Before you get on with setting your goals, take 7 minutes out and head on back to the episode about being a goal digger. You’ll want to be up to speed with target fixation, focusing on the right gap and goal stacking for creating breakthroughs.
Right, now that you’re armed with that. Let’s get back to making sure you’re locked and loaded with as many strategies, routes, pathways to make THIS the year you achieve your goals. When you’re clear on your goal and your core focus, it’s time to look at your resources, barriers or obstacles and the strategies to reach your goals. It sounds so easy right.
Well to try make it a little easier, I’ve created a Goal Map for you. Download the Goal Map PDF here and then let’s carry on with some actionable steps together.
Your steps to goal mapping the sh** out of this
Step one. Write clear, compelling goals
Use the section to write down clear and exciting goals. Be sure to start with setting the future date and then define the key results you want to achieve. You can crystallise your revenue target and your profit target along with a key result. That key result is a measurable that often goes along with your targets. It might be to have a certain number of active clients or to hire a sales person for example.
Then you want to define three goals but no more than six or seven. Seven is the absolute maximum. Very often I see business owners (you overachievers you) listing out all the things they want and then getting frustrated when they don’t achieve their goals. You want to be focused and be stingy when it comes to your priorities. The more you try to get done the less you do get done, it’s a strange phenomenon.
Now those three to six or seven things might be to launch a new product, create new upsell offers, put in place systems and processes to scale. Whatever you put here make sure they are important, worthy, can be measured in space and time, and they will clearly support your targets.
Step two. Define your core focus
This can be your vision, your mission, your why. Your goal has to be meaningful to you and it has to create a compelling future that’s aligned with your values. I’m not one for being negative but if you’re struggling with this, ask yourself how you’ll feel if you don’t achieve this goal.
Your core focus should also include your niche market and the products or services you are going to focus on. It’s tempting and might even seem logical to sell as many offers as possible but all you’ll do is stretch yourself thin. Focus is key, dilution is not the solution.
Whenever you have to make a decision or shiny objects start pulling away at the threads of your attention span, you have this true north to ground yourself. Does this shiny new thing support your core focus? If yes, proceed. If no, let go.
Step three. Look around
You know one of the things I hear business owners say all the time? “I don’t have any time, I never have enough hours in the day.” You don’t have time, you make time and I’m here to tell you that you can build a thriving business in 90 minutes a day (or Three Halves®). It’s about carving out the time to work ON your business and committing to it.
And my fellow goal digger, you are a resourceful mother trucker, you have things around you, support systems and people to help you make these goals a reality. Whether it’s your VA, your coach, your partner or you already have the website, the funnels, the momentum in your business to build on it’s time to take stock of what you have and what you need to put in place.
Step four. Things will get in your way.
There will be unexpected bumps in the road along the way, you’ll have to deal with setbacks. That’s real life. There are also barriers and obstacles that you can foresee getting in your way, what are they? Identify at least one barrier, obstacle or challenge that might get in the way of each one of your goals.
When I start working with a client in one on one coaching, one of the first things we do is identity up to six barriers or obstacles in the way of getting us where we want to be. We then workshop the hell out of them and come up with strategies to overcome or get around them. I want you to do the same.
If you want to go further faster then ask me about my mini coaching experience which is perfect for this sort of project. We can work together for 30 days and set you up for success.
Step five. Identify your path to profit
You’re clear on your goals, you’ve got a strong compelling reason and core focus, you know what resources you have and strategies to overcome possible barriers. It’s time to strategise. What are the strategies, tactics and actions or steps can you take to go after your goals? Use this to time to identify as many as you can.
Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of time to prioritise, to build on what’s working for you already. When I work with clients, I like to think of the whole 12 months but then look at what you can break down into quarterly cycles. Why not start with the most important objectives you must get done in the next 90 days to achieve your 12-month goals.
Remember, movement creates momentum.
If you’ve ever watched the Netflix documentary of Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson climbing El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, it’s captivating. But when a journalist asked Tommy how they did it, he said they climbed 200 feet at a time.
The next twelve months is your Dawn Wall, your 3,000 feet. Focus on the next pitch in front of you, then the one after that (and don’t look down).
There you have it. Instead of relying on hope as a strategy, you are encoding your goals and setting your ‘reticular activating system to work’. Print this off or save it to your tablet, fill in the goal map and read it every day.
If you work on these five steps you are 10 times more likely to achieve your goals. (Legit, there has been a Harvard Business Study that backs this up).
Grab a 90 Day Success Planner here to help plan your next 200-foot pitch. And if you want some help to workshop your obstacles or get some accountability, then send me a DM with the word CLARITY or drop me an email hello@workwithsian.co.uk
Now go be a goal digger!
