As an entrepreneur, it is not enough to simply achieve your goal of being your own boss, you must write down a list of goals that you want to meet – these must be tangible milestones or targets that you want to reach; such goal setting is paramount in your ability to go above and beyond and achieve more. Below I have listed three golden rules that are essential to follow when goal setting.
1) Set goals that motivate you.
The best way to achieve a goal is to work towards something that you are excited about so that there is value in completing it. 93% of people cannot translate goals into actions if they find the goal in question irrelevant. Begin with the goals that are highest on your priority list; compile the top three overall goals with the most sense of urgency and write down why. This list has now become not just a simple task of to-dos, but a list of what needs to be done, motivational reasons why you want to achieve them and a visual aid to help remind you and spur you forwards.
2) Put a plan in action.
When goal setting it can be easy to focus on the outcome and completely sideline the process of how you will actually achieve your goals. Make a conscious effort to write down all of the steps that you need to follow to complete your goals; think of it as your road map to executing a flawless plan. Ask the advice of your peers and colleagues; they may have insights into how you can achieve your goals that you have overlooked. As the saying goes, failing to plan is planning to fail – and this is certainly true when it comes to goal setting.
3) Put the plan into place.
Although having a plan in place makes your goal setting official, it is working the plan that makes your goal setting successful. Trust your instincts and be confident in the plan that you have created – you’ve put in all of the work, so why not use it? Look to the long term but make sure that you live in the short term; all of the goals that you have set for the long-term have to be made in the here and now. Remember: it’s called hard work because it’s hard – if it were easy, everyone would do it.
What are your 2019 goals?
Further Reading:
J. Hayzlett (2017). ‘The 5 Golden Rules of Goal Setting’: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/291912
