We throw the word ‘goal' around a lot. It's the first thing we ask someone when we learn they are beginning a new venture or starting a new diet: What's your goal?
The next thing, we hear from the person is: My goal is to retire early or My goal is to fit into my high school prom dress. Those statements feel good to say and are emotional in nature. Because it makes us feel good to say, we just leave the goal setting to that.
The problem with these statements is they are vague and not specific. They do not capture any of the steps in between nor do they say anything about WHEN those results are expected.
The first step of setting a goal is to choose a specific goal.
Here's an example of what I mean.
During my son's basketball practice, I had to drive him because he doesn’t have his driver’s license yet. We'd get on the road at 5:30 AM (GROAN) because we had to get him there for 6 AM practice. While we were driving, we talked about him saving for a car.
I asked him, “What do you have as a goal?”
And he says, “Well, I want to save somewhere between $2,000 and $3,000 because you’re gonna match me, right dad?”
That was the deal that I made. I asked him, how much he had saved and he said somewhere around $1,000. I then asked him what his goal was over the next eight or nine months?
His answer was that he was aiming in that range.
This is where he got lost. I told him that if he was not specific enough, the universe would be confused and not not know how to deliver an amount to him. It's likely, he would he would end up with something closer to $2,000 than $3,000 and who knows when since his timeline was also vague.
At the risk of becoming metaphysical, you should know that I am a faith-based person. I’m a Christian and it’s not a question as to whether you should be or shouldn’t be to make this work. Yet, I’ve been doing this long before I ever considered myself a believer.
You need to understand that the universe absolutely listens to what we tell it. To fully harness the power of goals, one must give the universe a strong, clear understanding of what it is we are seeking to achieve–both personally and in business. So when you want to achieve something, you must make a very, very specific goal.
If you want to lose weight, don’t say, ‘I want to lose weight,’ say, ‘I want to lose five pounds this month,’ or, ‘I want to lose 10 pounds this quarter,’ or whatever it is. The key is: you want to cite a very specific number. If I want to make more money, it shouldn't be, ‘I want to make more money,' instead it should be, ‘I would like to make $500 more a month or as a firm, we would like to bring in X number of dollars more per month. It must be very specific and not simply a range but a very specific and precise target. It’s vital that we be specific and precise because the clearer we are, the better the universe can work with us to achieve it.
What is YOUR goal today? Take a few moments and consider what it is you really want. Pick one specific area of your life or your firm, and think about a specific goal. Write it down and you are on your way!
If you are having trouble narrowing down your firm's goals, I can help. Contact us today to request your free strategy session with us.For one hour, we can discuss YOUR business and the goals you want to set to achieve YOUR success.
Building a better business, one specific goal at a time.
