It’s incredible to think that a new decade is here. It’s not just another year, but also a new decade!
I hadn’t quite thought of the new year in this light until someone mentioned it. What a thought! Such a great mile marker for turning your dreams into goals and pursuing them!
What are your goals?
Every year, right around the new year we go over our goals. We’ve done this for about as long as I can remember. Some years my goals are more clear while other times they are vague and require great thought to put into words.
As I’ve been considering them for this year, I find that my goals are not quite as clear as I would like. Perhaps it’s because I need to grow where I am. Sometimes goals can be more exciting when you’re pursuing a first rather than cultivating a long term goal.
Yes I want to grow my business and yes there are personal goals that I want to work towards, but nailing them down to specifics can be difficult! Maybe you struggle with the same thing. Know that I completely understand and I hope to help you discover your goals as you continue to read along.
How to set goals
I like to set significant goals. Goals that can’t be accomplished within a week but that can be accomplished in a year or so. Sometimes my goals can take the shape of “to dos”. I avoid this as I don’t think these goals are as well thought out as I would like. They are more like job lists than life goals. But I have to remember that pursuing anything takes a number of deliberate efforts and steps. And sometimes we are only given a step or two at a time to pursue the bigger picture.
As I said, I have a goal to grow my business. Does this mean that I expect to be a seven figure company in the next three years? Somehow I don’t think like this. Yes I do want to grow – and that’s great and amazing if my business is seven figures within the next three years – but that’s not how I set goals.
It is said that goals need to be measurable and have time limits and also be within the bounds of reason. “Grow my business” doesn’t really fit any of those prequalifiers.
But when I know growing my business is the goal, the desired end result, I can figure steps I can take right now that will lead me to growth. I can research suppliers (a specific list is needed here), brainstorm new products to test (again, more specifics), find people willing to recommend my products (make list of those to ask), etc.
All these specifics work towards growing my business. Where I might not have a specific “grow my business by five hundred new customers” I do have specifics that lead me towards growth. And perhaps in the future I will have more specific main goals. But for right now, I can’t let my lack of specifics cramp my progress.
How can this apply to you?
This technique can be applied to seemingly anything. Perhaps your goal is to print photographs of your family, but you don’t know how many you have. Decide on a set amount of time every week or a set number of photos to go through.
Progress is the biggest contributor to goals being accomplished. Getting hung up on the details will keep you from accomplishing anything.
What are your dreams? Your goals? The things you want to make happen? Think about it deeply. Write a few down and then choose two or three out of your list.
Are the vague? What can you elaborate on to bring you closer to accomplishing this or identifying it more specifically?
For instance, “travel” might come with the baby steps to save money and research good lodging options. Now you have specific, measurable goals that you can work towards that will lead you to the next steps!
We aren’t often given all the steps that we must take, but we are always given just a few, just a hint, of where God is leading.
Take time to pray about your goals and then set a few for yourself. God has a specific purpose for each of us, and it is our job to pursue that purpose.
Happy New Year!
Hope.
PS. To be honest, I felt rather stumped goals-wise when I first started writing this. But as I prayed and wrote, I felt such inspiration and hope for identifying my goals for this new year! I hope these ideas have inspired your goals too. Identify baby steps and then get moving!
More on goal setting: https://www.theamericanlady.com/2017/01/04/happy-happy-new-year/