Are you the “resolutions” type? Or maybe you’ve joined the “word for the year” trend? Or maybe you are a traditionalist with true “SMART Goal” setting. I’ve got a confession to make; I’m all of these. I can make a goal out of most anything – fun things to do, places to travel, exercise, work, family, you name it. My husband got me a Fitbit for Christmas and I’m one happy girl checking my stats daily. But is any of it really making me a “better person,” more productive or helping me fulfill my God-given purpose for being on this earth?
Are our goals really getting us anywhere?
This year, my two words (yep, I needed two…) are Intentionality & Focus. Using those two words, I’ve decided it is time to get back to the basics. We can get so wrapped up in projects, ideas, “goals” – whether in business or in life – that sometimes we need to step back and re-group. All of us benefit from a re-focus and a new perspective of what is really important. Here are six strategies I used. Hope you find them helpful!
- Write down your overriding priorities and then put them in order of importance. What is truly important to you? If everything is “#1” then nothing is really important…
- Write down your values. What are the top five values that drive you or your business? These are the values from which every decision (when you are honest with yourself) is made. Not sure what you would say are your values? Click on this link for a Values Assessment Tool. Knowing your values will help you understand why certain decisions or goals don’t sit well with you, or why you keep coming back to something. Your core values are what make you unique.
- Create (or revisit) your mission statement. Each of us was put here for a purpose (and each business was created for a purpose). Some of us fulfill that through our career, other’s through ministry, family, hobbies, etc. Understanding your purpose (or the purpose of your business) helps ensure you are giving back to the world what you were created to give. It is easy to lose sight of that purpose and realized we’re no longer doing what we were meant to do.
- Match your priorities, values and mission to your resources – time, energy and money. All three of these resources are limited (well, some have unlimited money but not most of us…). How you use them will determine your success. Start with your number one priority – how much time, energy and money do you put towards it? Does anything need to shift? So, how do you actually spend your time? There are 168 hours in a week – if you chart your time, how does it look and what (if anything) do you want to change to create your “ideal?”
- Financial Needs. Often we determine our budget first and then set goals based on that. Some of that is from necessity, we have fixed financial responsibilities. Some of that though is us placing value on “things” and letting that drive our decisions. How do those “things” rank in your priorities? So to get this one back where it belongs, I start with determining my actual financial needs (meaning responsibilities) and create the minimum and then I dream big and say “what if” to create financial goals that allow for more financial freedom.
- Put it all together. So now you know what is really important to you. You know what you are meant to be doing (and we all need you to do that!). You know what your resources of time and money look like ideally. So what do you need to keep doing, stop doing, or start doing to achieve those? What specifically will you do today, tomorrow, next month? What (specifically) do you need your team to do?
One more tip – Rome wasn’t built in a day… so pick one a week (or maybe even one a month if they are big changes) and let them become part of your every day habits before moving to the next one.
Do you have other strategies that work for you? I’d love to hear other suggestions and tips! Let’s encourage each other and make 2016 one where we each intentionally make the world a little bit better.
If you’d like to really dig into these and help create strategies to set yourself (or your business) up for success in 2016, contact me to discuss my “2016 Amazing Year Strategy Session.”
