How many times have you set a goal for yourself, and it fizzled? A fitness goal. Weight loss. Business. Financial. New job. That vacation destination you may never see, etc. etc.
Sometimes achieving a goal comes easy, which could mean that the goal wasn’t BIG enough. Often the goals are plenty BIG but they simply don’t get accomplished.
By the way, did you even set goals for yourself? Don’t worry. It’s not too late!
Write some goals around your business, finances, personal life, or things you’ve always wanted to do but never did. Write them down NOW. Schedule what you need to do in your calendar and you’re in business.
Not that easy I know!
My soon to be 16-year-old daughter writes her goals on the inside cover of her school notebook. This way, she sees the goals every day and they remind her to stay focused and keep making progress.
Her goals may not have dates and outcomes. But yours will!
Goals tend to fall in one of 8 areas of our lives – Career, Financial, Health, Family, Self-Improvement, Spiritual, Adventure, and Business.
Most goals don’t get accomplished. Here’s why!
Lack of Passion
If there is no passion behind your goal, it will come to a screeching halt. It’s difficult to define passion. But here goes! Passion is feeling so strongly about something that you’re willing to move time in your schedule to do it. For example, I’m passionate about boxing. I’m willing to move time on my calendar just to get my training in. I invest time, energy, and money to improve. And maybe most importantly, I can’t hide my excitement when I talk about it. (I’m excited just thinking about it now!) How passionate are you about your goal?
No Clear Outcome
The goal lacks specifics. For example, I’m going to be a more successful financial advisor is an admiral desire but difficult to measure. It’s hard to determine a start and end point. How do you know you’ve hit your goal? I’m going to generate at least 5 referrals a week by speaking with at least one client every day. This goal is much more impactful and measurable. Of course, what are you going to say to your clients to generate those referrals?
Conflict with Self Image
I remember coaching an advisor that simply couldn’t see herself sitting at a kitchen table selling life insurance. She told me that sitting in someone’s home at 7:00 at night was not the way she envisioned herself making a living. I told her outright that she wouldn’t succeed in the business. Why she was hired – well, that’s another story. I was surprised she lasted two months. If you have a negative self-image related to your goal (I hate the gym), you will never hit your goal.
No Action Steps
A goal is only as good as the action steps taken. If you don’t focus on taking action steps every day, or at least every week, you’ll never reach your desired outcome. Ask an author how they went about writing their book. They don’t just sit down one day and keep writing. Authors tend to write a little bit every day – usually at the same time every day. They get into a routine that becomes part of their day. Every big-time goal requires chipping away every day. Training for a boxing match. Preparing for a marathon. Completing a jigsaw puzzle. What do you need to do every day to solve your puzzle?
Bad Timing
Life does get in the way from time to time. Juggling a busy work schedule, aging parents, activities with kids, family obligations, and whatever else is a challenge for everyone. In taking on new frontiers and daring to think BIG, the timing must work. When will the timing be better? Will the timing ever be better? If not, that may be another issue. We all can’t drop what we’re doing to write a book or train for a marathon. The key here is deciding when the right time is and putting it in the calendar. It’s just that simple.
Time Measured
Goals work best if there is accountability around when – as in when will you accomplish this? Most goals tend to be for the year. I find it’s much more effective if you create a goal around a shorter period of time to create more immediacy and urgency around the outcome. Most of my work with advisors is around a series of 90-Day Goals. Having a goal for the next 3 months almost forces next action steps almost daily otherwise you may never hit those targets.
Remember, what gets in the calendar gets done.
Schedule the action steps you’ll need to take to hit the goals in your calendar. Maybe that’s your first goal!
What will YOU accomplish in the next 90-Days?
What will you do to manage your action steps and be accountable?
P.S. We’re starting a new 8-week class in February to help advisors, agents, and brokers generate more intros and referrals quickly. Would you like to join us? If you want to learn more, contact me directly at Michael@KOnetworking.com
