vision: I have to look great in that bridesmaid’s gown!

Note that her vision has no specifics. It is just a statement of what she wants to happen.

The next step is breaking her vision down into smaller goals. How will Ella look great in that bridesmaid’s gown? What is her definition of looking great?

Vision: I have to look great in that bridesmaid’s gown!

Goals: Lose weight. Look toned.

Now Ella has broken her vision down into separate goals. These are the specific goals that would make the vision come true for her. Her goals are still not that clear. How will she lose weight? How will she get toned?

An easy way to start off this exercise is to just write down everything that you want, no matter how trivial or tiny it may seem to you.

The next step is to break your goals down into achievable steps that one can easily do. There are several frameworks that you can use as reference when it comes to goal-setting.

A favorite and effective method is the SMART framework. It means separating your goals into Specific, Measured, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound.

The reason that this method is so effective is because it makes the element of time a factor. Goals only become measured and achievable when they have a time-frame. Tada! You are already on your way to controlling and constructing your time.

If Ella does not use this framework, her goals will look something like this: Goal Number 1: Lose weight à Eat less à Go on a diet

Goal Number 2: Look Toned à Work out à Go to the gym

Anyone who has ever tried to stick to a diet and exercise program knows that it may look good on paper, but will Ella actually do it? By the time the wedding rolls around, she will try to squeeze herself into the dress and just feel miserable.

Now, let us put the SMART framework into Ella’s goals. How will she achieve the goal of losing weight?

Be specific and measurable: How much weight does she want to lose? Is it achievable? If she wants to lose 50 pounds in a month, is it realistic? Is it time bound? Has she set a deadline for it?

A good example of a SMART goal goes something like this: I will lose 2 pounds every week. In order to complete her vision, she needs to make a smaller list of secondary goals. How will she lose 2 pounds a week?

Ella will then create another SMART goal to help her achieve the first one. For example, this goal could state: I will go to the gym for an hour on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays every week.

Once you have started to set and break down your goals, you will easily see what is achievable and what is doable. This can be done not only for your personal life but also for your business.

Now comes the hard part. Implementing change in any setting can be difficult. You will encounter resistance. You need determination and a willingness to stick to things to overcome poor time management habits. The rewards to come will and can compensate for the stress of letting bad habits go.

The examples presented here are simplified goals to help give an idea of what type of framework you can use. It will serve as a guide to help you get what you really want out of your business.